As the Civil War had begun, Col. Cass Rathbone recruited a militia company which became the 11th West Virginia Infantry, with his brother in law Daniel E. Frost as Lt. Col. However, on September 2, 1862, Col. Rathbone surrendered with approximately 200 troops to Confederate raiders in Spencer (the Roane County seat), which some believed partial payment for protection from Confederate raids on the oil field.
As the Civil War commenced, Col. Cass Rathbone assembled a militia unit that transformed into the 11th West Virginia Infantry, under the command of his brother-in-law Daniel E. Frost as Lt. Col. On September 2, 1862, Col. Rathbone surrendered with around 200 soldiers to Confederate raiders in Spencer (the Roane County seat), which some thought was a partial compensation for protection from Confederate raids on the oil field.