Jones-Imboden Raid of 1863

1. Skirmish at Beverly during the Jones-Imboden Raid

Near this site on April 24, Federal troops under Colonel George R. Latham skirmished with Confederate soldiers led by General John D. Imboden in the first confrontation of the Jones-Imboden Raid of 1863. The raid, which endeavored to sabotage the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and disrupt Union efforts to create the state of West Virginia, identified the nearby town of Beverly as a primary target because of its location along the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike. After taking Beverly, which he eventually did, Imboden was instructed to march west to Buckhannon and meet the other half of the raiders marching to the north under General William E. Jones, after which they would move as a combined force to attack the Federal troops under General Benjamin S. Roberts stationed there. Though successful in damaging a number of key railroads and bridges in the region, the raid ultimately failed to confront Roberts or impede West Virginia statehood, which became a reality on June 20 of the same year. Regardless, the battle for Beverly had been a resounding Confederate success, and though no historical interpretation exists at the site it can still be viewed by travelers on what is now US 250.

2. Skirmish at Greenland Gap during the Jones-Imboden Raid

Near this site on April 25, 1863, two companies of Union soldiers led by Captain Martin Wallace held out in the Greenland Gap on New Creek Mountain for nearly four hours against 2200 Confederate cavalrymen under General William E. Jones. The skirmish, which gave Federal forces in what is now West Virginia valuable time to prepare for their defense against Jones’ men, was one of the first engagements of the 1863 Jones-Imboden Raid. The raid was intended as a last-ditch effort to prevent the pro-Union “Restored Government of Virginia” in Wheeling from succeeding in its efforts to establish the new state of West Virginia, which it eventually did on June 20 of the same year. Because of Jones’ delay at the Greenland Gap, his men went on to encounter stiff resistance at later destinations like Rowlesburg in Preston County and Fairmont in Marion County. Greenland Gap is now a State Natural Landmark that is part of a 255-acre nature preserve, which is open to the public seven days a week from dawn to dusk.

3. Cannon Hill Park

Situated outside a bend in the Cheat River near the town of Rowlesburg, Cannon Hill is the site of the largest engagement between Union and Confederate forces in north central West Virginia during the American Civil War. Fought for control of two strategic railroad bridges over the river that enabled troops and vital supplies to travel between U.S. forces in the eastern and western theaters of the war, the Battle of Rowlesburg was the only clear victory Unionist forces achieved during the Jones-Imboden Campaign of 1863. The battle took place on the afternoon of April 26th, after Confederate raiders under General William E. Jones attacked a combined force of Union soldiers and townspeople commanded by Major John Showalter that were lying in wait for them on both sides of the river. After several hours of intense fighting Jones withdrew his men, leaving the vital link between east and west open and operational. The small cannon that gave Cannon Hill its name (which the town’s residents had positioned there at the outset of the war in 1861) was particularly effective against Jones and his troops. The hill itself is now a public park and is freely accessible throughout the year, but guided tours of the site are also available from May to October by contacting members of the Rowlesburg Area Historical Society and a reenactment of the battle takes place every year.

4. Occupation of Morgantown during the Jones-Imboden Raid

The historical marker at this site commemorates Morgantown’s role in the Jones-Imboden Raid of 1863. Meant as both an attempt to prevent the formation of the new state of West Virginia and damage the infrastructure of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in the region, the raid arrived to the seat of Monongalia County on April 27, 1863 in the guise of a troop of Confederate cavalrymen led by Colonel Asher Harmon. Harmon left early the next morning to reunite with his commander General William E. Jones in the town of Independence twenty miles down the road in what is now Preston County, West Virginia. Their combined forces then returned to Morgantown with the intention of destroying the bridge over the Monongahela River. The Confederate capture of Morgantown prompted a more concerted Federal effort to counter the raid’s progress through the counties of western Virginia, an effort that culminated in the Battle of the Bridge on April 29 (the largest Civil War battle in what is now northern West Virginia). The marker commemorating Morgantown’s part in the raid is in Hazel Ruby McQuain Riverfront Park, which is open from 7 AM to 9 PM every day of the week.

5. Battle of the Bridge

The Battle for the Bridge took place on April 29th 1863 between Confederate forces led by Generals William E. "Grumble" Jones and John D. Imboden and Federal/Union Forces. The objective of the mission was to capture the suspension bridge at this location and then destroy the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad bridge that was near modern day 12th street in Fairmont. It was the largest Civil War battle to take place in the northern part of what is now known as West Virginia as was part of the larger Jones-Imboden Raid. This raid lasted four weeks and covered over 700 miles.

6. Skirmish at Bridgeport during the Jones-Imboden Raid

The historical marker at this site commemorates a skirmish on April 30, 1863 between the Union troops of Company E of the Third West Virginia Cavalry and Confederate raiders from the 1st Maryland Cavalry Battalion for control of what is now Bridgeport, West Virginia. The skirmish was part of the Jones-Imboden Raid, in which Confederate troops under Generals John D. Imboden and William E. Jones aimed to damage the infrastructure of both the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and the loyalist government operating out of Wheeling. While Imboden marched on a more southerly route Jones proceeded through Preston, Monongalia, and Marion Counties before arriving in Harrison County via Bridgeport, where he sought to destroy a portion of the B&O Railroad and then move against the railroad hub at the county seat of Clarksburg. The Union troops that defended Bridgeport were overwhelmed fairly easily by their rebel counterparts, in large part because the Federal commander in Clarksburg General Benjamin S. Roberts refused to engage the Confederates for fear that he was outnumbered. This decision, based on faulty intelligence, kept Clarksburg out of rebel hands but left the rest of the region largely undefended. Anyone interested in the Confederate seizure of Bridgeport that resulted from Roberts’ decision can learn more at this site, open to the public and situated on the southern edge of Simpson Creek.

7. Rendezvous of Confederate Forces in Buckhannon during the Jones-Imboden Raid

Confederate Generals John D. Imboden and William E. Jones reunited their troops at this site during their raid into what became West Virginia in 1863. Imboden had arrived in nearby Buckhannon from Beverly on April 29 of that year, waiting until May 2 for Jones to arrive from his forays to the north through Preston and Monongalia Counties. Their raid, which targeted the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad as well as the Unionist government of western Virginia, was meant to reunite at Buckhannon in order to attack Federal under General Benjamin S. Roberts that were stationed there. Despite having more men and supplies than the raiders, however, Roberts precipitated the attack by evacuating Buckhannon on April 27, leaving the town defenseless upon Imboden’s arrival two days later. After occupying the town while his men rested and resupplied, he rendezvoused with Jones at this location, the house of Confederate soldier Benjamin Bassel, on May 2, after which their combined forces moved on to Weston in Nicholas County.

8. Occupation of Weston during the Jones-Imboden Raid

The historical marker here commemorates the role of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in what is now Weston, West Virginia in the American Civil War. In particular, the asylum served as the headquarters of Confederate General William E. Jones while he, his troops, and those of General John D. Imboden occupied Weston from May 3 to May 6, 1863. During their time in Weston, the two generals considered the possibility of attacking Union troops under General Benjamin S. Roberts stationed at Clarksburg before choosing instead to split their forces. After splitting their forces, Jones moved to destroy the oil fields in Burning Springs in what is now Wirt County, West Virginia while Imboden proceeded to Summersville in Nicholas County to secure their avenue of retreat out of the region. The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, where they planned these maneuvers, is open to the public from 12 PM to 6 PM on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday and from 10 AM to 8 PM on Saturdays.

9. Occupation of Harrisville during the Jones-Imboden Raid

The historical marker at this location commemorates the role of Harrisonville, West Virginia in the Jones-Imboden Raid of 1863. On May 7 of that year, a contingent of Confederate cavalrymen under Colonel Asher Harmon occupied Harrisonville after scattering a small force of local defenders. Harmon’s arrival in the town was part of a larger move by Confederate General William E. Jones toward the oilfields at Burning Springs in what is now Wirt County, West Virginia. These maneuvers were among Jones’ most successful of the campaign and resulted in the eventual destruction of thousands of gallons of oil at Burning Springs, a resource that was desperately needed by Union forces in the region. The marker here is situated along Myles Avenue near Main Street and is accessible at any time.

10. Destruction of the Burning Springs Oilfields during the Jones-Imboden Raid

The historical marker here records Confederate General William E. Jones’ destruction of the oilfields of Burning Springs on May 9, 1863. Jones’ destruction of the oilfields took place during the Jones-Imboden Raid of that year, during which Confederate raiders under Jones and General John D. Imboden targeted the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and pro-Union government in what became West Virginia. Afterwards Jones himself claimed to have destroyed approximately 150,000 barrels of oil, while historians today estimate the damage at closer to 22,000 barrels. Regardless, the damage done to oil production at Burning Springs severely hindered the operation of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in the region, which in turn hampered the prosecution of the war effort moving forward. The marker here is located within Burning Springs Park, which is operated by the Oil and Gas Museum of Parkersburg.

11. Occupation of Sutton during the Jones-Imboden Raid

This historical marker recounts the town of Sutton’s occupation by Confederate soldiers during the Jones-Imboden Raid of 1863. The community was occupied twice during the raid, the first time on May 11 by the forces of General John D. Imboden on their way to Summersville in Nicholas County and the second on May 12 by General William E. Jones’ troops after their successful destruction of the oilfields at Burning Fields in Wirt County a few days earlier. The generals’ stops in Sutton were among the last in their campaign through what became West Virginia, which was intended to disrupt the pro-Union government there and sabotage the infrastructure of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Though its success in those regards is debatable the raid was successful in delaying the reinforcement of the Army of the Potomac by western troops, which allowed the Army of Northern Virginia under General Robert E. Lee to secure victory in the Battle of Chancellorsville and prepare for the subsequent Gettysburg Campaign. The marker is located near the Braxton County Courthouse at the intersection of Main and Third Streets and is accessible to the public at any time.

12. Confederate Rendezvous in Summersvilles during the Jones-Imboden Raid

In this vicinity the troops of Confederate General John D. Imboden participated in one of the last engagements of the Jones-Imboden Raid of 1863. In the engagement, on May 13, cavalrymen led by the general’s brother Colonel George Imboden succeeded in capturing a wagon train of desperately needed supplies from a portion of the 91st Ohio Infantry and two companies of Union cavalry. These supplies allowed the starving Confederates to gain considerably more energy during their subsequent occupation of Summersville than they might have had otherwise, energy that allowed them to safely evacuate back into rebel Virginia after reuniting with their fellow raiders under General William E. Jones. The raid, which sought to interfere with pro-Union authority in the area and damage the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, was forced to end largely as a result of lack of supplies, those gained outside Summersville being sufficient only to feed Imboden’s men and not Jones’. The Confederates’ capture of the wagon train occurred somewhere along this stretch of road, approximately four miles west of Summersville toward Gauley Bridge.

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Jones-Imboden Raid of 1863

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