Confederate-Guerrilla Units 1861-1862

According to James Carter Linger, many of the men leading these organizations were killed by mid-1862, including Captains Connolly, Foley, McCray, Mitchell, Powers, Sauerborne, and James W. Smith.

Most of these units originated from the pre-war Virginia militia, those that stayed loyal to Virginia. The term "Moccasin Rangers"  originally referred to Capt. Connolly's company, but came to be used as a general term for guerrillas in West Virginia. In March 1862 many of these companies were designated Virginia State Rangers.

The map below shows the counties of guerrilla activity in 1861-1862, the purple dots indicating the center of activity. The map was adapted from James Carter Linger's map from "Confederate Military Units of West Virginia", Privately Printed, 2002 edition, pg. 24.

The information on this page comes from his book.

This is a roster from 1862 for the Flat Top Copperheads.

You will also find an excellent detailed article on the Virginia State Line HERE.

Article on the guerrilla war, click image several times to enlarge

Gallipolis (Ohio) Journal June 26, 1862