John Hanson "Hanse" McNeill (June 12, 1815 – November 10, 1864) was a

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

soldier who served as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. He led

McNeill's Rangers McNeill's Rangers was an independent Confederate military force commissioned under the Partisan Ranger Act (1862) by the Confederate Congress during the American Civil War. The 210 man unit (equivalent to a small or under-strength battalion) was ...

, an independent irregular Confederate military company commissioned under the

Partisan Ranger Act The Partisan Ranger Act was passed on April 21, 1862 by the Confederate Congress. It was intended as a stimulus for recruitment of irregulars for service into the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. The Confederate leadership, lik ...

Early and family life

McNeill was born near Moorefield, Virginia (now

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

). He was the son of Strother and Amy Pugh McNeill.HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 50
by Delegate Michael, West Virginia Legislatur

/ref> In 1848, he moved himself, his wife, three sons and one daughter to

Boone County, Missouri Boone County is located in the U.S. state of Missouri. Centrally located in Mid-Missouri, its county seat is Columbia, Missouri's fourth-largest city and location of the University of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 183,61 ...

, where he operated a cattle business.

Civil War

In 1861, he formed and was named commander of a company in the Missouri State Guard, seeing action in Boonville,

Carthage Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classi ...

, Wilson's Creek, and Lexington. Although captured and imprisoned in St. Louis, he escaped on June 15, 1862, and made his way back to Virginia. In

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

, he obtained permission to form an independent unit in the western counties of

and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

in order to disrupt Union activities in the area. This was granted, and on September 5, 1862, McNeill became captain of Company E of the

18th Virginia Cavalry The 18th Virginia Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought with the Army of Northern Virginia, in southwest Virginia, and in the Shenandoah Valle ...

, more commonly known as

. Along with raids on railroads and wagon trains, he first proposed the operation that became the Jones-Imboden Raid. Opponents called him a

Bushwhacker Bushwhacking was a form of guerrilla warfare common during the American Revolutionary War, War of 1812, American Civil War and other conflicts in which there were large areas of contested land and few governmental resources to control these tra ...

Death and legacy

On October 3, 1864, McNeill led his unit in a successful predawn attack on a detachment of the 8th Ohio Cavalry Regiment guarding a bridge at Meems Bottom near

Mount Jackson, Virginia Mount Jackson is a town in Shenandoah County, Virginia, Shenandoah County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,994 at the 2010 census. For highway travelers passing by, Mount Jackson is easily identified from Interstate 81, I-81 exit 27 ...

. Although his forces secured supplies, McNeill was severely wounded. Taken first to the Reverend Anders Rude home nearby, he died at Hill's Hotel in

Harrisonburg, Virginia Harrisonburg is an independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is also the county seat of the surrounding Rockingham County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. At the 2 ...

(where the Massanutten Regional Library now stands) on November 10, 1864. Initially buried in Harrisonburg with full Military and Masonic honors, his Rangers returned his body to

Hardy County, West Virginia Hardy County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,299. Its county seat is Moorefield. The county was created from Hampshire County in 1786 and named for Samuel Hardy, a distinguished V ...

, for reinterment. He is buried in Olivet Cemetery in

Moorefield, West Virginia Moorefield is a town and the county seat of Hardy County, West Virginia, United States. It is located at the confluence of the South Branch Potomac River and the South Fork South Branch Potomac River. Moorefield was originally chartered in 1777; ...

, next to the Monument to Confederate Dead, surrounded by the graves of other Confederate soldiers. Command of the Rangers passed to his son Jesse Cunningham McNeill after his father's death.

References

External links

*

''Project for the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War in Historic Hampshire County''

* ttps://boboconnorbooks.com/mcneills-confederate-rangers/ McNeill’s Confederate Rangers Award-winning author Steve French discusses a guerilla band of Confederates known as McNeill's Rangers
Apple Alley Players auditioning for revival of 'McNeill's Rangers'
{{DEFAULTSORT:McNeill, John Hanson 1815 births 1864 deaths People of Virginia in the American Civil War People from Moorefield, West Virginia Military personnel from West Virginia Confederate States Army officers Irregular forces of the American Civil War Civil War near Cumberland, Maryland Raids of the American Civil War Hampshire County, West Virginia, in the American Civil War Hardy County, West Virginia, in the American Civil War Confederate States of America military personnel killed in the American Civil War

Early and family life

Civil War

Death and legacy

References

Further reading

External links