Joy In Dyer's compendium in the Organization of the 1st Maryland Cavalry it indicates that several companies were assigned to the "Department of West Virginia" up until March of 1862. This may have been a misnomer since, as you mention the Department of West Virginia, didn't officially appear until March and there was a reorganization that took place in June of 1863 which is defined in the OR. However there was a DISTRICT of West Virginia in the Department of the Ohio referred to in several reports of General Jacob Cox and there could also have been confusion in nomenclature between Railroad District of West Virginia and just plain District of West Virginia made in the reports. Things clear up a little bit and the most likely references to "DWV" can be summed up in A report of October 31, 1862 (GUILD INDEX: O.R.-- SERIES I--VOLUME XVI/2 [S# 23]) that denotes in the Union Army, DEPARTMENT of the Ohio, a "DISTRICT of West Virginia" with the following DIVISIONS attached: Cumberland Division, Kanawha Division, District of the Kanawha, Railroad Division. With all the divisions, districts and departments, the meanings of abbreviations in correspondence become ephemeral. Lt. Russell at least in 1863 was under James Campbell in the 54th PA infantry whose assignments at the time were as follows: Organized at Harrisburg August and September, 1861. Duty at Camp Curtin till February, 1862. Left State for Washington, D.C., February 27. Attached to Defences of Washington to April, 1862. Railroad Brigade, Middle Dept., to July, 1862. Railroad Brigade, 8th Corps, Middle Dept., to September, 1862. Defences Upper Potomac, 8th Corps, to March, 1863. 4th Brigade, 1st Division, 8th Corps, to June, 1863. Campbell's Brigade, Dept. West Virginia, to December, 1863. [note that the Railroad 'Division' is here referred to as a Brigade -- a smaller unit] The Eighth Corps was formed as follows according to Fox: The Eighth Corps proper was created by General Orders No. 84, July 22, 1862, which designated the troops under Major-General John E. Wool as the Eighth Corps. These forces were stationed in Maryland, at Annapolis, Baltimore, Harper's Ferry, along the Baltimore & Ohio R. R., east of Cumberland, and along the railroad from Harper's Ferry to Winchester, Va. There is plenty left to discover and using the OR, Dyer, and Fox and searching the various officers involved and their correspondence at the time might uncover the exact position of Lt Russell and his Regiment, Brigade, Division, Corps, Department etc location in Sept of 1862.... Mike Joy Stalnaker wrote: > Also, I'm wondering why these official letters (which are on file at > NARA and from which I copied the above) are signed 2nd Div DWV - The > bill forming West Virginia was signed by Lincoln on December 31, 1862, > and the Department of West Virginia was not formed until March 1863 > according to Boatner. Ideas, anyone?