Seceding from Secession

“Anyone interested in Civil War political history or the development of constitutional interpretation would do well to read this exceptional study.” ~On Point: The Journal of Army History

“Seceding from Secession traces the fascinating and little-known saga of how the state of West Virginia was carved from Virginia during the Civil War, and the legal battles over the constitutionality of that division that continued for the ensuing decade. This engaging narrative delves into the personalities and war-time currents that spurred West Virginia’s secession from the Confederacy and the thorny legal issues raised by the creation of this new state. As a historian and practicing attorney, I give this book five out of five stars for shedding new light on a momentous but neglected chapter in our nation’s history.” ~Gordon C. Rhea, award-winning author of “The Battle of the Wilderness, May 5–6, 1864”

“Seceding from Secession masterfully describes the birth of West Virginia. The new state forcibly withdrew from the Commonwealth of Virginia as the Civil War began. When the guns finally fell silent, a new battle started—this time in the United States Supreme Court. Virginia demanded a return of at least a portion of its lost territories and raised many of the issues that had ignited the cataclysmic war. An evenly split Supreme Court could not decide the issue, leaving the fate of West Virginia in limbo during the tumultuous Reconstruction Era. The lawsuit languished for five years as a newly empowered Congress passed legislation limiting the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction to hear major Constitutional issues dividing a now-reunited nation. In undisguised court packing, Congress reduced the size of the Supreme Court, hoping to prevent new appointments by a despised president. It was not until 1871, with a new president in office, that a reconstituted Supreme Court gave legal approval to the present-day West Virginia. The state—and the Supreme Court—survived its greatest existential threat.” ~William Suter, Major General, U.S. Army (ret.) and Clerk of the United States Supreme Court, 1990–2013

“Eric Wittenberg, Federal District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. and Penny Barrick have made an enduring contribution to American political history with this book. Engaging, thoroughly researched and powerfully recounted, this story adds a new perspective to the Civil War era and the birth of a state that helped build a new Union.” ~Ken Gormley, award-winning author, President of Duquesne University, and editor of “The Presidents and the Constitution: A Living History”

"Seceding from Secession's greatest value lies in its lucid summaries of the social, political, economic, and legal contexts surrounding the formation and early history of West Virginia. The new standard treatment of the subject, this volume is a highly recommended resource for general and specialist readers alike." ~Civil War Books and Authors

“Thoroughly researched, legally sound, and historically enlightening. Any Civil War scholar should add this book to their library.” ~Civil War News

“An exemplary study, prodigiously researched, profusely illustrated, and masterfully crafted will prove useful to individuals interested in West Virginia’s formation, Civil War era political history, and how the United States government attempted to balance constitutional questions with the Union’s restoration.” ~The Civil War Monitor

"An informative book . . . representing a significant contribution to the growing historiography surrounding West Virginia's role in the Civil War." ~Journal of the Shenandoah Valley During the Civil War Era

"This monograph offers a thorough analysis of the often overlooked, remarkably controversial process of West Virginia statehood, which occurred during the throes of the Civil War. After providing historical context for the divisions that precipitated this secession movement within the Old Dominion, the authors, all of whom have professional legal backgrounds, focus specifically on the complications and occasional speciousness of the constitutional legitimacy of West Virginia’s creation. [...] Concise, but remarkably detailed, this work arguably stands as one of the most authoritative on the topic and offers value to any scholar of 19th-century US politics and constitutional history. Recommended. General readers through faculty." ~B. A. Wineman, Marine Corps University, CHOICE, March 2021 Vol. 58 No. 7