Wonderful West Virginia Magazine March 1988 issue pg 9-13 "Secret of the Sunrise Trail" by Richard A. Andre picture credits Richard A. Andre & Arnout Hyde Jr. Photos at re enactment battle of Kessler's Cross Lanes by Gary M. Wilcox There in Charleston the South Side Bridge connects Charleston's main business distrct on the north bank of Kanawha River with MacCorkle Ave the old C & O Railroad depot and the South Hills section of the city on south bank. There is a mansion "Sunrise" which is now a museum .. the stone house once the home of William A. MAC CORKLE, prominent Charleston lawyer who was WV govenor from 1893 to 1897. MacCorkle built a carriage trail from the glade behind the C&O depot up the steep, wooded hillside to his home. The old memorial stone MacCorkle erected on the trail gives just a brief description of what happened there. Seems in 2nd year of Civil War 2 women were convicted as spies by Drumhead Court Martial and brought to the spot and buried. In 1905 when the road to Sunrise was built, their remains were disinterred and reburied opposite a stone wall.. signed by W.A.M. (Wm. A. MacCorkle) Charleston or Kanawha Court House (it was sometimes called) was on the banks of the Great Kanawha River, right in the part of the warring armies as they traveled around. The rich lands of Ohio lay to the north and west, and the Confederates wanted the salt works at Malden near Charleston. The Union forces realized the value of Kanawha Valley and sent troops up river from Pt.Pleasant and the first clash in the Charleston area was at Scary Creek near St.Albans on July 17, 1861 (138 years ago).. Although the Confederates claimed victory, after the battle they moved out of Charleston on July 24, 1861. Charleston remained in Federal hands til Sept 13, 1862, when Southern troops swept down from FAyetteville.. A short, hot battle ensued and Thomas JEFFRIES describes it...The rebels stayed 6 weeks before returning to the east & old Virginia. For the remainder of the war, Union forces were in firm control of the Kanawha Valley. Gov. MacCorkle's 1928 autobiography "The Recollections of 50 Years" describes the making of the road. While excavating 2 female bodies were found .. one blond, one brunette. No one seemed to know who they were. MacCorkle asked his friend, Capt JOHN SLACK who was a Union soldier, and knew more about the Kanawha Valley history than any other person of the time. He told about the Confederate troops encamped below MacCorkle's land on the river bank.. There were 2 women camp followers, whom they suspected of being Union spies. They had a drumhead court- martial, convicted the women and took them to the head of the hollow and shot them..there they were buried. This was done by the Confederates. Capt Slack was a REpublican, a Union Soldier and honest as could be and believed he made a correct statement. But later when a friend, JAMES PAULINE, was questioned he told an entirely opposite story. He was an old resident, and man of highest integrity, Democrat and a Confederate soldier. He claimed the Union Army was encamped on the river bank and the women were suspected of being Confederate spies. The Union Army had a drumhead court-martial, took the women up the hollow and shot, buried them there.!! Both honest men thought they had the correct story. But a man in Lincoln County who had been a Union soldier heard about MacCorkle's find (bones) and on his death bed told of being one of the squad who executed the women and it was a "burden to his mind." Perhaps there is a clue in the regimental history of the 11th OHio Volunteer Infantry Regiment: On the 30th day of July 1862, a female bushwacker was captured near Gauley, to guard whom, LUTHER SHEETS of Company A was detailed. The woman said the initials of her name was M.A. but that she was called HETTIE AMANDA JONES ATKINS. She loved whiskey and tobacco but had a most hearty hatred for the "Yankees". Could the women have been "bushwackers"? In the heat of battle could 2 tomboys have met their death at the hands of battle-hardened veterans? There is much historical evidence that women often served as spies in the Civil War. A 1936 book "Women of the Confederacy" writes of this. Belle BOYD a 17 year old girl from Martinsburg gained confidence of Union officers and extracted information of value to her Confederate friends. She was finally captured in July 1862, sent to Washington,D.C. and released after a month for lack of evidence. Another NANCY HART a Virginia mountaineer often led Stonewall JACKSON'S CAVALRY on raids upon Federal outposts. The Federals offered a reward for her. She was captured, but secured a gun and short her guard .. made her escape by horseback. A few days later she returend with over 200 Confederates and captured her former captors. In 1934 a book about Charleston history by GEORGE W. SUMMERS suggested the identities were known .. and kept secret to protect the women's Charleston families. ```````````````````````end````````````````````````