Seceding from Secession: The Civil War, Politics, and the Creation of West Virginia

Former Virginia Governor Henry A. Wise famously classified the creation of West Virginia out of Virginia as the “bastard child of a political rape.” The story of West Virginia’s statehood is an intriguing mix of political bandying, court rulings, military actions, and societal differences between prewar Virginians living on either side of the Appalachian Mountains. Eric Wittenberg, Edmund Sargus, Jr., and Penny Barrick—lawyers or judges all—form a team well-equipped to examine Wise’s famous claim. As such, Seceding from Secession highlights the legitimacy of West Virginia’s statehood while placing President Abraham Lincoln and the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in the center of the discussion