Clarksburg Defenses

Clarksburg Defenses (HM13US)

Location: Clarksburg, WV 26301 Harrison County
Buy West Virginia State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 39° 16.5', W 80° 20.418'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 745 views
Inscription

Protecting the Town and Railroad

— Jones-Imboden Raid —

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.

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.
Details
HM NumberHM13US
Series This marker is part of the West Virginia Civil War Trails series
Tags
Placed ByWest Virginia Civil War Trails
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Friday, October 3rd, 2014 at 10:34pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17S E 556903 N 4347501
Decimal Degrees39.27500000, -80.34030000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 39° 16.5', W 80° 20.418'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds39° 16' 30.00" N, 80° 20' 25.08" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)304
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 300 Kiwanis Dr, Clarksburg WV 26301, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. What historical period does the marker represent?
  2. What historical place does the marker represent?
  3. What type of marker is it?
  4. What class is the marker?
  5. What style is the marker?
  6. Does the marker have a number?
  7. What year was the marker erected?
  8. This marker needs at least one picture.
  9. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  10. Is the marker in the median?