The Amick Partisan Rangers

As the winds of war began to blow in the spring of 1861, John W. Amick joined the Greenbrier Sharpshooters. This formed into the regiment that became “The Bloody 27th.” According to family legend he was a captain at Carnifex Ferry, Lewisburg and Dogwood Gap, reporting first to Jackson then later to Lee. In 1862, Captain John Amick led the scouts for General Loring as he recaptured the Kanawha Valley from the invading Yankees. During the war, the Amick scouts battled invaders on Sewell Mountain throughout 1862 and 1863. The Amick Company of Scouts was used as spies across western Virginia. As the Confederacy became overwhelmed in spring of 1864, Captain John resigned his commission to form a guerilla band to protect his family and home. The Amick Partisan Rangers quickly grew to a battalion of four companies commanded by captains Tyree, Halstead, McClung and Baumgardner. The Yankees soon put a price on John’s head – wanted dead or alive. But his mother said, “You’ve got to catch him before you can hang him.” This is the story of The Amick Partisan Rangers.