William Kerrigan
William Kerrigan is a historian and writer. His most recent book is
"West Virginia's War." (Ohio University Press, June 2025)
The daring Civil War tale of Samantha Jane Atkeson of Putnam County
BUFFALO, W.Va. — Samantha Jane Atkeson was a teenager when she had to face down Union soldiers searching her home in Buffalo, West Virginia, on the Kanawha River in Putnam County. A few torn and stained pages of her journal are preserved in the Clements Library in Ann...
Freedom in Sight: Monroe County slaves risked all to flee to Union lines
UNION, W.Va. — While slavery had only a minor impact in most of what’s now West Virginia before the Civil War, slaves represented about 10 percent of the people residing in Monroe County at the beginning of the conflict. The importance of slave labor to the local...
Forgotten sister of Stonewall Jackson defied her family and paid the price
BEVERLY, W.Va. — Most Civil War enthusiasts are familiar with the name Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, the iconic Confederate hero who died in the middle of the war from wounds received during the Battle of Chancellorsville. But few are aware of the story of Jackson’s...
Civil War letters from W.Va. reveal marriage that defied secession
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — John James Davis was shocked to learn that the Virginia Convention had endorsed secession on April 17, 1861. A Clarksburg lawyer, he was devoted to the Union and believed the decision was wrong. A few days later, he sent off a letter to his...
Tyler Childers performs old song by rebel West Virginia fiddler “Devil Sol”
CLAY, W.Va. — In 2020, Kentucky fiddler Tyler Childers released his fourth studio album, Long Violent History, a collection of traditional fiddle tunes. Among the selections is his interpretation of an old fiddle tune called “Camp Chase.” While the title refers to a...
Inferno on the River: Confederate raid on Burning Springs, West Virginia
BURNING SPRINGS, W.Va. — On the night of May 9, 1863, a conflagration lit up the skies along the Little Kanawha River at Burning Springs at the site of the famous Rathbone Well, the first major oil well in West Virginia. As part of a Confederate initiative to injure...
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William Kerrigan
The daring Civil War tale of Samantha Jane Atkeson of Putnam County
BUFFALO, W.Va. — Samantha Jane Atkeson was a teenager when she had to face down Union soldiers searching her home in Buffalo, West Virginia, on the Kanawha River in Putnam County. A few torn and stained pages of her journal are preserved in the Clements Library in Ann...
Freedom in Sight: Monroe County slaves risked all to flee to Union lines
UNION, W.Va. — While slavery had only a minor impact in most of what’s now West Virginia before the Civil War, slaves represented about 10 percent of the people residing in Monroe County at the beginning of the conflict. The importance of slave labor to the local...
Forgotten sister of Stonewall Jackson defied her family and paid the price
BEVERLY, W.Va. — Most Civil War enthusiasts are familiar with the name Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, the iconic Confederate hero who died in the middle of the war from wounds received during the Battle of Chancellorsville. But few are aware of the story of Jackson’s...
Civil War letters from W.Va. reveal marriage that defied secession
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — John James Davis was shocked to learn that the Virginia Convention had endorsed secession on April 17, 1861. A Clarksburg lawyer, he was devoted to the Union and believed the decision was wrong. A few days later, he sent off a letter to his...
Tyler Childers performs old song by rebel West Virginia fiddler “Devil Sol”
CLAY, W.Va. — In 2020, Kentucky fiddler Tyler Childers released his fourth studio album, Long Violent History, a collection of traditional fiddle tunes. Among the selections is his interpretation of an old fiddle tune called “Camp Chase.” While the title refers to a...
Inferno on the River: Confederate raid on Burning Springs, West Virginia
BURNING SPRINGS, W.Va. — On the night of May 9, 1863, a conflagration lit up the skies along the Little Kanawha River at Burning Springs at the site of the famous Rathbone Well, the first major oil well in West Virginia. As part of a Confederate initiative to injure...