The 1st West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry

Infantry

Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...

 regiment

Regiment

A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...

 that served in the Union Army

Union Army

The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...

 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...

.

Service record

The second incarnation of the 1st West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment was mustered in for three year's service on October 30 at Wheeling, Virginia

Wheeling, West Virginia

Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...

. It was known as the 1st Virginia until 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...

 became a state. Among the more notable members was the chaplain, James McCook

John James McCook (professor)

John James McCook, Jr. was a chaplain in the Union Army during the American Civil War, and postbellum lawyer, professor, and theologian. He was a member of the Fighting McCooks, a family of Ohioans who contributed 15 members to the Union army.-Biography:McCook was born in New Lisbon, Ohio. He...

, a member of the famed Fighting McCooks

Fighting McCooks

The Fighting McCooks were members of a family of Ohioans who reached prominence as officers in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Two brothers, Daniel and John McCook, and thirteen of their sons were actively involved in the army, making the family one of the most prolific in American...

. Most of the early recruits were from neighboring Ohio. An analysis of the regiment by the George Tyler Moore Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia

Shepherdstown, West Virginia

Shepherdstown is a town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States, located along the Potomac River. It is the oldest town in the state, having been chartered in 1762 by Colonial Virginia's General Assembly. Since 1863, Shepherdstown has been in West Virginia, and is the oldest town in...

 shows that it was composed of 39% native West Virginians, while 23% were from Ohio, 18% Pennsylvania, 11% were immigrants and 8% were from other U.S. states. George Tyler Moore Center

Following the expiration of the original three-year term of enlistment, veterans of the regiment who chose to re-enlist were amalgamated with the 5th West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment

5th West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment

In the Second Battle of Bull Run this unit is listed by the Manassas Battlefield Park as an independent unit. They were sent by Gen. Milroy during the battle to link up with an Ohio infantry troop to try to provide support for other units attempting to hold Gen. Stonewall Jackson's line at the...

 on October 10, 1864, to form the 2nd West Virginia Veteran Volunteer Infantry Regiment

2nd West Virginia Veteran Volunteer Infantry Regiment

The 2nd West Virginia Veteran Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:...

.

Casualties

The 1st West Virginia suffered 3 officers and 51 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded in battle and 2 officers and 136 enlisted men dead from disease for a total of 192 fatalities.http://www.civilwararchive.com/Unreghst/unwvinf1.htm#1stinf

See also

• West Virginia Units in the Civil war
  West Virginia Units in the Civil War
  West Virginia provided the following units to the Union Army during the American Civil War. Units from raised in western Virginia prior to the creation of the state of West Virginia carried the title of Virginia until then.-Infantry units:...
  
  
• 1st West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment (3 Month)
  1st West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment (3 Month)
  The 1st West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. During its period of service, the regiment was known as the 1st Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment.-Service:...
  
  
• 1st West Virginia Veteran Volunteer Infantry Regiment
  1st West Virginia Veteran Volunteer Infantry Regiment
  The 1st West Virginia Veteran Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the last year of the American Civil War...
  
  
• West Virginia in the Civil War
  West Virginia in the Civil War
  The U.S. state of West Virginia was formed out of western Virginia and added to the Union as a direct result of the American Civil War . In the summer of 1861, Union troops under General George McClellan drove off Confederate troops under General Robert E. Lee...