"Rebellion in the Hills"

A Civil War Reenactment

It was announced in 2001 that the Civil War Reenactment would become a Bi-Annual Event in Logan County. This year's reenactment will be held on Saturday, September 23, 2006 and Sunday, September 24, 2006 at beautiful Chief Logan State Park.

"Rebellion  in the Hills," as the Civil War is called, begins with a walking tour of Logan.  Those interested can chat with Civil War Era County residents and witness authentic Civil War skirmishes.

The audience is transported back in time to 1863 with the boom of the cannon, the pop of the musket, the gallop of Calvary, the clash of swords as the men in blue and men in gray struggle for their cause. Also viewing this fight is General Robert E. Lee, General Stonewall Jackson, General George S. Patton, President Abraham Lincoln and his wife, Mary.

Logan County was active in the Civil War. At the time of the war, Logan County was still part of Virginia and the Union Troops were seeking a way to trap Confederate troops here.

Colonel Edward Siber, Commander of the 37th Ohio Volunteers, led a march of men from Chapmanville to Logan. During this march, Colonel Siber discovered Logan County and the surrounding regions were not supporting the Union cause but were Confederate sympathizers.  As they continued their march, every house along the way fired upon them, and the Union learned their biggest enemy in the area was the Black Stripe Company.

The Black Stripe Company was made up of rogues and bushwhackers. They are credited with having mortally wounded Captain Geocke of Company B of the 37th Ohio Volunteers along the Guyandotte River later described as old Henlawson. The killing of Captain Geocke enraged the Union soldiers so much that a number of them threw themselves in the river, swimming to the opposite bank, destroying the home that had fired upon them, taking  away rifles and capturing prisoners along the way. The unit then moved up the Guyandotte to the county seat, then known as the Town of Aracoma, later renamed the City of Logan.

Colonial Siber and his men occupied the county seat, made the Logan Courthouse headquarters, and realized they could not control the Guyandotte region. A heavy rain began that night and it made it more difficult for the Union Soldiers to remain in the area. Colonel Siber ordered the men to burn the Logan County Courthouse as they left the area. There was no benefit in burning the Courthouse except as a rebel stronghold and an act of revenge for the death of Captain Geocke.  Far more serious an action, as far as Logan County was concerned, was the fact the raid cost the county its first deed book. The book was hidden on the mountain above Midelburg Island and never recovered.

As mentioned previously, Logan County was part of Virginia at the time of the Civil War. Arthur I. Boreman, West Virginia's first governor, once called the state of West Virginia, "The child of the rebellion." After the Government was restored in Virginia, they approved the separation of West Virginia from Virginia to form a new state. The last hurdle was Congress. After considerable debate, the West Virginia statehood bill passed by the U.S. Senate by  a vote of 23 to 15 and the House of Representatives by a vote of 96 to 55.  President Lincoln issued a proclamation under which West Virginia entered the Union on June 20, 1863, as the 35th State.

For more information about the Civil War Reenactment contact Jackie Tomblin at (304) 752-2219.