Valley of the Shadow
The Eve of War
Fall 1859–Spring 1861

1860 Census and Summaries

1860 Presidential Election Candidates and Precincts


Identified party activists for each 1860 candidate supported Bell strongly. Fifteen activists identified with the Democratic party candidates, split evenly between Douglas and Breckinridge.

Precinct No Record Bell Breckinridge Douglas Total
Staunton, Precinct No. 1 35 1 1 3 40
Staunton, Precinct No. 2 45 4 2 2 53
Waynesborough 36 3 0 0 39
Churchville 52 1 1 54 0
Mt. Sidney 47 0 0 0 47
Middlebrook 27 1 0 0 28
Greenville 25 1 0 0 26
Fishersville 38 4 1 0 43
New Hope 91 5 2 0 98
Mt. Meridian 41 1 0 0 42
Mt. Solon 56 2 0 0 58
Deerfield 28 4 0 1 33
Craigsville 26 2 0 0 28
Stuart's Draft 34 3 1 0 38
Swoope's Depot 40 2 0 1 43
Sherando 18 1 2 0 21
Parnassus 42 2 0 0 44
Spring Hill 37 0 0 0 37
Newport 20 1 0 0 21
Midway 14 0 0 0 14
Total 752 38 9 8 807

The data are based on the GIS of Augusta and Franklin households—maps are derived from a D. H. Davison map of Franklin County, published in 1858, and Jedediah Hotchkiss map of Augusta County, published in 1870 and based on surveys completed "during the war." The maps have been georeferenced at the Virginia Center for Digital History, using ESRI Arc Info to produce a Geographic Information Systems map and database of households based on U. S. census data from the population, agricultural, and slaveowners schedules.

Note: Original precinct boundaries are not available. Precinct boundaries were established in the GIS using Theissen polygons around precinct stations as central places.