A. Brooks Fleming House
A Role in the Action
On April 20, 1863, Confederate Gens. William E. “Grumble” Jones and John D. Imboden began a raid from Virginia through present-day West Virginia against the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Taking separate routes, they later reported that they marched 1,100 miles, fought several engagements, captured 100 Federals, seized about 1,200 horses and 4,000 cattle, and burned 4 turnpike bridges, more than 20 railroad bridges, 2 trains, and 150,000 barrels of oil. Most bridges were soon repaired. Confederate losses were slight. By May 26, both commands had returned to Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.
Behind you is the home of Aretas Brooks Fleming (1839–1923), the eighth governor of West Virginia (1890–1893). During the war, he was the Marion County prosecuting attorney and served in the Fairmont Home Guard.
At the time of the raid, he instructed and provisioned Mannington’s Home Guard. Detachments of the 23rd Illinois Infantry, the 106th New York
Infantry, and the 6th West Virginia
Infantry also guarded Fairmont.
Early on April 29, 1863, Gen.
William E. Jones’s forces attacked
Fairmont from the west to destroy the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad bridge over the Monongahela River at present-day 12th Street. To your left, a block away, are abutments of the suspension bridge that spanned
the Monongahela River, joining Fairmont and Palatine. Across the river in Palatine, part of the garrison
(including Fleming) was stationed in the foundry to protect the eastern ends of this bridge and the railroad bridge upstream. The Federals had removed the suspension bridge’s floorboards to prevent the Confederates from crossing.
Jones divided his command, sending his main
column in Fairmont upriver to the railroad bridge while
a detachment fought its way across the suspension
bridge, laying found timbers for flooring as they went. The Confederates secured both bridges and captured many Federals, including those in the foundry. A train bearing Union reinforcements arrived
from Grafton but was driven away from the rail bridge, which Jones destroyed.
He also paroled the prisoners before leaving for Bridgeport. He reported three men wounded and left in the care of “kind friends.”
Fleming was promoted to
captain by the Paw Paw militia for
his service during the raid. He later became a leading West Virginia politician and industrialist, especially in the field of coal mining.
Marker is at the intersection of Jefferson Street and Washington Street, on the right when traveling south on Jefferson Street.
Courtesy hmdb.org
