Colonel James M. Corns

Colonel James M. Corns, the second edition of the book, now includes excerpts from issues of the Kanawha Valley Star in 1860 and 1861, which reflected the local attitudes concerning Abraham Lincoln before the election and the War. This information is some of what influenced James M. Corns to rally to the Confederate cause and risk everything to have a chance to taste freedom in a new country, free from the tyranny that the United States of America had become. James M. Corns, born in 1830, was descended from prominent families in Staffordshire and Gloucestershire, England. While living as a child in Monmouthshire, his father died and then his mother abandoned him when she remarried. From those sad and unpromising circumstances he rose to become the commander of the Eighth Virginia Cavalry Regiment of the Army of the Confederate States of America. He was called everything from "a gallant officer, a very intelligent gentleman" to "a drinking blackguard." After the War his wife deserted him and took their seven children into Pennsylvania and out of his reach due to the danger of Northern retribution. He then headed into the "wild West" building the railroads, and later was an architect and builder with a thriving business in East Texas. He found a new wife and had a bigamous marriage while living with her in Texas and Louisiana. The remarkable story of the life of James M. Corns, the defeats he suffered and his ability to keep up the fight even when faced with overwhelming losses, is a story of resilience, perseverance, courage, and talent. The life of James M. Corns was truly the life of a warrior. Read in this factual, carefully documented book about the family lines that created him, his amazing life in and out of the military, and the turbulent times of the nineteenth century that he faced. The authors, Robert H. Nelson (a great-great-grandson of James M. Corns) and his wife Emma L. Nelson, have researched James M. Corns for over four decades, and they have traveled widely to put his story together. They have utilized writings from his time, extensive National Archives records, and family letters and documents; and they have depicted his ancestry, life, and times in this definitive biography. Robert and Emma "wrote the book" on Colonel James M. Corns.