ginia, according to the provisions of the constitution, recently ratified by the people. A memorial, together with the bill granting assent to the erection of the State, and a copy of the donstitution, was transmitted to Congress, praying for the admission of West Virginia into the Union. Senators Carlisle and Willey presented the bill in the United States Senate on the 27th of May, 1862. No action was taken until December 31st, following, when it was again taken up and passed by both houses with the understanding that "West Virginia was and should be one of the members of the Federal Union" whenever she struck out from her constitution the seventh section, known as the Battelle provision for the gradual extinction of slavery within the State. On the 12th day of February, 1863, the convention reassembled and amended the constitution according to the requirements of Congress; submitted it to a vote of the people, who a second time ratified it by a majority of about 17,000. The result was certified to President Lincoln, and on the 19th of April he issued his proclamation to the effect that after sixty days "West Virginia should be one of the United States of America; admitted into the Union on an equal footing with the original States in all respects whatever." The convention, before adjourning in February, provided that in case the revised constitution should be ratified, an election should be held on the fourth Thursday of May following, for the purpose of electing members of both houses of the Legislature, a Governor, and other State officers, Judges of the Supreme Court of Appeals, etc. The election was held at the appointed time. Hon. Arthur I. Boreman, of Wood county, was chosen Governor, and thus became the first chief executive of West Virginia; Samuel Crane, of Randolph was elected Auditor; Campbell Tarr, of Brooke, Treasurer; J. Edgar Boyers, of Tyler, Secretary of State, and A. Bolton Caldwell, of Ohio, AttorneyGeneral. Hons. Ralph L. Berkshire, of Monongalia, William A. Harrison, of Harrison, and James H. Brown, of Kanawha, were elected Judges of the Supreme Court of Appeals. When, therefore, the sixty days after the President's proclamation had elapsed, on the 20th of June, 1863, West Virginia, "the daughter of the rebellion," born amid the throes of civil war, entered upon her career as one of the members of the Sisterhood of States. THE RECORD OF WAR AGAIN. We have seen West Virginia-the daughter, become "the adopted child of the Republic," and we must now return to Virginia, the mother, whom we left at the close of the year 1861, amid all the horrors of a sanguinary war. 1862. During the early months of this year but few military movements occurred in Virginia. The first action of the year occurred at Huntsville, in Nicholas county, January 3d, whither General Milroy had sent Major Webster, with a force of seven hundred and thirty-eight men, to destroy a quantity of Confederate stores known to be deposited at that place. The work was successfully performed, six buildings filled with provisions being burned. On the 4th, General Jackson, stationed at Winchester, in the Shenandoah Valley, made a dash toward the Potomac for the purpose of tearing up the Baltimore & Ohio railroad. The Federals were driven north of the river, and Jackson, after destroying several miles of the road, fell back toward the valley. An engagement took place on the 7th between a portion of General Kelly's forces lying at Romney, in Hampshire county, and a body of Confederates at Blues Gap. Colonel Dunning, with the 5th Ohio, won the day. The loss on either side was slight. THE CAPITAL OF VIRGINIA BECOMES THE CAPITAL OF THE CONFEDERACY. In the meantime the seat of government of the Confederacy had been transferred from Montgomery, Alabama, to Richmond; and here, on the 22d day of February--Washington's birthday Jefferson Davis, of Mississippi, and Alexander H. Stephens, of Georgia, having been unanimously chosen President and Vice-President, respectively, by the votes of the convention of every Southern State, were duly inaugurated for the term of six years. The oath of office was administered to the President by the Hon. J. D. Halyburton, chief Confederate Judge, and to Alexander H. Stephens by the President of the Confederate Senate. On the next day President Davis sent to the Senate for confirmation, a list of cabinet appointments, as follows: Secretary of State, Judah P. Benjamin, of Louisiana; Secretary of War, George W. Randolph, of Virginia; Secretary of the Navy, S. R. Mallory; Secretary of the Treasury, C. G. Memminger, of South Carolina; Postmaster-General, Mr. Henry, of Kentucky; Attorney-General, Herschel V. Johnson, of Georgia; all of which were speedily confirmed. Thus, on the soil of Virginia, was located the capital of the then existing Southern Republic. The city thus occupied had been the seat of government of Virginia for a period of eighty-five years, the State troops, arms and ammunition, and public records having been removed from Williamsburg to that place in 1777, to prevent their falling into the possession of the British army, then ravaging Virginia. In May, 1779, the Assembly passed an act making it the permanent capital of the State. It was called Richmond because of the fancied resemblance of its location to that of Richmondon-the-Thames, in England. Six days after the inauguration ceremonies, on the 1st of March, the right wing of the army of the Potomac, commanded by General Banks, crossed the river, advanced into Virginia, and occupied Bolivar, Charlestown and Martinsburg. This was the first movement of a series in which the Federal armies were intended to approach Richmond and attack its defenses. Banks continued his march in the direction of Winchester, where Stonewall Jackson was posted with a considerable force. On the 11th of March the Confederates evacuated Manassas and fell back beyond the Rappahannock, and the Federals at once took possession of the abandoned position. It was expected that Banks would drive Jackson toward Richmond, and that the army at Manassas would cut off his retreat, and thus capture his entire force; but instead the wily Jackson retreated up the Valley, closely pursued by Banks. At Strasburg he halted and took a strong position at New Market, within supporting distance of Johnston. BATTLE OF WINCHESTER. Banks now fell back to Winchester, and was in turn pursued by Jackson. Here, on the 22d of March, was fought one of the most fiercely contested battles of the war. Both armies exhibited the most determined bravery. The 5th Ohio had five color-bearers killed. The battle waged until nightfall, when the Confederates withdrew, leaving the field in possession of their enemies. The loss on both sides has been variously estimated at from 900 to 1300, of which the greater part was that of the Confederates. During the night Jackson received a reinforcement of five regiments of infantry and two batteries of artillery. With his forces thus augmented, he determined to risk another battle, and accordingly formed his lines near the village of Kernstown. Early on the morning of the 23d, Banks sent forward General Tyler's brigade to open the action. He was supported by two other brigades of Ohio and Michigan troops, all of which soon became engaged. Here again were re-enacted the scenes of the previous day. The result was similar. The Federals were again victorious, completely routing the forces of Jackson, who now retreated rapidly towards Staunton. OPERATIONS ON THE PENINSULA. After the evacuation of Manassas by the Confederates, they took position near Yorktown on the peninsula, and erected the strongest fortifications yet built in the New World. The early part of April saw the Federal army, 100,000 strong, anchored off Fortress Monroe, and McClellan found that the fortifications extended entirely across the peninsula, from the York to the James river, and he at once concluded that one of two things was certain: here the Confederates could be cooped up on the peninsula, and be compelled to surrender, or they must evacuate the stronghold, and take refuge behind their batteries at Richmond. The forces were landed, and after an examination of the works, McClellan was confident that with his artillery-a thousand pieces-he should be able to level these works. He had seen the telling effects of artillery upon similar ones at Sebastopol during the Crimean war. General Robert E. Lee, of Virginia, the ablest leader of the Southern armies, knew the same, and at once recommended to the government the evacuation of the peninsula. Accordingly on the 3d of May the whole Confederate army, numbering 70,000 men, marched out on the road to Richmond, and left these works, as they had left those of Manassas, in possession of their enemies. A rapid pursuit was at once begun, and, on the 4th, General Stoneman's command came up with the rear of the retreating army at Williamsburg, about fifty-eight ailes from Richmond. Here the Confederates made a stand, and, with the pertinacity of veterans, disputed the Federal advance. It was the th of May, at seven o'clock in the morning, when the battle began, and it raged until late in the evening, when Lee's forces were again compelled to continue their march toward their capital, leaving 700 dead on the field. The loss of the Federals was 1100. On the next day a bloody engagement occurred at West Point, on the York river, between the forces of General Franklin and a body of Confederates under General Magruder. After a spirited contest of three hours, victory again declared in favor of the Federals, their loss being D killed, 300 wounded, and 500 taken prisoners. The loss on the other side was about 900. McClellan continued his march toward Richmond; at the same time a feet of gunboats entered the Chesapeake Bay for the purpose of co<perating with the land forces in the attack upon the Confederate capitil. On the 15th of May the fleet steamed up the James within eight miles of Richmond, where the guns of Fort Darling opened fire, and the Federals met their first reverse before Richmond. After a splendid artillery fight of five hours the gunboats were compelled to withdraw down the river to their former anchorage. This did not delay for a moment the progress of the land forces, and on the 20th of May, McClellan occupied a position within eight miles of Richmond. In the meantime General Banks had again marched into the Shenandoah Valley, where he was opposed by a force of about 25,000 men under Generals Early and Jackson. For weeks the possession of the "Garden of Virginia" was disputed by the contending armies; but on the 25th of May, Banks was attacked, defeated at Winchester, and forced to abandon the valley. His retreating columns were closely pursued to Williamsport, where they crossed the Potomac and took refuge in Maryland. TIDEWATER VIRGINIA MADE THE BATTLE-GROUND. In all historical struggles of the past between nations, it is exhibited that the final contest has been limited to a few localities, in which the resources of the combatants were concentrated and the operations more colossal than any preceding them. This was exemplified in the late civil war, the crisis being reached in 1862, and the period was signalized by contests more sanguinary than had ever before been witnessed on the American continent. The first of these encounters between the opposing armies before Richmond was the BATTLE OF SEVEN PINES, On the 31st of May, in which the Federal loss was 6,000 greater than the Confederate, with arms, stores, etc. A demonstration by McClellan on the next day which was repulsed by General Pickett, magnified in the Federal reports as the battle of Fair Oaks, was an action of no consequence. Our limits forbid a minute detail of the events of the momentous three years succeeding, and confine us to a general view of the war in Virginia. On the first of June the armies confronting each other on her soil aggregated quite 200,000 men. The struggle around the beleaguered capital of the Confederacy commenced with the SEVEN DAYS' BATTLES In the region of the Chickahominy, which were inaugurated on the 26th of June, by the BATTLE OF MECHANICSVILLE. General Johnston had been severely wounded at Seven Pines, and General R. E. Lee was now in chief command of the Confederate forces around Richmond. General McClellan had recently assumed the command of the army of the Potomac, then concentrated on the banks of the Chickahominy. In order that the reader may better understand the movements now to be noticed he should study carefully the geography of the Tidewater district of Virginia. By an inspection of the map it will be seen that |