Name/Title
Letter from George A. Porterfield to Capt. AndersonEntry/Object ID
ARC909Scope and Content
Copy of letter from George A. Porterfield, Charles Town, W. Va., addressed to Capt. Anderson, providing autobiographical information about his (Porterfield's) life. Dated December 10, 1903. The letter is typewritten with notes and corrections added in pen.
George A. Porterfield graduated from Virginia Military Institute in 1844. In 1846, he helped organize the first company of Virginia volunteers for service in the Mexican War. He was elected First Lieutenant, later appointed Adjutant of the 1st Virginia Regiment, then Acting Assistant Adjutant General of his brigade composed of the Virginia, Second Mississippi, and North Carolina regiments. Porterfield returned home and was editor of the Martinsburg Gazette until he resigned in 1855. In 1861, he was appointed colonel in the Confederate States Army. Porterfield was blamed for the disastrous display of the Confederate force at Philippi and asked for a court of inquiry. He resigned from the army in 1862, after losing his position in a regimental election. He was arrested by Union forces in 1862 but was paroled shortly thereafter. After the war, he began working at a fire insurance company, and in 1871 the company was converted into the Bank of Charlestown, where he was elected cashier. For 25 years, he was the General Receiver of the Circuit Court of Jefferson County.Acquisition
Accession
2Source or Donor
Alfriend, John S. & Eliza (Lyde)Acquisition Method
GiftArchive Details
Date(s) of Creation
Dec 10, 1903Archive Size/Extent
3 typed pagesArchive Notes
Date(s): 1903 December 10