Records Related to Augusta County Regiments



From: J. D. IMBODEN, Col. Partisan Rangers.
June 23, 1862.

Summary:
Confederate Colonel John Imboden writes Secretary of War George Randolph in June, 1862, concerning the organization of a regiment of partisan rangers in Staunton Virginia. Imboden reports that the citizens of Augusta County gave him $2,500 for the purpose, and that he is securing arms for his men in Staunton. Imboden asks for more arms and money, and outlines his plans for raids into West Virginia to encourage and arm Confederate supporters in the area.


Hon. G. W. RANDOLPH,
Secretary of War:

STAUNTON, VA.,

June 23, 1862.

DEAR SIR:

Under the authority conferred upon me on the 7th of May to raise a regiment of partisan rangers, I have four full companies ready to be organized and mustered into service, and four more that will be ready in the course of ten days. In addition to these eight companies I have several others partially enlisted. Can I complete my regimental organization and take the field with these eight companies or must I have the full number of ten companies? Three of my companies are now rendering important service in Pendleton and Randolph Counties in breaking up Peirpoint's militia musters and capturing notorious Union men. I deem it a matter of great importance to be able to cross the Alleghanies in July. I have daily intelligence from the region between here and Clarksburg. It is very encouraging. Hundreds of men will join me as soon as I can penetrate their country. The Federal troops have nearly all been withdrawn from the Northwest, and the bogus State government is left to take care of itself. Peirpoint has issued a proclamation calling out his militia. Half the people will refuse to obey his call, and are represented as ready to join me as soon as I can appear amongst them with arms to put in their hands. I am collecting all the country arms that I can, and repairing them here. Citizens of this county have placed $2,500 in cash in my hands for this purpose, but I will not be able thus to arm half of my men. Can the War Department furnish me now 500 rifles and ammunition, and as many more in three or four weeks? I have agents at work in the heart of the Northwest sending out to me small parties of two or three unarmed men at a time. These people must be armed to be of any value to us. I believe that with reasonable and comparatively small assistance from the Government I will be able in the course of ninety days, with the men I can raise in the mountains, to do much toward re-establishing our rightful authority in the Northwest. I am satisfied we can do more for our cause in that region through the instrumentality of the true men there (and there are thousands of them), if properly managed, than has been accomplished by more regular military operations. But to begin I must have money and arms. I shall go to Pendleton, Randolph, Highland, Bath, and Pocahontas this week to muster in several companies. On my return I will go to Richmond in the hope that my organization will be so far advanced that you can see your way clear to give me the assistance in money and arms indispensable to enable me to take the field. My wants are small just now, but if I succeed, as I have every reason to believe I shall, in getting 1,500 or 2,000 men in my corps in a short time after I get fairly to work, I shall perhaps need more assistance from time to time. Can you furnish me 500 of the rifles captured by Gen. Jackson and sent to Lynchburg? They are both Belgian and Austrian, either admirably adapted to our purposes, though the Belgian is preferable. I have addressed this directly to you, when perhaps it should have gone to some other officer in your Department. If so, please give it its proper destination, so that I may have an answer to my questions on my return from the West.

Yours, respectfully,

J. D. IMBODEN,
Col. Partisan Rangers.


Bibliographic Information : Letter Reproduced from The War of The Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series 1, Volume 51, Serial No. 108, Pages 578-579, Broadfoot Publishing Company, Wilmington, NC, 1997.


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