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The following enrolled at Darksville on July 4, 1861:
William M. McCallister, Pvt., age 18

     This company was enrolled on the 22nd day of April, 1861, and entered the service among the volunteer forces of the State of Virginia on the same day at Staunton, Va., and on the following day received orders by telegram from Governor John Letcher to return to Covington for drill and to uniform, which it did, and was soon ordered to Harper's Ferry. It was shortly thereafter permanently assigned to the 27th Virginia Regiment of Infantry as Company A, which regiment was attached to General (then Colonel), Thomas J. Jackson's brigade, which, after the first battle of Manassas, was always known as the "Stonewall Brigade," and continued to serve as an infantry company until the 12th day of November, 1861, when it was, by special order of General Jackson, converted into an artillery company, and served during the residue of the war in that branch of the service, being known first as "The Alleghany Roughs' Battery," and later as "Carpenter's Battery," but always attached to the "Stonewall Brigade."
     This company was from time to time recruited from Alleghany county by J. M. Carpenter, J. H. A. Boswell, George Crawford, Thomas M. Jordan, Samual Matheny, Archibald A. Fudge, James P. Payne, Charles S. J. Skeen, Ledford A. Sively and C. C. Via. These, with recruits from other counties, numbered 63, making the total enrollment of the company from first to last 145. Of these, 45 were killed in battle and the number of wounded in battle (which includes all such as were wounded in more battles than one) more than 200.
     In the fall of 1862, the battery, having suffered so severely from casualties, the "Jackson Artillery" (Captain Cutshaw), was consolidated with the "Alleghany Roughs," after which time it was known as "Carpenter's Battery."
     The company took part in 26 battles, besides numerous skirmishes. These include 1st and 2nd Manassas, Kernstown, 3 at Winchester, Charlestown, Port Republic, Malvern Hill, Cedar Mountain, surrender at Harper's Ferry, Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Samuel Gettysburg, Spotsylvania, Monocacy, Md., Wade's Depot, Fisher's Hill, and Cedar Creek.
     It will be observed that of the enrollment of the company at 1st Manassas of 82 men, rank and file, 37 were 22 years of age and under, and at that memorable battle nearly 1/3 of the company were killed or wounded. Again at Gettysburg and at Winchester, more than 1/3 of the men in battle were killed or wounded.
     The officers of the company, from first to last, were as follows: Captains-Thompson McAllister, Joseph Carpenter and John C. Carpenter. Lieutenants-George B. mcKendree, Henry H. Dunott, William T. Lambie, D. R. Barton, Samuel S. Carpenter and Charles O. Jordan.

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     From the Lexington "Gazette and Banner" of date January 30, 1867, a paper then edited and published by Colonel S. H. Letcher, a brother of the war governor of Virginia, the following is quoted:
     "This company was organized as infantry in the county of Alleghany on April 22, 1861, under the following officers: Thompson McAllister, Captain; Joseph Carpenter, George B. McKendree and H. H. Dunott, Lieutenants, consisted of 82 men and was known as the "Alleghany Roughs." It was ordered to Harper's Ferry, where it was assigned to the 27th Va. Infantry, Colonel W. W. Gordon (Stonewall Brigade), and served with the regiment until the 12th of November of the same year. It acted with distinguished gallantry in nthe 1st battle of Manassas, and Lt. Dunott captured, with his own hands, the beautiful battle-flag of the First Michigan Regiment. When General Jackson was promoted and ordered back to the Valley it was transferred to the artillery branch of the service by his order. Officers and men were delighted with the change and, by the time General Jackson commenced his expedition into Bath and Hancock counties January 1, 1862, had nearly mastered the drill. They participated in all the hardships and exposures of that campaign, but were not engaged with the enemy, having to content themselves with doing picket duty for 2 nights and a day, in snow and sleet about knee deep, without fire, blankets or rations. (They did, however, throw a few shells across the Potomac river and over the town of Hancock to remind the enemy they were there.) It was not long, however, before their efficiency in their new arm of service was to be tested by their actions in the memorable battle of Kernstown. Their cool courage in this action won the approval of the commanding general and they were permitted to reorganize as artillery, whilst two other companies detached at the same time were returned to Infantry.
     From this time until early in 1862 they remained with the "Stonewall Brigade," actively participating in all of it's marches, battles and skirmishes. They shared in the honors of the memorable Valley campaign, in the seven days fight around Richmond and in the disastrous repulse of Burnside at Fredericksburg.
     In December, 1862, when the batteries of the division were ordered back to Bowling Green to go into winter quarters, this battery was left to do picket duty at Buckner's Neck, on the Rappahannock, for four months, continuously, the sections of the company doing duty alternately, and, though but scantily provided with tents, they were not permitted to build huts for shelter against the storms.
     Upon reorganization of the artillery into battalions, the battery was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by Major R. Snowden Andrews, afterward by Major Carter N. Braxton.
     In common with their gallant comrades in arms, it shared and suffered with them in the fatiguing marches of the First Maryland campaign and in the bloody battles of second Manassas and Sharpsburg. At second Fredericksburg it operated with General Early"s command against Sedgwick, passed through the Pennsylvania campaign, and under the command of the gallant Latimer at Gettysburg had 10 men killed and 23 wounded. It participated in all the battles of Grant's celebrated campaign from the Wilderness to Cold Harbor, from thence was ordered to the Valley with General Early and served throughout that arduous campaign and was present on every battlefield from Monocacy to Fisher's Hill, where their guns were captured by the enemy. At Fishersville they went into winter quarters and soon thereafter a portion of the company was sent to Petersburg to help man the guns in the fortifications, and about 30 of the men were sent back to Alleghany county with the artillery horses, in charge of Captain John C. Carpenter, with orders to be prepared to return to the command at a moment's warning. These men were ordered to return about the time of the fall of Richmond, and had reached Lexington, Va., when they received the information of the surrender of General Lee. They immediately started from Lexington to join General Johnston in Tennessee, and when they had got as far as Hollins Institute, learned of the surrender of General Johnston and returned to Covington and never surrendered. The rest of the company surrendered with General Lee.
     No company in the Confederate service won a more honorable and deserved distinction than Carpenter's battery, and none, that we have heard, lost more heavily in killed and wounded, in proportion to numbers. Faithful to duty, they were true and noble soldiers in the camp and on the field of battle, and many of them testified their devotion to the cause with their heart's blood."