Clarksburg Defenses - Clarksburg WV - Battlefields on Waymarking.com

TEXT from West Virginia Civil War Trails historical marker: Clarksburg Defenses-Protecting the Town and Railroad— Jones-Imboden Raid —(Preface) 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.

(Main Text) The trenches here and on Pinnicinick Hill were constructed for the protection of Clarksburg and the vital North Western Virginia Railroad. The line ran west from Grafton, where it joined the Baltimore an Ohio Railroad, through Clarksburg to Parkersburg. On May 30, 1861, three companies of the 14th Ohio Infantry arrived in Clarksburg by train from Ohio, the first Union troops to do so. The 8th Indiana Infantry soon arrived and on Jun 19 began to help build fortifications on Lowndes and Pinnicinick Hills.The soldiers did not live in the trenches but rather in camps in town. One of the camps was in the current Glen Elk area and another was in the area of the Odd Fellows Cemetery on Chestnut Street.

When in April 1863 Confederate Gen. William E. “Grumble” Jones and Gen. John D Imboden raided present-day West Virginia, Jones approached Clarksburg from the north and Imboden from the east. Approximately 5,000 Union troops in the area retreated to the relative safety of Clarksburg’s fortifications. The commanding general, Benjamin S. Roberts, sent out a cavalry company on a reconnaissance but otherwise made no effort to attack the Confederates. Jones, finding the defenses of Clarksburg too strong, moved on to Bridgeport, where his men burned two railroad bridges and destroyed a locomotive.

LOCATION: Marker is in Clarksburg, West Virginia, in Harrison County. Marker is on Kiwanis Drive. The marker is located in Lowndes Park. Marker is in this post office area: Clarksburg WV 26301, United States of America.

Name of Battle: Clarksburg Defenses Name of War: U.S. Civil War Date(s) of Battle (Beginning): 04/30/1863 Entrance Fee: Not Listed Parking: Not Listed Date of Battle (End): Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Post a photo of you in front of a sign or marker posted at the site of the battle (or some other way to indicate you have personally visited the site.

In addition it is encouraged to take a few photos of the surrounding area and interesting features at the site.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   10/16/2021 Don.Morfe visited it