Some people have asked for my sources of information about Berkeley County's pro-Union status at the outbreak of the Civil War. The below quote is from Col. Thomas J. Jackson (later, Stonewall), to Gen. Robert E. Lee, written May 21, 1861, from Harpers Ferry, Wv "General, Since this place [Harpers Ferry] has been strengthened by additional troops and artillery, so as to give confidence to our people, there has been a manifest improvement in public sentiment in this county [Jefferson Co.]; but I regret to say that in Berkeley things are growing worse, and that the threats from Union men are calculated to curb the expression of Southern feeling. While I have been unwilling to diminish the force here [at Harpers Ferry], yet, for the purpose of checking the disloyalty there [Berkeley Co.], I have ordered the regiment from Jefferson opposite to Williamsport." >From The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, series 1, Vol. 2, page. 863 The below short quote is from a letter written by Ted Barclay, of the 4th Virginia Infantry, to his mother, dated June 22, 1861: "We left Winchester the first of this week and came to Berkeley County, the meanest Abolition hole on the face of the earth, Martinsburg especially." >From Ted Barclay, Liberty Hall Volunteers: Letters from the Stonewall Brigade," page, 15-16. The outcome of Virginia's May 23 referendum on secession can be found in any general history of Virginia. Many give the vote by county. Although data for some counties is missing, Berkeley voted against secession by just over 800 votes, despite the presence of about 700 Confederate soldiers sent to the county to control Unionist sentiment. In addition, local newspapers in Maryland speak volumes about the flood of Unionist refugees from Berkeley Co. who fled to Williamsport, Frederick, Clear Spring, etc. They were fleeing forced enlistment into the Confederate army or deserting from it, according to the papers. The numbers were so large that a Federal officer came to Williamsport and formed a Unionist regiment of Virginians. See the Hagerstown Herald of Freedom and Torch Light, Frederick Examiner, Philadelphia Public Ledger, others. I have written an article on this early period in the Spring 2002, Maryland Historical Magazine, "Border Strife on the Upper Potomac: Confederate Incursions from Harpers Ferry and their Affect on Maryland-Virginia Relations, April-June 1861," which addresses some of the issues that have been talked about on this list lately. I donated a copy to the Berkeley Co. Historical Soceity, if anyone has access to their holdings. Tim _________________________________________________________________ Grab our best dial-up Internet access offer: 6 months @$9.95/month. http://join.msn.com/?page=dept/dialup