because of pirate booty
The people living in the western part of Virginia did not want to leave the Union. There were few if any slaves in that part of Virginia. With that said, the people were happy that McClellan was able to remove Southern forces from western Virginia. They formed a new state of West Virginia.
West Virginians generally supported secession from the Union.
They were rather upset about the secession. The politicians in the western counties got together and created what they called the true government of Virginia. They agreed to stay with the Union. This created the state of West Virginia.
Virginia seceded from the Union and West Virginia then seceded from Virginia. The Constitution has some very strict rules concerning States. Parts of states cannot join other parts of other states and form anew state. Complete States may not combine to form a new state. States cannot be divided without the consent of the original state. Because West Virginia was part of Virginia it could not secede from Virginia without Virginia's permission. Lincoln made it plain that states could not leave the Union so if Virginia never left how did West Virginia secede from it. During the Civil War the President and the Congress often worked outside the Constitution if it was what they desired.
By seceding from Virginia, forming their own state of West Virginia, and declaring for the Union.
Straight from the book : In western Virginia a movement to secede from the state and rejoin the Union grew. In 1861, 48 Virginia counties organized themselves as a separate state called West Virginia.
because of pirate booty
During the American Civil War, the majority of Americans living in the north-and-western portions of Virginia were opposed to slavery. As a result, when Virginia seceded from the Union in April of 1861, they acted to secede from Virginia itself and ally themselves with the North. Their successful actions resulted in the creation of a new American state, West Virginia.
Because the mountain people in the Western counties did not think that Virginia should have seceded from the USA. So they seceded from Virginia.
When Virginia declared secession from the United States to become part of the Confederacy, the counties in northwestern Virginia voted to secede from Virginia and remain loyal to the United States. That area of Virginia became West Virginia.
The people of West Virginia were unhappy when Virginia voted for secession from the Union. About a month later, the people of West Virginia had the Wheeling Convention to become a separate state. Tennessee voted to not send delegates to a secession convention.
In 1861, following McClellan's ouster of Robert E. Lee, unionists from western Virginia seized the opportunity to secede from Virginia and become the Union state of West Virginia. The people in that part of the state had overwhelmingly voted against secession, and had taken note of early Union success. After declaring independence, they were required to also make legislation that abolished slavery in the state.
Because they disapproved of secession from the USA. Also these mountain people had always felt different from the coastal communities.
Pressure from Confederate politicians who still had connections with people in western Virginia , created several plans in January of 1863 to retake western Virginia. The Confederates conducted several raids into that part of Virginia and even threatened the Baltimore and Ohio railroad. Union General Joseph Hooker's activities in Virginia, however, placed any plans for western Virginia on hold.
The Western counties of Virginia had not favoured secession. They presently broke away from Virginia and formed their own state of West Virginia in 1863. It became one of the slave-states that were loyal to the Union, although there was actually very little slavery there.
The mountain people had always felt different from the coastal communities, and they didn't approve of the secession. So in turn, they seceded from Virginia, to form their own State of West Virginia, which joined the USA in 1863.
Because the people living in the western part of Virginia wanted to remain part of the Union, breaking away from Virginia and forming the separate state of West Virginia