The salt business brought slavery to Kanawha County West Virginia, home of over two thousand slaves. A perpetual shortage of free labor “forced” salt producers to use enslaved labor, causing slavery to be prevalent in the county. (Guy)

In response to John Brown's raid, Kanawhans formed militia companies. The purpose of this was to get men with shared beliefs together and make their status in society known. They had some military skills but they mostly served as political focal points for wealthy Kanawhans by “assuming” (not really) responsibility for protecting Kanawha County. (Hannah E.)

Kanawha County militias formed in the early stages of the war were largely made up of slave owning elites who had a vested economic interest in maintaining the practice, while those without much means or property opted to join forces with the union. This has been oberved in the composition of the militias, and the economic statuses of the different people who joined the Union or Confederacy. (Orion van Rooy)

Kanawhans from West Virginia were split on their decisions to fight for the Union or the Confederacy, often down financial lines, with richer slaveholders fighting for the Confederacy. However, in the election of 1860, only 20% of voters in Kanawha picked even one secessionist. (Sarah M)

Mckenzie explains that, throughout West Virginia, Slavery was present and that it affected the relationships between whites who owned slaves and those did not because it limited labor opportunities for lower class white men. In Kanawha County, many of the slaves were put to work in mining salt and this was lucrative for slaveholders in the region. (Ian Tiblin)

In Kanawha County, most of the wealth belonged to a select few involved in the Salt business. Many of the wealthy who were involved in the Salt business supported the South. However, while many wealthy people in the county were in favor of secession, Kanawha County was never able to vote in favor of secession. (Hank L)