 During the Civil War, the Virginia General Assembly in Richmond chose to join the Confederate States of America, much to the chagrin of most of the inhabitants in the trans-Allegheny region of the state who had long expressed their resentment toward the political elites in Richmond.Loyal unionists gradually pushed for the creation of a new state.After two years of legal maneuvering, West Virginia was formally admitted to the United States of America on June 20, 1863.