McNeill's Rangers
Encyclopedia
McNeill's Rangers was an independent Confederate
military force commissioned under the Partisan Ranger Act by the Confederate Congress during the American Civil War
. The 210 man battalion-size unit was formed from Company E of the 18th Virginia Cavalry
and the First Virginia Partisan Rangers (62nd Virginia Mounted Infantry
). After the repeal of the Partisan Ranger Act
on February 17, 1864, McNeill's Rangers was one of two partisan
forces allowed to continue operation, the other being 43rd Battalion Virginia Cavalry
(Mosby's Raiders). Both of these guerrilla forces operated in the western counties of Virginia
and West Virginia
. The Rangers were known to exercise military discipline when conducting raids. However, many Union generals considered McNeill
and his men "bushwhackers," not entitled to protection when captured, as was the case with other prisoners of war.
McNeill's frequent raids on Piedmont, West Virginia
, and the towns of Cumberland, Maryland
, were aimed at disrupting the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
service. It is estimated that over 25,000 troops were diverted by Federal commanders to guard the B&O against McNeill's force. Piedmont, a small town at the foot of the Allegheny Mountains, was a frequent target due to its important machine shops and vast stores of railroad supplies. The main line of the Baltimore and Ohio passed through a narrow valley at Piedmont. At the time, Piedmont was the temporary seat of Hampshire County
, Romney
having been given up as the county seat because of repeated Confederate raids.
After earlier raids were unsuccessful, McNeill finally succeeded in severing the railroad and burning the machine shops at Piedmont. The President of the B&O, John W. Garrett
, reported to Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton
that "the extensive machine and carpenter shops of Piedmont have been burned. The engine and cars of the east-bound main train and two-tonnage trains have also been destroyed. Five other engines damaged. ... The heat of the fire at the wreck of the trains at Bloomington had been too intense to permit much work, but during the night we expect to have the entire road again clear and train running regularly."
Captain McNeill's official report to James A. Seddon, the Confederate Secretary of War
, reads:" ...We burned some seven large buildings filled with the finest machinery, engines, and railroad cars; burned nine railroad engines, some seventy-five or eighty burthern cars, two trains of cars heavily laden with commissary stores, and sent six engines with full head of steam toward New Creek. Captured the mail and mail train and 104 prisoners on the train. ..."
The blows of McNeill's Rangers grew heavier as the Civil War progressed. Brigadier General Benjamin F. Kelley, the Federal commander in the area, was especially irritated at the tempo of their raids and the havoc created by each one. On May 22, 1864, in a special communique to Colonel Higgins at Green Spring
, Kelley ordered: "As soon as practicable send Captain Hart with 125 or 150 men on a scout up the east side of the river, to Moorefield and vicinity, after McNeill." Kelley continued: "It is not necessary for me to give Captain Hart any minute instructions. He is well acquainted in that vicinity. I will simply say I want McNeill killed, captured, or driven out of this valley." His 150 men were not enough, and McNeill escaped.
On February 22, 1865, Jesse McNeill and 65 Rangers travelled 60 miles behind enemy lines to Cumberland, Maryland
. Without being detected, they captured both Union Major General George Crook
and Brig. Gen. Benjamin Kelley from their beds. They evaded pursuing Federal cavalry and delivered the captured generals to Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early who forwarded the prisoners to Richmond.
In the last year of the War, McNeill's Rangers commander Major Harry Gilmore used "The Willows
" near Moorefield, West Virginia
as his command. The Rangers used nearby Mill Island
and McNeil family-owned Willow Wall
as hospitals.
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
military force commissioned under the Partisan Ranger Act by the Confederate Congress during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The 210 man battalion-size unit was formed from Company E of the 18th Virginia Cavalry
18th Virginia Cavalry
The 18th Virginia Volunteer Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought with the Army of Northern Virginia, in southwest Virginia, and in the Shenandoah Valley....
and the First Virginia Partisan Rangers (62nd Virginia Mounted Infantry
62nd Virginia Mounted Infantry
The 62nd Virginia Mounted Infantry Regiment, raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, served in many capacities including the war, including as an infantry regiment, a cavalry regiment, a mounted infantry unit, a partisan unit of rangers, and...
). After the repeal of the Partisan Ranger Act
Partisan Ranger Act
On April 21, 1862, the Confederate Congress passed the Partisan Ranger Act. The law was intended as a stimulus for recruitment of irregulars for service into the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The Act reads as follows:Section 1...
on February 17, 1864, McNeill's Rangers was one of two partisan
Partisan (military)
A partisan is a member of an irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of occupation by some kind of insurgent activity...
forces allowed to continue operation, the other being 43rd Battalion Virginia Cavalry
43rd Battalion Virginia Cavalry
The 43rd Battalion, Virginia Cavalry, also known as Mosby's Rangers, Mosby's Raiders or Mosby's Men, was a battalion of partisan cavalry in the Confederate army during the American Civil War...
(Mosby's Raiders). Both of these guerrilla forces operated in the western counties of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
and West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. The Rangers were known to exercise military discipline when conducting raids. However, many Union generals considered McNeill
John Hanson McNeill
John Hanson McNeill was a Confederate soldier who served as a Captain in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. He led McNeill's Rangers, an independent irregular Confederate military company commissioned under the Partisan Ranger Act.McNeill was born near Moorefield, Virginia...
and his men "bushwhackers," not entitled to protection when captured, as was the case with other prisoners of war.
McNeill's frequent raids on Piedmont, West Virginia
Piedmont, West Virginia
Piedmont is a town in Mineral County, West Virginia, United States. It is part of the 'Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area'. The population was 1,014 at the 2000 census. Piedmont was chartered in 1856...
, and the towns of Cumberland, Maryland
Cumberland, Maryland
Cumberland is a city in the far western, Appalachian portion of Maryland, United States. It is the county seat of Allegany County, and the primary city of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2010 census, the city had a population of 20,859, and the metropolitan area had a...
, were aimed at disrupting the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
service. It is estimated that over 25,000 troops were diverted by Federal commanders to guard the B&O against McNeill's force. Piedmont, a small town at the foot of the Allegheny Mountains, was a frequent target due to its important machine shops and vast stores of railroad supplies. The main line of the Baltimore and Ohio passed through a narrow valley at Piedmont. At the time, Piedmont was the temporary seat of Hampshire County
Hampshire County, West Virginia
Hampshire County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 23,964. Its county seat is Romney, West Virginia's oldest town . Hampshire County was created by the Virginia General Assembly on December 13, 1753, from parts of Frederick and Augusta counties ...
, Romney
Romney, West Virginia
Romney is a city in and the county seat of Hampshire County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 1,940 at the 2000 census, while the area covered by the city's ZIP code had a population of 5,873. It is a city with a very historic background dating back to the 18th century...
having been given up as the county seat because of repeated Confederate raids.
After earlier raids were unsuccessful, McNeill finally succeeded in severing the railroad and burning the machine shops at Piedmont. The President of the B&O, John W. Garrett
John W. Garrett
John Work Garrett was an American banker, philanthropist, and president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad ....
, reported to Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton
Edwin M. Stanton
Edwin McMasters Stanton was an American lawyer and politician who served as Secretary of War under the Lincoln Administration during the American Civil War from 1862–1865...
that "the extensive machine and carpenter shops of Piedmont have been burned. The engine and cars of the east-bound main train and two-tonnage trains have also been destroyed. Five other engines damaged. ... The heat of the fire at the wreck of the trains at Bloomington had been too intense to permit much work, but during the night we expect to have the entire road again clear and train running regularly."
Captain McNeill's official report to James A. Seddon, the Confederate Secretary of War
Confederate States Secretary of War
The Confederate States Secretary of War was a member of the Confederate States President's Cabinet during the Civil War. The Secretary of War led the Confederate States Department of War. The position ended in May 1865 when the Confederacy crumbled during John C. Breckinridge's tenure of the...
, reads:" ...We burned some seven large buildings filled with the finest machinery, engines, and railroad cars; burned nine railroad engines, some seventy-five or eighty burthern cars, two trains of cars heavily laden with commissary stores, and sent six engines with full head of steam toward New Creek. Captured the mail and mail train and 104 prisoners on the train. ..."
The blows of McNeill's Rangers grew heavier as the Civil War progressed. Brigadier General Benjamin F. Kelley, the Federal commander in the area, was especially irritated at the tempo of their raids and the havoc created by each one. On May 22, 1864, in a special communique to Colonel Higgins at Green Spring
Green Spring, West Virginia
Green Spring is an unincorporated census-designated place and railroad town in Hampshire County, West Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 census, its population was 218. Green Spring is located north of Springfield on Green Spring Road near the confluence of the North and South Branches of the Potomac...
, Kelley ordered: "As soon as practicable send Captain Hart with 125 or 150 men on a scout up the east side of the river, to Moorefield and vicinity, after McNeill." Kelley continued: "It is not necessary for me to give Captain Hart any minute instructions. He is well acquainted in that vicinity. I will simply say I want McNeill killed, captured, or driven out of this valley." His 150 men were not enough, and McNeill escaped.
On February 22, 1865, Jesse McNeill and 65 Rangers travelled 60 miles behind enemy lines to Cumberland, Maryland
Cumberland, Maryland
Cumberland is a city in the far western, Appalachian portion of Maryland, United States. It is the county seat of Allegany County, and the primary city of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2010 census, the city had a population of 20,859, and the metropolitan area had a...
. Without being detected, they captured both Union Major General George Crook
George Crook
George R. Crook was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.-Early life:...
and Brig. Gen. Benjamin Kelley from their beds. They evaded pursuing Federal cavalry and delivered the captured generals to Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early who forwarded the prisoners to Richmond.
In the last year of the War, McNeill's Rangers commander Major Harry Gilmore used "The Willows
The Willows (Moorefield, West Virginia)
"The Willows", also known as Randolph House, is a historic home located near Moorefield, Hardy County, West Virginia. It was built in three sections in a telescoping style. It consists of One small log house, a middle section of frame, and a brick mansion all connected end-to-end. The oldest...
" near Moorefield, West Virginia
Moorefield, West Virginia
Moorefield is a town in Hardy County, West Virginia, USA. Moorefield is the county seat of Hardy County. It was originally chartered in 1777 and named for Conrad Moore, who owned the land upon which the town was laid out...
as his command. The Rangers used nearby Mill Island
Mill Island (Moorefield, West Virginia)
Mill Island, also known as the Seymour Family House, is a historic home located near Moorefield, Hardy County, West Virginia. The original brick cottage was built in 1798. In 1840, a two story, brick Greek Revival style mansion was appended. The 3 1/2 story building features a one bay, temple style...
and McNeil family-owned Willow Wall
Willow Wall
"Willow Wall", also known as McNeill Family House, is a historic home located near Old Fields, Hardy County, West Virginia. It was built in 1811-1812, and is a two story, "U"-shaped brick dwelling in the Georgian-Tidewater style. It has double Georgian porch, outlined by Ionic order columns. The...
as hospitals.