Vincent A. Witcher
Vincent A. Witcher | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Vincent Addison Witcher |
| Nickname(s) | "Clawhammer" |
| Born | 1837 Pittsylvania County, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | 1912 |
| Allegiance |  Confederate States of America |
| Service/ |  Confederate States Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1865 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Commands held | 34th Virginia Cavalry Battalion |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Vincent Addison Witcher (1837 – 1912) was a Confederate States Army Lieutenant Colonel during the American Civil War.
Before the war, Witcher was involved in a well-known feud with the Clement family in what became known as the Clement-Witcher feud.
During the American Civil War, Witcher raised the 34th Virginia Cavalry Battalion in the Appalachian mountain region of southwestern Virginia. It raided regions in western Virginia and East Tennessee, acting as a partisan force. It was organized under the Army of Northern Virginia.[1]
Witcher led raiding parties and extrajudicial executions of people suspected of having Union sympathies, and was particularly known for his brutal execution methods. He and his 172 men-strong unit participated in the Battle of Gettysburg. Later in the war Witcher was charged with crimes against the local population by General W.E. "Grumble" Jones but his rank was reinstated due to prior service by General John Hunt Morgan.
Witcher commanded the battalion during the Battle of Piedmont in Augusta County, Virginia, in which General Jones died. The battalion then went on to fight under General Jubal Early in the Shenandoah Valley. The 34th disbanded at Lynchburg in April, 1865.
References[edit]
- ↑ Scott C. Cole, 34th Battalion Virginia Cavalry (Lynchburg, H.E. Howard Inc. Virginia Regimental History Series, 1st edition 1993)
External links[edit]
- Fleenor Jr., Lawrence J. (1997). "Witcher's Boys in Lee County during the Civil War" (PDF). Big Stone Gap Publishing. Big Stone Gap, Va. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- "34th Battalion, Virginia Cavalry (Witcher's Battalion, Virginia Mounted Rifles)".
- A Witcher Family Genealogy at witchergeny.com
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