CIVIL WAR GENERAL RESIDED IN HAMLIN

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General John Seashole Witcher spent his boyhood in Hamlin before
 heading off to fight in the Civil War.  He joins World War II
General Chuck Yeager, who also grew up in Hamlin.

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It turns out that Hamlin has more than one famous general.

Everybody knows about Chuck Yeager. But what about
 Civil War General John Seashole Witcher 

According to the 1860 Census, John was living with his
 family in Hamlin. He was 21 and his occupation was
 listed as farmer. In the 1850s, he attended school
 at Salmons Branch near    Hamlin.

Jerry appears in the Cabell County census as early as 1840.
 Lincoln County was not formed until after the Civil War.
Jerry was the contractor for the Lincoln County Jail
which was built in 1867. The jail was a large
 two-story building about 40 feet square.

On December 13, 1862, John enlisted in the Union Army as a
 first lieutenant in the 3^rd West Virginia Volunteer Cavalry
   Regiment.  He was promoted to captain on September 8,
 1863, major on May 23, 1864, and lieutenant colonel
on May 6, 1865, before being honorably mustered
out on June 30, 1865.General Witcher was
reported to be with General Grant at  
 Appomattox when Lee surrendered.

President Andrew Johnson nominated Witcher for
 appointment to the grade of brevet brigadier
general,  to rank from March 13, 1865, and
 the United Sates Senate confirmed the 
 appointment on March 28, 1867.

He was elected to Congress and is buried in
Arlington National Cemetery.

Many of his recruiting efforts took place in Ceredo.
 John won his brevets for the Shenandoah
 campaign, Richmond and Petersburg
 in 1865, and Ford’s Station. 

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