Minerd.com Feature: Images of Israel B. Murdock's Civil War Regiment, the 2nd West Virginia Cavalry

2nd West Virginia Cavalry

Portraits of Israel B. Murdock's Civil War Regiment Members

While no photographs of Capt. Israel B. Murdock are known to exist, a number of images have come to light from his Civil War regiment, the 2nd West Virginia Cavalry. This unit distinguished itself during the war at places well known and obscure -- Lewisburg, Sinking Creek, Peters Mountain, Loup Creek, Wytheville, Lynchburg, Shenandoah Valley, Chambersburg, Moorefield, Winchester, Fisher's Hill, Cedar Creek, Petersburg, Five Forks and Appomattox, among others.

The images originally were printed in the book, History of the Second Regiment, West Virginia Cavalry Volunteers, authored by Joseph J. Sutton and published in 1892 in Portsmouth, Ohio. Israel is listed in the book in several places.

The 2nd West Virginia had its origins entirely in Southern Ohio after President Lincoln issued a call for more troops on July 2, 1861. They were recruited from Jackson, Lawrence, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Putnam, Vinton and Washington Counties. But when requested to commission the unit, Ohio Governor William Dennison declined saying that Ohio already had fulfilled its quota of cavalrymen. An application then was submitted to provisional Governor Francis R. Pierpont of Virginia (later West Virginia), who accepted it and ordered the regiment to report to Parkersburg in mid-September 1861.

Many of us have always regretted that we were not allowed to be mustered in as the 4th Ohio Cavalry, where we properly belonged; yet, neither during the progress of the war nor since its close, have we had the slightest cause to complain of our treatment at the hands of the little mountain state, born amid the throes of war, rocked and shaken with the roar of cannon, and whose soil drank the blood of many of her own loyal sons -- West Virginia, the "Child of the Storm." All honor to our little neighbor across the river, and many the words inscribed on her escutcheon always characterize the patriotism and valor of her people "Montani Semper Liberi."


William M. Bolles Colonel	John C. Paxton Colonel	William H. Powell Colonel & POW	David Dove Lt. Colonel


John J. Hoffman Lt. Colonel	Chas. E. Hambleton Major	Joseph Ankrom Captain	Jeremiah Davidson Captain


James W. Ricker 1st Lieutenant	Ebenezer E. Wilson 2nd Lieutenant	John M. Corns 2nd Lieutenant	Nathaniel Sisson Private

The 2nd West Virginia Cavalry featured six brothers of the McMillan family. All survived the war except for one -- Marion -- killed at Mountain Cove, VA on June 22, 1864.


Andrew McMillan Private	Emerson McMillan Private	J.H. McMillan Private	Marion McMullen Private


	Milton McMillan Private	Murray McMillan Private