Preston County Determined not to be Outdone.
August 24, 1864
Editors Intelligencer:
Gentlemen - The heading of this may look like a disposition to boast; yet it is not my intention so to do in the braggadocio sense of that word. The antecedents of Preston since our difficulties commenced justifies her citizens to be proud of the position she has taken, and continues to pursue in these days of trouble. You will recollect when in the beginning the hydra headed monster secession appeared, President cast 2193 votes against and 63 for it; and ever since her course has been onward. Whenever her country has called for soldiers she has been among the first to fill her quota. At the recent call of our worthy and patriotic Governor for the militia, I doubt very much whether there is a county in our loyal state that turned out more unanimously than did the three regiments of Preston county. To fill our quota under the last call of the President for 500,000 men, (which quota is only 37, owing to the large credit we were entitled to,) our Board of Supervisors convened in a called meeting on last Friday, and unanimously agreed to pay to each of the 37 men that would volunteer for one year, $300 cash in hand, and by same order constituted every loyal citizen a recruiting officer, and $10 to be paid to each man furnishing a recruit up to 37. And in less than one hour from the time of the making of the order by the board $8,800 of the amount required was voluntarily loaned to the credit of the county for three years at six per centum interest, by the following persons, most of whom were present at the meeting of the Supervisors, to wit: Hon. Wm. G. Brown, Hon. Judge John H. Dille, James C. McGrew, Esq., Hezekiah Pell, Esq., Wm. B. Crane, Esq, C. M. Bishop, Esq., John S. Murdoch, Esq., & Son, Smith Crane and F. Heerman, Esqs., each $1,000; and a lady, Mrs. Ravenscraft, $500, and J. J. Stone, Esq., $300. The balance required to pay the county bounty, I have no doubt, ere this has been advanced by our patriotic citizens. Messrs. Editors, we have a Board of Supervisors who are fearless to act when the time arrives, and a people to acquiesce in what they do without gambling. It is true we have a few miserly little souls that say we can't stand it, but the masses say pile it on, to the half we have, if necessary, for the putting down of this rebellion; and if the half is not enough, why then take the other half. On Saturday last we commenced recruiting in this place (Rowlesburg) and before night we had 15 recruits, 131 of them for one year and 2 for three years. This morning the recruiting is going on, and still they are coming. I have not heard from any other portion of the county as yet, but presume that if they have been doing anything that before night our quota will be filled. I am pleased to add that each of the men recruited have got the $10 given the recruiting officer by the Supervisors, so that each of them will get $310 county bounty. From this, Messrs. Editors, you discover that Preston continues, what she has often been pledged to continue, all O.K. And I conscientiously believe, from present appearances, the Rail Splitter and Tailor electors will get as large, if not a larger vote than any other county in West Virginia, according to the vote cast, in November next.
Respectfully yours,
C. H.
Rowlesburg, Aug. 22, '64.
Timeline of West Virginia: Civil War and Statehood: August 1864