Nevadas Contribution to the Civil War
Dennis Cassinelli
... On June 5, 1861 someone raised the flag of the Confederate States of America over Johnny Newman’s Saloon in Virginia City. The citizens of the Comstock were enraged to discover the “Stars and Bars” flying over the town. There was a strong secessionist element in the fledgling Nevada Territory, but the reaction was overwhelmingly on the Union side. The people of Virginia City responded swiftly, and a mob of townspeople tore down the rebel flag without any further violence ...
The army was not about to take any chances following the flag raising incident at Virginia City. They were convinced an attempt was going to be made by southern sympathizers to capture Fort Churchill. With the country being stripped of troops to fight the Civil War, Nevada Territory was left exposed. There were reports that Confederate President Jefferson Davis had promised the Governorship of Nevada Territory to southern Judge David S. Terry. Everyone realized the value Nevada gold and silver would have to the southern cause and what a disaster it would have been to the Union cause if that resource should be lost to the secessionists ...
... Had the Confederate flag continued to fly over the Comstock, the outcome of the war may have very well been different than it was. Nevada became known as “The Battle Born State” due to President Lincoln’s desire to have another Union state with considerable gold, silver and other valuable mineral resources added on October 31, 1864 ...
http://mesquitelocalnews.com/2017/10/nevadas-contribution-civil-war/
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