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.
When the Civil War started, Col. Cass Rathbone formed a militia company that eventually became the 11th West Virginia Infantry, with Daniel E. Frost as Lt. Col. On September 2, 1862, Col. Rathbone surrendered around 200 soldiers to Confederate raiders in Spencer (the Roane County seat), which some considered a partial compensation for protection from Confederate raids on the oil field.