MILITARY ACTIVITIES OF RELATIVES AND RELATED INFORMATION

 This information is updated as of June 25, 2025. Although most sources are not listed, I have access to many of them. Additional research may be necessary for certain individuals or pieces of information. Others had peacetime military service that is not listed here.

 The Lord Dunmore War

In 1774, Lord Dunmore was the British governor of Virginia. Following the Treaty of Paris in 1763, the British had an undisputed claim to the area west of the Appalachian Mountains. The people of Virginia did not like the British presence in their state. Additionally, the British did not want the Virginians to settle on any land west of the Appalachians, but the Virginians disagreed. Many white people were continuing to settle on lands west of the Appalachian Mountains, and the Indians were harassing them.

Lord Dunmore went to Pittsburgh in the spring of 1774, hoping to make peace with the Indians. Soon, it became clear that peace would not happen. He began recruiting men and soon had a force of about 1,000 soldiers. After a couple of weeks of drill, Dunmore led the troops to the mouth of the Little Kanawha River.

 While camped at the Little Kanawha River, Dunmore was to meet with his officers, who already had about 1,000 men camped about six miles away from Dunmore. The Battle of Point Pleasant prevented them from meeting.

 The Shawnee leader, Cornstalk, had a loosely organized group of approximately 500 Indians waiting to attack Dunmore’s officers. In the early morning hours (October 10, 1774), the Indians crossed the Ohio River and attacked. The Battle of Point Pleasant lasted into the afternoon and was very intense. However, by the end of the day, the Indians were retreating to the north bank of the Ohio River in defeat.

After the Battle of Point Pleasant, Dunmore marched his men north to the Shawnee villages. At this point, he was able to negotiate a peace agreement. As a result of Dunmore’s War, the Indians agreed to give up all of their white prisoners, restore all captured horses and other property, and not to hunt south of the Ohio River. Additionally, they were to permit boats on the Ohio River and refrain from harassing them. This opened up present-day West Virginia and Kentucky for settlement.

From the Ohio Historical Society website. According to Thwaites and Kellogg’s “Documentary History of Lord Dunmore’s War” at the Library of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, James Pauley and John Pauley served in Captain John Stuart’s Company of Greenbrier Valley Volunteers from Botetourt County (Virginia). The spelling shown here is as listed in the report. I am not sure who these persons are at present, or their relationship to me, if any.

The Battle of Point Pleasant took place in present-day Point Pleasant, Mason County, West Virginia, where the Kanawha River meets the Ohio River, about 45 miles northwest of Charleston, WV. It has been described as “the most desperate struggle ever waged between white men and Indians in America.” 33 Indians were killed, 75 white men were killed, and 150 were wounded.

Before the Virginians had all returned home from Dunmore's War, the American Revolutionary War had begun at Lexington and Concord in April 1775. Before long, Lord Dunmore was leading the British war effort in Virginia against many of the men who had fought under him in Dunmore's War. Dunmore even sought to enlist American Indian allies—the very people he had defeated in 1774. As a result, over the years, a legend arose that Dunmore had actually been collaborating with the Shawnees all along. According to this story, Dunmore deliberately isolated the militia under Andrew Lewis and directed the Shawnees to attack them, hoping to eliminate potentially troublesome American rebels. There is no evidence to support this conspiracy theory, but it was popular in the 19th century.

The Revolutionary War

Listed below are my ancestors known to have served in the Revolutionary War.

William Pauley (my paternal first cousin, seven times removed. Our common ancestor is my seventh great-grandfather, Edward Polly, Jr.) See also Joseph Andrew Pauley below. According to Indiana DAR records, William served as a private under Colonels Arthur Armstrong, Campbell, and Preston in the Revolutionary War. He was engaged in the Battle of Reddy Ford on the Haw River in what was then Orange County, NC.

 There are 45 pages of documents relating to William Pauley's Revolutionary War service from NARA. The cover page lists his service state as Virginia, the record number as W10233, and his name as William Pauley/Pawley/Polley, with his widow's name listed as Margaret. It should be noted that several of the sworn statements included show the affiant as signing with their mark, which would indicate that they were illiterate. Therefore, it is probable that the spelling of the last name was left to the actual writer of the document.

William Pauley and Joseph Pauley (likely William's brother) are listed on the roll of Thomas Ingle's company of militia in Montgomery County, 7 April 1781.

[There are multiple individuals named William Buckner associated with Virginia in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. For Pittsylvania County specifically in 1780, the most relevant information pertains to a William Buckner who was active in military service and family records in the area. He enlisted in the 7th Virginia Regiment of the Continental Army at the Pittsylvania (Virginia) Courthouse in September of 1780 under Capt. Charles Burton. Discharged Feb 1782 at Calder's store, Roanoke, Virginia. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Buckner-341]

 Edward Polly (My sixth great-uncle. Our common ancestor is my sixth great-grandfather and his brother, David Polly/Polley). The Revolutionary War pension record of Edward Polly (in file) states that he was born December 21, 1758. While residing in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, he enlisted approximately six weeks after the Battle of Camden, South Carolina. He served for 18 months as a private in Captain Burton's and Isaac Webb's companies, part of Colonels Gibson and Stephens' Virginia Regiment, participating in several skirmishes. (p. 57, Virginia Pension Abstracts by McGhee).

Edward enlisted along with William Buckner,[1] and Joshua Mullins (Edward’s brother-in-law). They were enlisted in the fall of 1780 (about September) at Pittsylvania Court House by Capt. Charles Burton and marched to Petersburg, where they were placed under Col. Gibson. They were then transferred to South Carolina and placed under the command of Capt. Isaac Webb was in the corps of Col. Stephens in the 7th Virginia Regiment. They served until the winter of 1781, when they were discharged about the end of February, at Calder's Store near Taylor's Ferry on Big Roanoke by Capt. Isaac Webb. They were at the Siege of Ninety Six and in several skirmishes. (From the pension application of William Buckner, wherein Edward Polly swore by affidavit that the three men all were enlisted and discharged at the same time.)

Joseph Andrew Pauley – (My paternal fifth great-grandfather). The list of the Thomas Ingles  Company of Militia in Montgomery County, Virginia, for April 7, 1781, lists a Joseph and William Pauley. Our Joseph did have a brother, William, so this could be him. No other records have been located at present.

John Polly (Polley), son of David and Agnes, was living in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, when he enlisted and served in various units from 1777 to 1783.

 Peter Polley, son of Edward, served in various units from 1775 to 1783. He is found on the payrolls of Gabriel Madison's Company of Militia and Captain Thomas Moore's Company of Militia, 1775 - 1783. According to the document "Revolutionary War Records of Fincastle and Montgomery Counties 1777 - 1778”, Peter, James, and Drury Polley are listed as in the Illinois Militia. No pension records were found.

John Midkiff, my 6th great-grandfather, was born in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, and enlisted there in August 1780, serving in various units from 1780 to 1781.

John G. Carney (My maternal fourth great-grandfather). He appeared in open court in Jennings County, Indiana, on August 29, 1832, to obtain benefits under the Revolutionary War Pension Act passed on June 7, 1832. He stated that "he entered the United States service in the Revolutionary War as a volunteer in the month of June 1776 at the County of Botetourt in the State of Virginia for a term of six months in the company of William McClanahan Captain, in the Regiment commanded by Colonel William Christian and he served as a soldier in the said service the said term of six months and that in the year 1777 (the month not recollected by him) he enlisted in the United States service for the further term of six months in the company of captain Henry Paulding of Botetourt County State of Virginia in the regiment of Colonel John Bowman and that he served the said term of six months in the Army of the United States making in all twelve months that he served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and during said service he was engaged in several skirmishes with the Indians in the Cherokee Nation, (now in the state of Tennessee) under the command of Colonel William Christian and he was discharged from the above terms of service at Botetourt County State of Virginia. And that he hath no documentary evidence of his services, and that he knows of no persons, except persons in Virginia and in remote parts of Kentucky, whose testimony he can procure to testify to his above-mentioned services. And he hereby relinquishes all and every claim to a pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension Roll of the agency of any state.". He is listed on the Tennessee State Library’s Patriot Paths website, see https://tnmap.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=32a9be43e2b44e00a67edfc5ac2b7227

 Joshua Sprague, Sr. (My maternal fifth great-grandfather). Joshua and his sons James and Frederick were living in Nova Scotia at the start of the Revolution. Driven out by their sympathy for the colonists, they went to Adams, Berkshire Co., MA.

According to her August 1924 application for membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution, Edna Mabel Sprague states that Joshua served during the American Revolution in several capacities.

•     1776 - Private in Col. Archibald Crary's regiment
  
•     Aug. 16, 1777 - Major in Col. Joab Stafford's (Independent) Company of Volunteers of Mass. Fought in the Battle of Bennington
  
•     June 6, 1778 - Marched to Fish Kill to serve nine months in Col. Diamond's regiment, but was unfit for service and rejected.
  
•     Oct. 17, 1779 - Enlisted as private in Captain Ast Barne's (1st) Company, Col. Israel Chapin's Third Regiment.
  
•     Nov. 21, 1779 - Discharged after serving one month and nine days.
  

 According to the 1788 History of Washington County, Ohio (pp. 558-559), Joshua was living in Nova Scotia at the start of the Revolutionary War but then moved to Massachusetts. Joshua lost all of his property during the war.

 Peter Polley (My 7th great-uncle and the son of Edward Polly, Jr., my 7th great-grandfather). During the Revolutionary War, Peter is listed on the payrolls of Gabriel Madison's Company of Militia and Captain Thomas Moore's Company of Militia, from 1775 to 1783. According to the document "Revolutionary War Records of Fincastle and Montgomery Counties 1777 - 1778, Peter, along with his brothers James and Drury Polley, are listed as in the Illinois Militia.

Samuel Sprague (My maternal sixth great-uncle). “He enlisted at Duxbury, Massachusetts, on May 1, 1775, and served eight months as a private in Captain Samuel Bradford’s company, Colonel Bailey’s Massachusetts Regiment. He enlisted on January 1, 1776, and served eight months as a private in Captain Samuel Bradford’s company, Colonel Cotton’s Massachusetts regiment, which was in the retreat from New York and was engaged part of the time in building row galleys and barracks, and was discharged January 1, 1777. He enlisted about September 1, 1777, at Duxbury, Massachusetts, served as a private in Captain Joseph Wadsworth’s company, Colonel Bradford’s Massachusetts regiment, assisted in capturing General Burgoyne, and was discharged after having served on this tour eight months.”

John Edward Chatten (My maternal 4th great-grandfather). Listed in the records of the 2nd Company, 3rd Regiment, New Castle County Militia (Delaware) 1799 - 1800 (Delaware Archives, Military Records, 89 Vol. IV).  Military records published in 1916 show Return of Fines - 2nd Company - 3rd Regiment:  return of absentees on Company, Battalion, and Regimental Days, in the SE District of St. Georges Hundred Commanded by Captain Leonard Vandergrift, that John Chatten was absent for Battalion Day and Regimental Day and was fined $1.50 and $2.50. 

Other possible relatives with Revolutionary War involvement:

 On March 15, 1781, British General Charles Lord Cornwallis’s army of 2,100 men engaged a Continental army under Major General Nathanael Greene at Guilford Court House, near present-day Greensboro, North Carolina. See https://www.battlefields.org/learn/revolutionary-war/battles/guilford-court-house for additional information. A James Polly of Botetourt County is listed as a Virginia Soldier in the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. James, son of Joseph and Mary, is the only likely person, but this is not definite at present.

Drury Polly was killed in the Battle of Blue Licks (KY) on August 18, 1782. The battle is considered the last battle of the Revolution. I believe this to be the same person as the son of Edward and Mary Polly.

The Battle of Blue Licks, fought on August 19, 1782, was one of the last battles of the American Revolutionary War. The battle occurred ten months after Lord Cornwallis's surrender at Yorktown, which had effectively ended the war in the east. On a hill next to the Licking River in what is now Robertson County, Kentucky (then Fayette County, Virginia), a force of about 50 American and Canadian Loyalists, along with 300 American Indians, ambushed and routed 182 Kentucky militiamen. It was the last victory for the Loyalists and Indians during the frontier war.

See https://kentuckykindredgenealogy.com/2018/07/26/slaughter-of-kentuckians-at-the-battle-of-blue-licks/ for additional information.

The Civil War

Calvery Pauley (My third great-uncle and brother of James F., Rufus, and George Washington), enlisted as a private in Company B, 1st State Line Regiment, Virginia on 20 Sep 1862. Enlisted in Company A, 45th Battalion, Infantry Regiment, Virginia, on 6 May 1863 (Confederate).

Cornelius Lewis Pauley (My first cousin, five times removed).  He enlisted on August 1, 1862, and was discharged at the rank of corporal at Wheeling, WV, in 1865. He was a private, Company E, 13th West Virginia Infantry. 

 Dryden Pauley, (My first cousin, five times removed). Private, 7th West Virginia Cavalry, Co. C, also listed in 1st West Virginia Cavalry, Co. L

 George Washington Pauley Sr.  (My paternal great-grandfather). The National Park Service’s (NPS) Soldiers and Sailors web site lists several possibilities: there is a George W. Pauley and a Washington Pauley, Sr. who served in the 7th Regiment, West Virginia Cavalry (Union), three George W. Pauley's who served in Confederate units from Virginia, and two Washington Pauley listings who served in Confederate units from Virginia.

 The most likely entry is the Washington Pauley who enlisted in the Confederate Army on the same date as his brother Calvery. Washington is listed as a 22 year old (this is right) farmer when he enlisted in Company B, 1st State Line Regiment of Virginia on September 20, 1862 (American Civil War Soldiers). This record indicates that he enlisted in Company E, 45th Battalion Infantry Regiment, Virginia, on May 6, 1863 (the same date as his brother Calvery), and was AWOL from that unit on November 1, 1863. However, the AWOL information is suspect due to the scarcity of these records. Muster records typically covered two months: 5'10 ", grey eyes, brown hair, dark complexion. The website for the 45th Virginia Infantry Regiment, Confederate States Army (1861 - 1865) Roster does not list Washington or Calvery Pauley.

The NPS Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System states that the 45th Infantry Battalion was organized by detachments between April and December 1863. Its six companies were composed of men from the 1st Regiment Cavalry, Virginia State Line, which had disbanded. The unit served in the Department of Western Virginia, lost four killed and 11 wounded at Cloyd's Mountain, and was involved in various conflicts in the Shenandoah Valley. It disbanded in April 1865. Lieutenant Colonel Henry M. Beckley and Major Blake L. Woodson were in command. Washington and Calvery Pauley were first in the 1st Regiment Calvary, VSL, and then in the 45th.

 The National Archives' Company Muster Roll (copy in file) lists Washington Pauley as a Private in Company B, 1st (Regiment) State Line Cavalry for Dec. 31, 1862, to March 31, 1863; enlisted Sept. 20, 1862, in Boone County by Capt. (Daniel) Elkins for 12 months; under remarks it states that, "gun captured by the enemy in Boone Co."

James Eli Pauley (the husband of my first cousin six times removed, Athalia Pauley. Yes, they both had the same last name!) Eli was killed in a Union Army raid at the Boone Courthouse. Hettie Pauley Holstein in Kith and Kin of Boone County, Vol. VII, adds that he was killed on Sept. 1, 1861, in a skirmish between Union troops and Boone County Militia. From an article on Boone County history on the WVU web page: "On September 1, 1861, Companies G and A, and some local militia, were in the process of crossing the river on their way to the Boone County Courthouse in Madison when the Confederate militia, commanded by Colonel Ezekiel S. Miller, opened fire on them. However, after twenty minutes of fighting, the Confederate troops were forced to retreat. Twenty-five Confederate soldiers were killed, wounded, or captured during the engagement. One Union soldier was killed and five more were wounded. In retaliation for supporting the South, before returning to Charleston, the Union soldiers burned the courthouse and several other buildings in the town to the ground."  

James Franklin Pauley (brother of Rufus, Calvery, and George Washington), Swann's Company of 22nd Virginia Infantry: enlisted April 25, 1861, at Charleston, Kanawha County, age 27. Deserted on June 1861 roll."

John S. Pauley (brother of Shadel/Shadle; my 1st cousin 4x removed), 39th Regiment, Co. C, Kentucky Infantry (Union), entered as a private. Died April 8, 1863, in Ashland, Kentucky (on the Ohio River west of Huntington, West Virginia) and was originally buried there. He is buried in the New Albany National Cemetery (lot 81), Indiana, across the Ohio River from Louisville, KY. The Register of Volunteer Deaths indicates he died of Measles.

 While the relationship is not presently known, Camp Swigert was a training facility for Civil War Union soldiers located just west of Ashland, Kentucky, in Wurtland. It was the only Union camp in eastern Kentucky. Many of the soldiers died of diseases such as smallpox, mumps, the measles, and pneumonia — illnesses that followed one of the Big Sandy Valley’s largest and most damaging floods. https://www.dailyindependent.com/news/local_news/a-place-to-remember/article_c189bbd5-fbbe-5168-965d-730ce5985ad8.html

 See below for additional information regarding this regiment.

 Jonathan Pauley (father of John S. above and my 3rd great grand uncle), 39th Regiment, Co. C, Kentucky Infantry (Union). Jonathan and John died on 8 April 1863. The Register of Volunteer Deaths indicates he died of “Anaemia”.

Lafayette Wayne Pauley (My second cousin, four times removed)  "Lafayette W. Pauley was a farmer and a lumberman. He remained loyal to the Union when war was declared between the two sections of the country, and enlisted in Company I, Second West Virginia Volunteer Infantry, in which he served as a second lieutenant under Capt. Charles Smith was wounded at the second battle of Bull Run, but his injury was but a light one, a shell wound in the shoulder, from which he fully recovered, and after he was honorably discharged, at the close of the war, he returned home and resumed his farm work. He was a great worker in the Baptist Church, in which he was a deacon, and a leader in the prohibition movement in West Virginia, much of his time during his last years being devoted to this cause."  History of West Virginia, Vol. 2, p.567.

Rufus Pauley (My third great uncle and brother of Calvery, James F., and GW), Private, Co. B, 1st Regiment, Virginia State Line Cavalry (Confederate) The National Archives' Company Muster Roll lists Rufus Pauley as a Private in Company B, 1st State Line Cavalry for Dec. 31, 1862, to March 31, 1863; enlisted Sept. 20, 1862, in Boone County by Capt. Elkins for a period of 12 months; under remarks, it states that he "Deserted the service with gun and equipment."

Shadle Randolph Pauley (My third cousin five times removed and the brother of John S.) served in the 39th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry (Union), Companies C and E. He enlisted as a private and was promoted to second lieutenant upon discharge. He enlisted as a sergeant in Company E on Feb. 16, 1863, and was mustered out as a second lieutenant, Company E,  at Louisville, KY, on Sept. 15, 1865.

Squire Pauley, Jr. (My third great uncle and the younger brother of Calvery, Rufus, James, and GW) served in Captain Turner's Raleigh County, West Virginia State Guards from March 15, 1865, to July 20, 1865

John Edward Chatten (My 2nd great-grandfather, helped recruit a company of volunteers in 1862 that became Company C, 93rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, for which he served as first lieutenant. However, after about six months of service, due to the death of his father, he resigned and returned home.

Charles T. Myers (My third great-grandfather). Served in the Civil War; was living in Pittsylvania County at the time: 135th Regiment, Virginia Militia.

David L. Carney, 3rd great-grand uncle.

Coleman Renards Adkins (My 1st cousin 7x removed) was killed on 31 July 1863 at the Battle of Gettysburg.

 Pleasant William Myers (My 4th great uncle). Enlisted in the Confederate Army at Richmond, VA, 22 Jun 1861 and served with the 46th Virginia Infantry. He was paroled at Appomattox.

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The National Park Service’s Soldiers and Sailors website lists 176 Pauleys as serving on either side in the Civil War.

(Excerpted from the website West Virginia in the Civil War) West Virginia, created in the midst of the Civil War, provided the Union Army 31,872 regular army troops, 133 sailors and marines, and 196 United States Colored Troops, during that terrible conflict of 1861-1865. It is also estimated that somewhere between 16,000 and 20,000 men served in the Confederate Army in this war of ”brother versus brother.”

According to this website, there were twenty-five Pauleys in the 7th West Virginia Cavalry, mostly in Companies C and M. Of the 38 Union units and 56 Confederates listed, these were the only Pauleys listed.

The 7th spent the last years of its term in the Kanawha Valley, occupying the following different posts: Charleston, Coalsmouth, Winfield, Point Pleasant, and Guyandotte. Early in January, two or three brigades of Confederate troops were sent to winter in the counties immediately in front of these posts, and the regiment was kept very actively engaged during the winter to prevent incursions by them and to protect loyal citizens and their property. Several small engagements took place, in which a number of the enemy were killed, and about two hundred prisoners taken. About the 1st of February 1865, six officers and nearly one hundred fifty men were discharged by reason of the expiration of their term of service. Still, the regiment was immediately filled to the maximum by the muster-in of recruits.

From the time of the surrender of Lee’s army, the regiment was engaged in patrolling the twenty counties of southwestern Virginia, composing the District of Kanawha, for the purpose of paroling returned Confederates and maintaining order in the country. Over 5,000 Confederates were paroled by the officers of this regiment.

The regiment was mustered out at Charleston, West Virginia, on August 1, 1865. The regiment lost during the war: killed in battle and died of wounds, five officers and 28 enlisted men; died of disease or accident, two officers and 201 enlisted men; total, 236.

 7th Regiment, West Virginia Cavalry (from the National Park Service’s Civil War Soldiers and Sailors web site)

Organized from the 8th West Virginia Mounted Infantry on January 26, 1864. Attached to 3rd Brigade, 4th Division, West Virginia, to April 1864. 3rd Brigade, 2nd Cavalry Division, West Virginia, to June 1864. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Cavalry Division, West Virginia, to July 1864. 1St Separate Brigade, Kanawha Valley, W. Va., to August, 1865.SERVICE- Duty at Martinsburg and Charleston, W. Va., to April 1864. Crooks Raid on the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad May 2-19. Rocky Gap May 6. Cloyd’s Mountain, May 9. New River Bridge May 10. Cove Gap May 10. Blacksburg, May 11. Union and Pond Mountain Gap, May 12. Meadow Bluff May 24. Hunter’s Raid to Lynchburg May 26-July 1. Buffalo Gap June 6. Lexington, June 11. Buchanan, June 13. New London, June 16. Diamond Hill June 17. Lynchburg June 17-18. Liberty June 19. Buford’s Gap June 20. About Salem, June 21. At Loup Creek, June 29. Ordered to the Kanawha Valley and duty at Charleston, Coalsmouth, Winfield, Point Pleasant, and Guyandotte till August, 1865. Coalsmouth September 30, 1864. Skirmish at Winfield, October 26, 1864(1 Co.). Operations in the

Kanawha Valley November 5-12. Mustered out August 1, 1865.

 (From “The History of Kanawha County” on the WVU website, with some editing for clarity) Kanawha County’s loyalties were divided during the Civil War. The county contributed five companies to both the North and the South, with the Kanawha Riflemen, led by a group of prominent citizens from Kanawha County, fighting for the South. In 1861, a confederate force consisting of over 2,500 men camped at Tackett’s Creek just below Saint Albans. A series of military actions ensued as the North and South fought for control of the Kanawha Valley. The most important of these battles was the Battle of Carnifex Ferry on September 10, 1861. Union troops led by Brigadier General William S. Rosecrans engaged the Confederate Army and forced them to retreat to the Henry Patterson Farm, overlooking Carnifex Ferry. The Confederate commander, Brigadier General John B. Floyd, retreated across the ferry to the south side of the Gauley River and on eastward to Meadow Bluff near Lewisburg. The battle effectively brought the struggle for the Kanawha Valley to a close.

 (From “The History of Boone County” on the WVU website) Four engagements took place within the county during the Civil War (1861-1865). The first was called the Battle of Boone County Courthouse. When Brigadier General Jacob Cox, in command of the Union Army in the Kanawha Valley, heard that a Confederate regiment was forming in Boone County, he sent Colonel J. V. Guthrie from Charleston to destroy it. On August 29, 1861, Colonel Guthrie sent two companies, Company 0, 26th Ohio Infantry, and Company A, 1st Kentucky Infantry, to Boone County. On the following day, he dispatched Company K, 26th Ohio, to reinforce the first two companies.

On September 1, 1861, Companies G and A, and some local militia, were in the process of crossing the river on their way to the Boone County Courthouse in Madison when the Confederate militia, commanded by Colonel Ezekiel S. Miller, opened fire on them. However, after twenty minutes of fighting, the Confederate troops were forced to retreat. Twenty-five Confederate soldiers were killed, wounded, or captured during the engagement. One Union soldier was killed and five more were wounded. In retaliation for supporting the South, before returning to Charleston, the Union soldiers burned the courthouse and several other buildings in the town to the ground.

The second engagement occurred on September 12, 1861, near an area of the county known as Paytona. Four Union companies from the First Kentucky Volunteer 1nf~ntry were setting up camp at the mouth of Joe’s Creek when four Confederate cavalry companies ambushed them. Forty-two Union soldiers were killed, wounded, or captured. The Confederate Army suffered only minor casualties.

The third engagement occurred at Pond Fork of the Little Kanawha River on September 17th, 1861. On that morning, a company of Mounted Confederate Rangers attacked a detachment of Unionist Homeguards at Pond Fork. The Unionist Home Guards retreated, but the Confederate troops captured seventeen of them. Fourteen of them were accused of treason against the Confederacy and were sent to Richmond as prisoners of war.

The fourth engagement occurred on September 25, 1861. The fight started on Trace Fork or Big Creek, approximately five miles from the Logan County line, and ended in the Kanawha Gap, near Chapmanville, in Logan County. Union scouts reported a concentration of Confederate troops in the Chapmanville area, and Colonel Piatt was sent to disperse it. He left on September 23, 1861, with six companies from the 34th Ohio. He was accompanied by Lieutenant Colonel David A. Enyart and three hundred men from the 1st Kentucky Infantry, and two hundred Unionist Home Guards. When the force reached Peytona, they camped for the night and the next day separated, with Colonel Enyart moving up the Coal River, and Colonel Piatt moving on to the Boone County Court House. The next morning, near what is now Manila, they met the Confederate advance guard and exchanged gunfire. The Confederate advance guard retreated to within two miles of Kanawha Gap. They then set up on a hillside and fired on the Union Army pursuing them. Colonel Piatt deployed his troops on either side of the hill and eventually forced the Confederate soldiers to retreat from the area.

39th Kentucky Infantry

The 39th Kentucky Infantry was organized at Peach Orchard, Kentucky, under Colonel John Dils. It was mustered into the United States service on February 16th, 1863, by Captain W. B. Royall, United States Mustering Officer for a three-year period. This command was raised entirely in the Sandy Valley and the counties adjoining, and being thoroughly acquainted with the country, was stationed in that section of the State for its protection against the frequent incursions of the Rebels from Virginia. The regiment lost a total of 234 men during service: 3 officers and 24 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded; 3 officers and 194 enlisted men died of disease.

In April 1863, the regiment had a fight near Pikeville, Kentucky, and captured Colonel French and his command. In June, it engaged the enemy again at Pond Creek, some thirty miles from Pikeville. The regiment being divided, a portion of it proceeded with other troops to Gladeville, Virginia, and succeeded in capturing Colonel Caudill and his command, which were brought back as prisoners of war.

Through the constant and vigilant service of this regiment, the eastern portion of Kentucky remained uninterrupted from any invasion of rebels for many months.

The regiment participated in many battles and skirmishes, in which loss was sustained, among which the following are mentioned:

Johnson County boat fight, December 4th, 1862
Beaver Creek, Floyd County, June 27th, 1863
Clark's Neck, Lawrence County, August 27th, 1863
Marrowbone, Pike County, September 22nd, 1863
Paintsville, Johnson County, April 13th, 1864
Half Mount, Magoffin County, April 14th, 1864
Pond Creek, Pike County, May 16th, 1864
Mount Sterling, Kentucky, June 9th, 1864
Cynthiana, Kentucky, June 12th, 1864
Saltville, Virginia, October 2d, 1864

The regiment was mustered out September 15, 1865, at Louisville, Kentucky.

The roster of the 39th lists four Pauleys (recorded as Panley on the website):

• Pauley, John S., Private, Co. C, died April 8, 1863, in Ashland, KY
  
• Pauley, Jonathan, Private, Co. C, died April 8, 1863, in Ashland, KY
  
• Pauley, Joseph S, Private, Co. C, transferred to Co. E, 39th Infantry
  
• Pauley, Shadle R, Private, Co. C, transferred to Co. E, 39th Infantry
  

 The April 8, 1863 date is not listed in the battle history of the 39th.
 
1st Regiment Cavalry, Virginia State Line (from the National Archives Muster Rolls)

“This Confederate unit was organized during the latter part of 1862, and it was composed of companies which had been enlisted by the state for 12 months' service. The Virginia State Line was disbanded about March 31, 1863, and most of its members enlisted in the service of the Confederate States.”

Calvary, Rufus, and (George) Washington Pauley all enlisted in this unit on September 20, 1862.

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Other Pauleys listed in various sources:

 A Roll of McComa’s Battery (Giles County Company) lists a Pvt. George Pauley

On the website of the 37th Kentucky Mounted Infantry Regiment in Company H, is listed a Corporal Firman K. Pauley.

In the Library of Virginia’s Virginia Confederate Rosters (Unofficial), the following Pauleys are listed: Albert*; George; Hiram; I; I.G.; Irea L.; J.G.; Lorenzo D.; Rufus*; Thomas G.; W.G.; W.J.; Washington; William. While it will take further research to determine if these persons are the same as those listed in this book, possible connections as referenced by birth dates are indicated by an asterisk.

The website of Mary Jo Loyd references several Pauleys as members of the 51st Virginia Infantry, CSA, including William L. Pauley, Mitchell Pauley, and WD. Pawley. This regiment was organized in Wytheville with men from Amherst, Bland, Grayson, Nelson, Patrick, Tazewell, Wise, and Wythe Counties and commanded by Brigadier General Gabriel C. Wharton.

 On the website of the Colorado State Archives Military Records, Colorado Veterans’ Grave Registrations is listed as James Monroe Pauley of Ohio, b. April 17, 1849, buried in the Hillcrest Cemetery in Garfield County.

 ADJUTANT GENERAL’S REPORT - ELEVENTH REGIMENT W. VA. INFANTRY

From The Annual Report of the Adjutant General of the State of West Virginia, for the year ending December 31, 1864.

 COMPANY ‘G” Record of Capt. John V. Young’s Company “G,” of the 11th Regiment West Virginia Infantry Volunteers, stationed at Camp Russell, near Winchester, Va., showing the condition of said Company on the 1st day of December, 1864, together with a complete record of the changes that have taken place since its organization.

• Pauley, William J. - Corp'  l -21 - May 23, 1862 (name, age, date of muster)
  

• Pauley, Buren-Priv.-33 -May 23, 1862 -Dis’d Oct. 14, 1863
  

MEMORANDA: (at end of report) The Eleventh Regiment West Virginia Infantry Volunteers was commenced by Lieut. Col. J.C. Rathbone, in October 1861. On the 22d and 24th of December, respectively, companies B and C were organized in Wirt county and were immediately aimed and placed on duty against the guerrillas in Wirt, Calhoun, and Roane counties. About the same time, the recruiting of the other companies was progressing rather slowly, so that the regiment did not attain the maximum until September 1862. The services performed by the companies already organized, and those in process of organization during this time, was of a very arduous character, and from the obscurity of the district in which they operated, and the scattered condition the comm and was obliged to maintain, due credit has never been given for the service performed. Besides, the small detachments were constantly liable to defeat and capture by any considerable force of the enemy that should invade. This occurred September 2d, 1862, when about two hundred, stationed at Spencer, Va., under the command of Capt. Rathbone, were captured by the rebel Gen. Jenkins’ forces, numbering about one thousand men. Lieut. Col. D. Frost, who had resigned his seat as Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, in May, 1862, to accept this position, assumed command of the remaining portion of the regiment, during the time Col. Rathbone was upon parole, and upon the dismissal of that officer, was made Colonel, in February, 1863. The companies of the regiment were performing the service named above, being stationed in the counties of Braxton, Lewis, Gilmer, Wirt, Ritchie, Roane, and Jackson, with one company in the Great Kanawha valley. On the 13th of October, 1863, a part of the regiment participated in the gallant repulse of Wm. L. Jackson (alias Mudwall) at Bulltown, W. Va. Various engagements of this kind occurred with different detachments. The regiment was concentrated and marched from Clarksburg to Beverly, W. Va., April 4th, 1864. Returning, companies B, C, D, G, I, and K joined the command of Brig. Gen. Crook at Camp Piatt, April 25th, 1864. At Fayette C. H., on May 2d, the three brigades of the division were united. The command then marched on the celebrated “Dublin raid.” Arriving at Cloyd Mountain, four miles from the railroad, the enemy was found strongly posted. The brigade to which the Eleventh was attached (the 3d) was assigned to the attack in front, which was handsomely carried, carrying the enemy’s guns and many prisoners. Here, the rebel Gen. Jenkins, who had once captured a portion of our command, received his mortal wound. The enemy again made a stand at New River Bridge, when the Eleventh supported the battery immediately in front of the rebel works. But little other Infantry was engaged. Company B of this regiment, being deployed as skirmishers, with Company B of the 15th West Virginia infantry, had the honor of setting fire to the great bridge, so important to the rebels, and by them so persistently and desperately defended. Returning through the counties of Montgomery, Monroe, Giles, and Greenbrier, the command rested a few days at Meadow Bluff, Greenbrier County, when they moved to Staunton, Va., destroying the Virginia Central Railroad from Millboro depot to that place. Here it met the Division of Gen. Sullivan, and commenced the celebrated expedition to Lynchburg, Va., under Gen. Hunter, participating in all the engagements of that memorable expedition and returning by Lewisburg and Charleston to the Shenandoah Valley. In an engagement at Snicker’s Ferry, Va., the brave, efficient Col. Frost was killed. On the 23rd and 24th of July, I was with the Army of West Virginia in the engagements near Winchester, Va., which resulted in the retreat of our small command to Maryland. At Harper’s Ferry, joined Gen. Sheridan’s Army of the Shenandoah, and participated in several light engagements, reconnaissance, & etc. On the 3rd of September, I was in the engagement at Berryville, Va. On the 19th of September, the great battle of the Opequan was fought, in which it participated. Marched thence, pursuing the enemy to Fisher’s Hill, when on the 22d of September, the Army of West Virginia so singularly routed General Early by one of Gen. Crook’s favorite flank movements and marched thence to Harrisonburg, where the four companies left behind in April joined the regiment. Thence back to Cedar Creek, when near Strasburg, quite a spirited engagement was fought in a reconnaissance by the 1st Division. This regiment was specially complemented by the lamented Cot. Thoburn, commanding the Division, for good conduct in that engagement. Meanwhile, the four companies left at Parkersburg in April were sent to New Creek and Cumberland and won much credit for their gallantry in defense of those places in August. On the 20th of December, 1864, the 1st division, Brevet Brig. Gen. Harris, commanding, was moved to the Army of the James, where they now are. The following comprises a list of battles in which this command has participated, besides numerous skirmishes, reconnaissance, &c.: Cloyd Mountain, Va., May 9th, 1864; New River Bridge, May 10th, 1864; Lexington, Va., Lynchburg, Va., June 17th and 18th; Snicker’s Ferry, Va., July 18th; Winchester, Va., July 23d and 24th;
Martinsburg, Va., July 25th; Berryville, Va., Sept 3d; Opequan Creek, Va., Sept. 19th; Fisher’s Hill, Va., Sept. 22d; Strasburg, Va., Oct 13th; Cedar Creek, Va., Oct. 19th.

The National Park Service record of Civil War Prisoners at Andersonville lists Jesse J. Pauley (Union) of the 7th WV Cavalry.

John T. Gunnoe, husband of Eleanor A. Pauley, my 3rd great aunt and daughter of Salathiel Pauley, was held in a Confederate prison in Richmond.

World War I

Howard Pauley (My paternal first cousin three times removed. Our common ancestor is my third great-grandfather, Squire Pauley). Enlisted at Fort Thomas, Kentucky, on 19 June 1918. Assigned to 7th Company, Pensacola Coast Artillery Corps, Fort Barrancas, Florida until 26 Oct 1918; then assigned to Battery F, 34th Atlantic Coast Artillery Corps. Transferred to Discharge Mechanic 10 Sept 1918; Sergeant 20 Oct 1918; Supply Sergeant 22 Oct 1918. Honorable Discharged 2 Dec 1918.

 Sidney H. Pauley, (My third cousin three times removed) Private,  Co. A, 158 Depot Brigade

World War II

Ira Lee Pauley, Jr. (My father).  He enlisted in the US Navy on May 24, 1944, and received an honorable discharge on June 15, 1946, as a Seaman First Class. While in the Navy, Ira served in the Pacific Theater during World War II, primarily in the Philippines.

Byron L. Hill, Jr., my half-great uncle, was piloting P-51 tail # 43-6980 when it was downed on April 5, 1944.  His unit, the 355th Fighter Group (based at Steeple Morden, England), won its only Distinguished Unit Citation for its efforts on this date; the Group successfully attacked a series of German air bases in the middle of a snow squall. In all, the 355th lost 3 P-51s on their mission on April 5, 1944.

Korean War

William Edward Pauley, Sr. (My sixth cousin twice removed). According to his obituary, he was a veteran of the Korean Conflict, serving as a Sergeant with the 1st Cavalry, 1st Battalion, Company B of the United States Army. While serving his country, he was awarded two Purple Hearts.

Vietnam

Marshall Irwin Pauley, US Air Force (My first cousin twice removed. Our common ancestor is my second great-grandfather, George Washington Pauley, Sr.). From the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) website, accessed 21 June 2025: “On March 13, 1966, an AC-47D Spooky (tail number 4349268) with seven crew members departed Da Nang Air Base for an armed reconnaissance mission over a portion of the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos. The aircraft made radio contact with a ground station shortly before entering Laotian airspace, but was not seen or heard from again. Search and rescue efforts in the following days failed to locate the crash site or any crew members.

“Airman First Class Marshall Irvin Pauley entered the U.S. Air Force from West Virginia and served in the 4th Air Commando Squadron. He was a gunner aboard the AC-47D when it went missing on March 13, 1966, and his remains have not been located. While carried in the status of missing in action (MIA), the U.S. Air Force promoted A1 Pauley to the rank of Chief Master Sergeant (CMSgt). Today, Chief Master Sergeant Pauley is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed along with all his fallen comrades on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.

“Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual's case to be in the analytical category of Active Pursuit.”

In 1997, a joint U.S./Laotian investigation team discovered the missing AC-47D's crash site and conducted excavations between 2010 and 2014 that recovered human remains. Modern forensic techniques eventually identified crewmember CMSgt Morgan among the remains recovered.

Although this indicates that there were other remains recovered, there is no additional information on Marshall’s page, and he is still listed as Unaccounted For.

Leon Trenton Pauley (My fifth cousin once removed). From his obituary: . He was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the USAF on May 14, 1967, through USAF ROTC Detachment 915 at West Virginia University. Trenton was awarded USAF Pilot wings in June 1968. He flew 196 combat missions in the F-4 Phantom and 50 combat missions in the A-7D in Vietnam (1971-1973). Trenton was awarded his Parachutist badge in July 1975, was an Air Liaison Officer to the 82nd Airborne Division 1975-1978, awarded master parachutist badge and Command pilot wings. He was assigned to the United Nations as a UN Military Observer between Israel and Egypt, Lebanon, and Syria. Trenton returned to the States as an Instructor Pilot for the A-10 Thunderbolt II| (Warthog). He returned to the Middle East as Deputy Chief of the US Military Mission in Kuwait and USAF Advisor to the Kuwait Air Force. Upon arrival at Shaw AFB, he took command of the 21st Tactical Air Support Squadron flying the 0-2 Cessna Sky Master and the OT-37 Scorpion. He retired from the USAF in August 1988 as a Lieutenant Colonel. Trenton received numerous military awards and decorations during his career, including a Distinguished Flying Cross, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, two Meritorious Service Medals, 16 Air Medals, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Korean National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, and the United Nations Medal.

Thomas Wayne Pauley (My sixth cousin twice removed). His obituary says that he was an Army veteran and served in Vietnam.