Battle for the Bridge - Civil War Discovery Trail Sites on Waymarking.com

Here, at the site of the Palatine foundry, a battle for the possession of the suspension bridge took place on April 28, 1863. Confederate forces under Gen. william E. Jones attacked Fairmont to distroy the B&O Railroad bridge upstream at present-day 12th Street. 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 his 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 opposed them. John Coffman, Jr., of Harrison County, was amoung the Federals killed, and Perry Watton of Palatine was wounded.

After capturing the foundry, the Confederates rode upstream to the railroad bridge. A trainload of Union reinforcements arrived from Grafton but was driven off. The bridge was distroyed but was repaired a few weeks later. Jones paroled 260 Federal prisoners before leaving to attack Bridgeport.

Type of site: Transportation Route or Facility Address: Merchant Street Fairmont, WV USA 26554 Admission Charged: No Charge Website: [Web Link] Phone Number: Not listed Driving Directions: Not listed

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