Virginia and Pennsylvania were still next-door neighbors on August 15, 1862, when John Shanes left his family home on the border of these two states near the village of Brave to head to Warren, WV to enlist in Company K, of the 14th West Virginia Infantry of the Union Army. The counties in Virginia west of the Allegheny Mountains would remain loyal to the Union and would form a new state, West Virginia, on June 20, 1863. John was a young man of 18. His great grandfather, George Shanes, had settled on the land he grew up on around 1790 and had brought the family through the rough and tumble frontier times, surviving threats of Indian attacks, and seeing neighbors and friends perish in the border troubles that dominated the last two decades of the 18th century.
John grew up around the Lantz, Wiley, and Cumberledge families, and through various branches of the family tree was related to all these people. When news of the rebellion reached the home of George Cumberledge, John’s friend and neighbor, George shot up out of his chair and declared “Union Forever!” He sent all his sons off to enlist in Company K of the 14th WV. Undoubtedly this played a role in John’s decision to enlist as many of George’s sons were close friends with John.
Soon after enlisting, John headed north a few miles to Wheeling where he met up with the rest of the men from Company K of the 14th WV. Throughout the remainder of 1862 and 1863, very little of interest happened with the 14th WV Infantry. They provided various guard details throughout western and northern Virginia. By mid-1864, that changed. Between July 12 and 15 Company K marched with the 14th WV into the Shenandoah Valley where they suffered a loss to the Confederate Army at the Battle of Cool Spring on July 18, 1864. Company K then moved a short distance northwest to Stephenson’s Depot where they again met the confederates on July 20, 1864.
At nine on the morning of July 20, Confederate skirmishers were spotted along Bunker Hill and, once their presence was reported to Union Command, they were fought down the turnpike into Stephenson’s Depot. At 11am, the Union Army had arrived in town and were met by Confederate artillery fire. The Confederate shells halted the advancement of the Union troops. As a result, the Union Army brought their heavy artillery and a protracted battle ensued. John Shanes, and Company K of the 14th WV were behind the Union artillery as the duel went on.
Eventually, the infantry was brought up, and set out to attack the Confederate positions. As the infantry advanced, John charged ahead of his fellow troops and single handedly took out a Confederate field piece. For his actions, John was awarded the Medal of Honor, with the citation reading: “The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Private John Shanes, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 20 July 1864, while serving with Company K, 14th West Virginia Infantry, in action at Carter’s Farm, Virginia. Private Shanes charged upon a Confederate field piece in advance of his comrades and by his individual exertions silenced the piece.”
The Confederate infantry had not yet arrived, but as the artillery battle ended, Confederate Infantry began forming a line in the nearby woods and fired heavy volleys into the Union Army. Unfortunately for the Confederates, the woods in which they were hiding formed a sharp angle to the turnpike upon which the Union infantry was advancing, leaving their left flank vulnerable to attack. The Union army hit their left flank hard, causing regiment after regiment to retreat, and the Confederate line began to fail. Soon the entire Confederate forces would be in a full retreat. The battle was over, and it spelled a resounding Union victory. Strategically little was gained, other than a boost of morale for the Union troops.
Less than a week later, John Shanes and the 14th WV Infantry met the Confederate Army again at the Battle of Kernstown-Winchester. Unfortunately, the record goes a little dark here for John, and our research has not turned up many of the details of his actions here around Winchester on July 23 and 24, but we do know that he was missing in action throughout August of 1864, and by September was detached to Division HQ, and in October was detached and under medical care until the end of the war. The Union Army, and specifically the 14th WV infantry suffered significant losses during the Battle of Kernstown-Winchester. It is likely John was injured or briefly captured during the battle and spent the remainder of the war recovering.
Hopefully, as we acquire access to John Shanes’ Civil War pension file, more information on his missing in action status will be discovered.
John was discharged when Company K of the 14th WV was mustered out of service on June 27, 1865. He would return home to the farm he grew up on, and on March 8, 1868, at the age of 24 he married Mary Ann Stiles. Eventually, he inherited the farm, and spent most of his later years very active in the small community he lived in. He advocated for his friends and neighbors as they filed for the Civil War pensions. John was a very articulate man with exceptional penmanship as can be seen in the documents he wrote supporting the claims of other men from Company K as they petitioned the federal government for compensation for their service.
A simple farmer for most of his life, John had a huge impact on his brothers in arms when he disabled that field piece in a Virginia Valley well over a century and a half ago and was long remembered in his community and by his descendants for his selflessness and the care he showed for his fellow veterans well beyond his death on January 26, 1904. John is buried in the Lantz Cemetery in Wayne Township between the village of Brave and Blacksville, WV, with a simple stone marking his grave that reads:
“John Shanes, 1844 – 1904, Priv. Co. K. 14th W. Va. Vol. Inf., Civil War, GAR.”
