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This story from a collection of the former HISTORICAL SOCIETY of Brooke County. There is a note on here, article originally written by Betty Caldwell Leonard.

STEAMBOAT 'ROUND THE BEND BY JAMES G. MULLOOLY "WELLSBURG'S HARDING DUVAL LEFT MARK ON FRONTIER AMERICA"

      Every time we make a turn around the courthouse and city hall in Wellsburg, we half expect to come across a bronze figure of a horse and rider standing on the lawn next to the sidewalk. And the mounted figure might well be that of GEN. HARDING DUVAL, Wellsburg's Marco Polo of adventure and travel.

     And the story of Harding Duval and the many adventures that befell him during his years away from Wellsburg makes current TV scripts pale into insignificance, action-wise.

     Harding Duval;s father ISAAC DUVAL, had at one time operated a flint glass works at Wellsburg,the first of its type west of the Allegheny Mountains. But with the river at his door, young Harding have little thought to the glass business. The flowing stream of the Ohio, with its picturesque steamboats and still not too distant exploits of Mike Fink and Davey Crockett, called up within him a desire to see what it was all about in that mysterious and exciting land to the west.

     Thus it was, at the age of 13, Harding Duval left his mother's home at Wellsburg, taking passage on the steamer TEMPEST, bound for Louisville, Kentucky, and from there shipped aboard the steamer JOHN JAY for Vanburen, Arkansas, with an eventual destination at the home of his brother.

     This was the start of a new life of adventure and hardship for the young and plucky Wellsburger. The next eight years saw Harding Duval in the unstable Southwest of the continent, hunting and fighting Indians. At times he acted as a scout and filled in with other occupations between assignments. On several occasions Duval had accompanied JOHN C. FREMONT on his expeditions to the west and northwest.

     When the annexation of Texas came about in the year 1845, it brought many Indian problems with it. Duval, a nephew of GOV. BUTLER, of South Carolina, was appointed by President Polk, along with his uncle and Col. Lewis of Tennessee, as a commissioner to visit and treat with the hostile Indian tribes.

     With the help of two friendly Indian guides, Duval left FORT GIBSON in Oklahoma, on his way to cross the Red River into Texas. After an absence of seven months, be brought in 8,000 Indians, representing 30 tribes. Some of these he took to Washington to show them the "power of the Great White Father". The entire job was a rough assignment, but Duval never complained of one mile of the many he had covered.

     When the Mexican War showed its ugly head on the horizon, Harding Duval took charge of Gov. Butler's plantation on the storied Red River, near Shrevesport, LA. When Butler met his demise during the storming of the hilltop fortress at Chapultepec, Duval left for the intriguing city of New Orleans. Here, the glamour and color of the Queen City of the Mississippi was not to greet him - instead he found only garish ravages of a cholera epidemic; hundreds dead on the streets and burial an impossibility.

     At this time a much brighter light shone in the west - this was the discovery of gold in California. Duval left New Orleans for Texas and became Commander of the first company to start for California, Seventy-nine men were in the group, with Duval being the youngest.

     The stalwarts left Waco, Texas, May 10, 1849, but the expedition was doomed to failure. A fire in a hotel at Marysville stopped the troupe dead with the loss of all their possessions.

     After the fire, Captain Duval took a boat to New York. The trip was a tiresome one for excitement-lover Duval Arriving at Cuba, he joined the troops connected with the Lopez insurrection and narrowly escaped death by so doing.

     He returned to Wellsburg and took up the quiet and seemingly dull profession of a mercantile retailer. But not for long. The past events in the Southwest were now taking their toll; and a Civil War was in the making. The year was 1861, and the call of high adventure again found Harding Duval in the first request for U.S. Troops.

     With his previous record, Capt. Duval was promoted from time to time and came out of the war with the stars of a Major General by Brevet, and a full Brigadier General.

     Not one to stand by and be a spectator. Duval displayed his usual flair for action and excitement during the War Between the States. While holding the rank of Colonel, he was wounded twice, had eleven horses shot out from under him; was assigned to the New Hancock Veterans Corps; leading them down the valley with orders to get in the rear of Richmond to prevent Gen. Lee's escape in his encounter with Grant.

     Following this, Duval captured Gen. Rosser's cavalry, paroled several thousand Co federate soldiers and took possession of a number of railroad trains loaded with various supplies of the Confederate Army.

     Gen. Duval's troops on the occasion captured the Rebel Flag flying from the pole at Lexington Virginia Military Institute, along with a miniature brass canon, taken from the school. These were the only trophies brought back by Gen. Duval at the end of the fracas. These souvenirs are in possession of his family today.

     And the colorful career of the boy who left Wellsburg at the tender age of 13 did not stop here. After the war, Gen. Duval served in the U.S. Congress as a representative from the First District of West Virginia; also as a legislator of the state for a period of four terms and was in the State Senate two terms.

     Harding Duval died July 10 1902. He had been well honored by his state and country, and had gotten his "image" the hard way- forged out of the hectic days of the pioneer west and on the battlefields.



Source Industrial Wellsburg 1899 by Ralph S. Kerr

Gen. I. H. Duval.

     Gen. I. H. Duval was born in Wellsburg, Va. His father, Isaac Duval, was one of the Pioneer settlers here, and a nephew of Judge Garbriel Duval, one of the early judges of the Supreme Court of the United States.

     At the early age of 14 the subject of this sketch left his home and spent 14 years in the Rocky Mountains and on the prairies. Immediately after the annexation of Texas he collected hostile Indians for the government for- the purpose of making treaties, and brought in delegations from 20 different tribes living on the frontier of Texas. He commanded the first company that crossed the plains from Texas to California, after the discovery of gold. In this expedition he had no guide and traveled the whole distance with the aid of a small pocket compass. He joined the Lopez insurrection in Cuba and escaped execution by a mere scratch.

     He then returned to Wellsburg, his native town, and engaged in the mercantile business until the first call for troops, when he entered the United States army.

     He was elected Major of the first three months regiment, and was reappointed Major of the first three year regiment of West Virginia. He was appointed Colonel of the Ninth W. Va. Inf., and also Colonel of the First W. Va. Veterans' Regiment, and from time to time was promoted until he reached the rank of Brevet Major General.

     While he held the rank of Colonel he commanded at different times the first and second divisions of the Eighth army corps, and was on two occasions assigned of the corps in the absence of the commanding general. At this time there was no general in the corps except the commanding general. During the war he was assigned to the New Hancock Veteran Corps and led it down the Shenandoah Valley with orders to get in the rear of Richmond to prevent General Lee's escape should he attempt to get away from General Grant, who was then pressing General Lee in front of Richmond. It was expected that General Hancock would overtake and assume command of his forces before Duval reached his destination.

     At Staunton, Va., General Duval learned of General Lee's surrender, and realized that the Hancock

      Veteran Corps would not be required for the service which they expected to perform.

     General Duval was in command and captured General Rosser and his cavalry, numbering several thousand, paroled and sent them to Richmond.

     While at Staunton an attempt was made to assassinate General Duval. While sitting in the house of a loyal citizen a shot was fired at him, the bullet passing between his arm and body into the sofa upon which he was sitting. And indeed during his army life General Duval had many narrow escapes from death, being wounded several times, and had eleven horses killed and wounded under him. For several months after peace was declared General Duval had charge of a sub-division with headquarters at Wheeling, W. Va., having served four years and nine months in the army, and was in 34 engagements. This most distinguished son of Wellsburg was afterwards elected to Congress from the First district of West Virginia, and also served in both branches of the Legislature; was Adjutant General of the State f or two years, United States Assessor for two years, and for fourteen years Collector of Internal Revenue.

     General Duval married a daughter of Mr. Adam Kuhn, and his home life has been a most happy one. He is generous, hospitable, and beloved and esteemed by all who know him.

      He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and ever zealous for its welfare.