Attack on Fairmont
Watching from the Kearsley House
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.
Here, at the foot of the Fairmont
suspension bridge, Confederate
Gen. William E. Jones watched on April 29, 1863, as his men attacked Fairmont to destroy the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad bridge upstream
at present-day 12th Street. Jones, behind you at the Kearsley House, later Skinner’s Tavern, watched the fight for the suspension bridge. You can still see some of the bullet-pocked bridge piers on the riverbanks. The suspension bridge (1852–1908) spanned the Monongahela River between Fairmont and Palatine.
Jones divided his force, sending the main column up the Beverly
and Fairmont Turnpike on this side
of the river to the railroad bridge, while the 12th Virginia Cavalry and the 35th Virginia Battalion fought their way across the suspension bridge here. The Union defenders
at the Palatine foundry included the Fairmont and Mannington Home Guards and detachments from the 13th Pennsylvania Cavalry and the 6th West Virginia Infantry. The
foundry garrison had removed the
floorboards, but the Confederates
replaced them, charged across,
captured the foundry, and rode
upstream to the railroad bridge.
A trainload of Union reinforcements arrived from Grafton but was driven off. Jones reported “12 killed and many wounded”
among the defenders, and only three
Confederates wounded, whom he left in the care of “kind friends.” That night, Jones paroled 260 Federal prisoners confined in the courthouse
(1844–1897) yard before leaving to attack Bridgeport. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad bridge was destroyed but was repaired a few weeks later.
“The fruits of this day’s work . .. were 4 railroad
bridges destroyed, 1 piece of artillery, 300 small-arms, 260 prisoners, and many fresh horses captured. . . . My orders were in all cases to respect
private property. One or two stores were plundered, but as far as practicable the goods were restored.” —Gen. William E. Jones
Marker is at the intersection of Madison Street and Cleveland Avenue, on the left when traveling south on Madison Street.
Courtesy hmdb.org
