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    This  is a letter, dated June 20, 1861, from General Henry Wise, commanding officer of the Wise Legion and also former Governor of Virginia, to General Samuel Cooper, Inspector General of the Confederate States Army. In this letter Wise informs Cooper of the dispositions of troops under his command around Gauley Bridge. Wise also describes an incident in Williamsburg concerning a Union sympathizer. Wise informs Cooper that his troops will scout the Kanawha Valley, an area that would become part of the Union State of West Virginia. Wise also begs Cooper to have certain officers commissioned so that they may assist in the organization and training of Wise’s Legion.
    Please identify me by name, Timothy Huffstutter.






                    Lewisberg Va
                    June 20th 1861
To Adj. + Inspector Gen.:
        S. Cooper
Sir:
Capt Wise with his company and two
other companies mustered into my
Legion have or will have reached
Gauley Bridge this morning say: 216 men
There is another company there from Fayer[?]: 70 “
    There to day            286 men
Yesterday I dispatched Capt Caskie’s 51 men
“    “    “     Capt Buckhole artil 12 2 p.
A company from Frankfort Greenbrier Co 75 men
will arive at Gauley tomorrow                   138 “
will be at Gauley tomorrow night               424 “
A fine company of my Legion mus-
tered in at Staunton Capt Brocks Cavaly
arrived here yesterday     -------        98 “
Besides these there are four companies
in Monroe                    280 “
one in Jackson River depot            75 “
“ “    Covington[?]                80 “
Two “ Fayeris[?]                140 “
                        575
Ready to be mustered in + nearly ready to march  673.
By middle of last of next week shall
have an efficient force at Gauley of 1097.
These are certainly reliable forces
and besides these I am picking up
and expecting at least 250 men say __ 250
Probable forces there in 8 or 10 days    1347
Col Tompkins has of badly armed   =  1100
May expect and+ has rearmed           400
There will be in a week at           1500
Charleston and+ Gauley Bridge           2597

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I have sent on 2000 flint muskets and
have collected a number of rifles to arm
these men, and have got 300 kegs of cannon
powder, and about 200 lbs of rifle powder
taken on the way, besides a number of
double barrel shot guns. This region north
is very un sound, all in the rear of
Huttonsville and+ of my command. On report
to me last evening that there is, at a
place called Williamsburg, a violent Yankee
partiszan, a D. Thatcher, who is intimidating
the neighborhood and preventing volunteers
from mustering, and threatening loyal
citizens; at the request of some citizens
of the place, I lent a detachment of 6 men
from Brocks’ Company to take him and his
party, my orderly volunteering to command
the party. They found him, last night
about 18 miles distant, barricaded in the
upper story of a house, and he received the
orderly with three shots, one of which wound
ed him in the head. He left a guard, was
able to ride back to this Legion, and returned
for a party to take this traitor and+ scour his
neighborhood. I have sent this morning a
small party and shall remain here until
I know the result. Otherwise, I should
have started with my Staff for Gauley. Now
I shall probably move not before tomorrow
morning taking with me Brocks’ Company
of cavalry and will be at Gauley day after
tomorrow.
    My wagon master returned from Kana
last evening and reports that no invaders
have as yet crossed the Ohio, but a small

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party who have seized the P. office at Point
Pleasant. Yet the country around the mouth
of the Kana and+ Pocotalino rivers is full of
traitors who are arming and+ desperate, and can
be readily reinforced from Silantis[?] falls above
and+ Galiapolis below. I shall endeavor to occu-
-py all the passes into the valley and scout
and scour outwards with all my available
forces, until the main body of invaders comes.
    Having thus far proceeded in my command
and organized and put into the field,
nearly complete and actually in service,
a full regiment of my Legion I now ask
that the field officers may be commis-
-sioned and ordered to report to me at
once at Gauley Bridge, to wit – Col. J.
Lucius Davis, Lt. Col. Jno. H. Richardson
and Major H.W. Fry, Jr. now in Richmond.
They will hand this report to you and
their services are indispensable to me
now. I beg that this may be attended
to immediately. The 2nd regt. will be organ-
ized very soon, when I will present to
the Pres. other field officers for commis-
sions. The reports of company officers for
commissions will be forwarded as early
as possible from Gauley Bridge. I beg that
you will urge the President to give these
commissions now, before the organization
of the Regt. is quite complete, because
the public service absolutely requires
them in command at the posts where
the men are already in service. I ask
this urgently of the President as not only
a personal favor to me, but as an act

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of justice to the officers I name, who
have expended much labor and+ money in
raising and forwarding these men,
and as a matter of necessity to my
command. You must remember, Sir,
that the latter consists of green and+ un-
organized Militia, and+ I need the best
of officers and need them now.
        Most respectfully
(Signed)    Henry A. Wise
        Brig. Genl. [+ c. + c.?]



[Address] Dispatched from
Gen. H. A Wise
    to
Gen. S. Cooper