Pvt. Isaac T. Miller 18th Virginia Cavalry Co. A. taken during the war bet. 1862-1865 original of Isaac is a tintype photo.

Pvt. Isaac T. Miller

18th Virginia Cavalry Co. A.

formerly the 1st Virginia Partisan Rangers Co. F

This photo is taken from his tin type photo and reversed to show a true image of him. Tintype photos were reversed exposure.

My brother Mike and I, Grandpa Isaac's great, great grandsons. Monument to Col. Imboden's Brigade which included the 18th Virginia Cavalry. Located at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, taken June 1996.

link to another website about the 18th Virginia Cavalry.

http://www.angelfire.com/pa2/Stump45/isaac_t_miller.html


Isaac T. Miller, my great, great grandfather served with the confederate army during the civil war. The area he lived, Pendleton County, Virginia was a border county during the war. divided between union and confederate and with the formation of West Virginia in on June 20, 1863, Pendleton became union territory. His service in the regiment began In August 1862 when he was 23years old, and ended in Winchester, Virginia May, 1865. The 18th Virginia Cavalry, or Imboden's Brigade as it was known, was a partisan ranger regiment and did not always engage in the customary fighting tactics of the time. They mainly engaged in guerilla warfare against the union army. Their main mission was to disrupt the union army and create chaos wherever and however. They would engage in surprise attacks on the enemy, destroy railways, bridges and raid enemy supply trains. These guerillas were often critized for their tactics by many conferate generals, even Robert E. Lee himself characterized them as a band of hooligan, and theives taking advantage of war. Many of these men though were battling against the horror and devastation caused by occupying union troups. Many storys are found how in Pendleton County for example union soldiers would ride up to poor farmer's homes and want supplies and food, when denied, the farmer was considered a southern sympathizer and his home was burned and the men killed. Enraged by these tactics, many men fought back against this sort of treatment. Both sides had guerillas, Confederates were known as bushwackers, and union fighters were called jayhawkers. Some of the more famous battles between bushwackers and jayhawkers was the Kansas, Missouri raids, which the infamous Jesse James took part in as a bushwacker. guerillas made their money in the war by confiscating union ammo and supplies and turning them over to military posts for payment. Many times they actually made more money then the official soldier who received a monthly payment for his service. Guerillas were not issued uniforms or equipment, I am sure those boots Grandpa Miller has on in the old tintype photo taken during the war belonged to someone who wasn't going to be needing them anymore!! My grandpa Miller was at serveral major battles of the war including Gettysburg. He was captured during the war and placed in at Camp Chase Ohio for several months before he was exchanged back. He was captured at his home in Pendleton Co. WV at Christmas time when he was visiting his pregnant wife. Also there an interesting story that goes with a musket ball still in our families possession. Isaac had a cripples hand due to and injury during the war. Supposedly he was hit in the wrist by a shot, the ball lodged in a tree or something. He recovered the ball as a souvenir. During the war his wife died shortly after the birth of a son, my great grandpa Miller. After the war Isaac and his 2nd wife Fidelliah raised their family in Pendleton County, WV and in 1884 moved to Winchester, Indiana. a brother and 3 sisters of Isaac moved to this Winchester area also. The first reunion organized by Great Great Grandpa Miller was at his home 3 miles west of Winchester, in area called Mull, Indiana. A photographer came out took a photograph of Isaac, Fidelliah and children and then one of the entire family numbering 40. This included his children, grandchildren and some nieces and nephews. My grandfather, great grandfather and great great grandfather are in the first reunion photo of 1907. Isaac died in 1915 when he was struck by a train near his home. He was sitting on the tracks with his dog and when the train approached he fell back in the tracks. According to reports the conductor of the train was certain is was suicide since Isaac was looking at the train and when it got close he laid backward into the space between the rails. But many believe he was old and crippled and not able to rise fast enough or fell doing so. It was said though that he was often found before this tragedy sitting on tracks, family members would find him out there and he would say he was waiting for the train to take him back to his home in West Virginia. The reunions continued almost every year from 1907 until the early 1980's. Although by the mid to late 1960's the reunions groups consisted of only a handful of family. I heard about the reunions from my dad when I was kid, but we never attended one. Last year, summer of 06 I contacted Linda Cavanaugh, a cousin in Winchester, Indiana and mentioned that we should have a 100th anniversary reunion to commerate the first one. So we put together some flyers and tried to locate as many family members as we could. We had 61 in attendance, and met many new cousins. Old stories, memories and photos were shared. Maybe in 08 we can have a grand reunion in West Virginia at the Treasure Mountain Festival that takes place there every September!