Jones-Imboden Raid
Encyclopedia
The Jones-Imboden Raid was a Confederate
military action conducted in western Virginia
(now the state of West Virginia
) in April and May 1863 during the American Civil War
. The raid, led by Brig. Gens. William E. Jones
and John D. Imboden
, was aimed at disrupting traffic on the vital Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
and reasserting Confederate authority in transmountain Virginia in an effort to derail the growing statehood movement in the region. The raid was successful from a military vantage as severe damage was inflicted upon the railroad and other critical Union resources and valuable supplies and recruits were obtained. From a political standpoint, however, the raid was a failure, having little affect on the sentiment for the formation of a new state.
of McNeill's Rangers
. His plan was the destruction of an important bridge of the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad
, which was vital to the Union
supply lines through western Virginia. McNeill's idea was expanded into a two-prong attack. Gen. Jones was to attack the B&O between Grafton
(West) Virginia and Oakland
, Maryland
. Gen. Imboden would attack Union garrisons at Beverly
, Philippi
, and Buckhannon
. The object of the raid was to secure supplies, disrupt the B&O Railroad, raise recruits and, if possible, cripple the Unionist government in Wheeling
.
, 7th
, 11th
and 12th Virginia Cavalry
, the 1st Maryland Battalion of Cavalry, 35th Battalion of Virginia Cavalry
, and McNeill's Rangers. He left Rockingham County with 3,500 men on April 21, 1863, and moved into (West) Virginia with his primary target being two bridges at Rowlesburg, WV. Passing through Greenland Gap on April 25, 1863, he encountered a fortified troop detachment of the 23rd Illinois and was delayed four hours in capturing their position (Battle of Greenland Gap). Jones moved west riding to summit of Cheat Mountain and on to Red House the same day (Red House is located at the intersection of US 219 and US 50). Here he encamped briefly.
Next morning, April 26, 1863, Jones sent McNeill's rangers and the 12th Virginia Cavalry to destroy the B&O bridge at Oakland, Maryland, about 10 miles (16.1 km) to the north, while Jones's other forces set out to destroy the two main targets of the campaign: the wood and iron bridge crossing Cheat River
and the iron bridge crossing Tray Run. R. E. Lee would say that to destroy the Cheat River Bridge would be “worth to me an army.”* To the Federal side preserving "Lincoln's Lifeline" was of equal importance. The bridges crossing Cheat River and Tray Run in Rowlesburg were critical to both sides because their destruction would halt rail traffic all the way to the Ohio. After the initial threat posed by General Garrett’s unsuccessful move toward Rowlesburg in 1861, the Rowlesburg garrison was gradually reduced to about 250 men under the command of Major John Showalter.
Early on the morning of April 26, 1863, Jones and his cavalry rode from Red House, Maryland to the foot of Cheat Mountain on the old Northwestern Turnpike, now US 50. Just the day before they had engaged and defeated a garrison of Union troops defending the passage through Greenland Gap.
When he reached Cheat River on the Northwestern Turnpike Jones chose a two-prong maneuver. From the east side of covered bridge he would be about five miles (8 km) south of Rowlesburg. Jones sent a small dismounted force of less than 100 men up and over Palmer’s Knob to descend into Rowlesburg. This maneuver shortened the distance to Rowlesburg by one-half. Jones ordered his field officer, Captain Octavius T. Weems of the 11th Virginia Cavalry, to torch the Cheat River railroad bridge "at all hazard."
Weems' company K was seen forming on Palmer’s Knob, across the river, east of town while church services were underway. Union soldiers and townsmen grabbed their weapons and rushed to take up defensive positions. The Confederates took up attack positions about two-thirds way down the mountain on a “bench" where they formed a line and moved forward. According to an eyewitness account, at around two-thirty, the troopers “came bounding and bellowing down the mountain, yelling like fiends just up from the pit.” Concealed behind the railroad embankment and armed with Enfield rifles and muskets, soldiers and townspeople allowed the Raiders to come within “easy rifle range,” then opened with devastating fire.
According to other accounts, Weems’ men were also fired upon by a force of “sharpshooters” and “townsfolk,” and by cannons from Cannon Hill about 600 feet (182.9 m) above the valley with clear views of the battle site. The rebels replied with a volley of their own. Then, a “constant and well-directed fire was opened up on them from the town, and in half an hour not a rebel was to be seen.” The Confederate force was in full retreat. Weems’ attack on the railroad bridge crossing Cheat River had failed utterly.
Fragments of Parrott gun
shells have been found on the hillside around Palmer's Knob and below where the Confederates grouped for their charge toward the bridge. Cannon balls have been found for years on Cannon Hill and in town. Records show that cannons were pulled to the top of the hill by oxen. It is assumed these guns were involved in defending the bridge. Howitzers were likely used at close range along the barricade of crossties thrown up by the defenders, as military records show that howitzers were present in Rowlesburg at the time. If cannons were used in the battle for the bridge, it would explain why the Confederates retreated without getting to the bridge.
In the meantime, with the remainder of his forces, Jones had moved two miles (3 km) east to Macomber where the River Road (now WV 72) connected Rowlesburg to the Northwestern Turnpike. He would send Col. John S. Green and his 6th Virginia Cavalry to drive in pickets and attack any perimeter defenses—creating in effect a pincer move against Rowlesburg. At two o’clock shots were heard in town from the direction of the River Road where Green’s forces were driving the pickets back to the Union lines. Green would advance until his troops were less than a mile from town, just beyond a point known as The Cliffs. There a barricade of logs thrown up by the Union forces stopped them. As the Confederate cavalry approached, Lt. McDonald of the Union forces ordered his riflemen to fire. Unable to charge past the enemy as Jones had commanded, Green ordered his men to fall back, then sent for Jones.
This decision would infuriate Gen. Jones and eventually led to the court-martial of Green that September. Col. Green next ordered troops armed with carbines to dismount and move forward along the road and engage McDonald’s force. They came under heavy fire from the mountaineers in the rifle-pits and fell back. Green sent still another dismounted attachment higher up the steep mountainside to circle above McDonald’s men. Strengthened by Lieutenant Hathaway’s Company K., the Union line held once again. According to one source, Hathaway’s force consisted mainly of “about 20 citizens.”
As the day progressed, the fighting on the river road became a desperate test of wills. According to one source, the battle raged “at intervals from 3 p.m. until dark....”. Green could do nothing to dislodge the stubborn Rowlesburg troops and townsmen from their impregnable positions. By now, a completely enraged Jones personally commanded the last assault but after seeing that his troops were stalemated, ordered Green to hold his position until dusk and then pull back to the turnpike. Jones, now accepting defeat, decided to move west to camp for the night. According to Jones, “To renew the attack without the hope of surprise was out of the question, with the difficulties of the ground against us.” The dreaded Confederate Cavalry was useless to him because of the narrow passage and steep hillside. Like the Persians before him at Thermopylae, geography and a stubborn enemy willing to sacrifice all would defeat Jones in his first major battle of the campaign.
A special target for destruction by order of both Confederate President, Jefferson Davis, and Commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, General Robert E. Lee, Rowlesburg was the only town or outpost in western Virginia that was a principal target of the raid to stand up to the Confederate onslaught and emerge unscathed. “Lincoln’s Lifeline” was preserved.
The Oakland raid was a success, but the Cheat River bridge was left intact. Jones blamed his subordinates for weak execution of his orders.
Gen. John Imboden had under his command the 22nd
, 25th
, and 31st Virginia Infantry
regiments, the 62nd Virginia Mounted Infantry
, Dunn's Mounted Infantry
, and the 18th
and 19th Virginia Cavalry
. Among his subordinate officers were Col. George S. Patton of the 22nd, and Col. William Lowther Jackson
of the 19th Virginia Cavalry, later promoted to brigadier general. On April 20, 1863, Imboden moved westward from Shenandoah Mountain with 1,825 men, although reinforcements the next day increased his strength to 3,365. Imboden reported his march through a heavy rain and then snow on his way to Beverly. Once reaching Beverly he was able to defeat Union defenders under Col. George Latham, who retreated northward, leaving behind much needed supplies.
Imboden proceeded towards Buckhannon, but reports of Union reinforcements at Philippi and no news of Jones's position caused him to return to Beverly. Union Brig. Gen. Benjamin S. Roberts
, at Buckhannon, decided to withdraw his forces from there as well as from Philippi and reinforce Clarksburg.
That same day, April 28, Imboden learned of Roberts' retreat from Buckhannon and immediately moved his forces there. Roberts had ordered remaining supplies burned, but Imboden's men were able to salvage some, and well as cattle and horses.
In Washington, Gen. Henry Wager Halleck
was frustrated by his subordinate officers' inability to stop the raid. He telegraphed to Gen. Robert C. Schenck
: "The enemy's raid is variously estimated at from 1,500 to 4,000. You have 45,000 under your command. If you cannot concentrate enough to meet the enemy, it does not argue well for your military dispositions." To Gen. Benjamin S. Roberts
in Buckhannon he wrote: "I do not understand how the roads there are impassable to you, when, by your own account, they are passable enough to the enemy."
On April 29 Imboden decided to march to Philippi and on the way he was met by Gen. Jones and part of his command. Jones had so far burned nine railroad bridges, captured two trains, an artillery piece, 1,200 to 1,500 horses, and 1,000 head of cattle.
On May 3 they moved their forces to Weston, just 23 miles (37 km) south of Clarksburg. Two days later they led a parade through the town and were presented with a flag by the ladies of Weston. Gen. Imboden took the opportunity to send his parents, who lived in Weston, to safety behind Confederate lines.
Although they had contemplated an attack on Clarksburg, the two generals decided that they did not have enough men, detachments having been sent east with the cattle and a number of sick and injured still in Beverly and Buckhannon. They decided to split forces once again, Jones to go northwest and Imboden south to Summersville with the captured supplies and the wounded.
Jones captured West Union and Cairo, burned five more bridges and disabled a railroad tunnel. He then moved toward Oiltown and demolished the oil field and equipment, and burned 150000 barrels (23,848.1 m³) of oil. He then moved south to join up with Imboden.
Bad weather returned for Imboden on his march south, the last three days before reaching Summersville covering only 14 miles (22.5 km). At Summersville he captured a 28 wagon supply train pulled by 170 mules, and also gathered more livestock. He met again with Jones there on May 14 and once again they went their separate ways. Imboden moved south to Lewisburg. A force of Union troops attempted to stop his return to the Shenandoah Valley, but they were met by another Confederate force under Col. John McCausland
, who defeated them at Fayetteville, 30 miles (48.3 km) southwest of Summersville. Gen. Imboden reached the Shenandoah Valley in the last week of May.
Gen. Jones led his men through Greenbrier County where they rested at White Sulphur Springs on May 17 at the "Old White". They moved on to Bath County and came to camp near Mount Crawford in Rockingham on May 21.
The greater part of Gen. Imboden's troops and a good portion of Gen. Jones's troops came from western Virginia. Just a few weeks after their raid the homes of these men would be located in the newest state of the Union, West Virginia
, which officially achieved statehood on June 20, 1863. West Virginia is the 35th state to join the Union.
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
military action conducted in western Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
(now the state of West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
) in April and May 1863 during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The raid, led by Brig. Gens. William E. Jones
William E. Jones
William Edmondson Jones, known as Grumble Jones, was a planter, a career United States Army officer, and a Confederate cavalry general, killed in the Battle of Piedmont in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
and John D. Imboden
John D. Imboden
John Daniel Imboden was a lawyer, teacher, Virginia state legislator. During the American Civil War, he was a Confederate cavalry general and partisan fighter...
, was aimed at disrupting traffic on the vital Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
and reasserting Confederate authority in transmountain Virginia in an effort to derail the growing statehood movement in the region. The raid was successful from a military vantage as severe damage was inflicted upon the railroad and other critical Union resources and valuable supplies and recruits were obtained. From a political standpoint, however, the raid was a failure, having little affect on the sentiment for the formation of a new state.
Background
The raid was first proposed by John Hanson McNeillJohn Hanson McNeill
John Hanson McNeill was a Confederate soldier who served as a Captain in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. He led McNeill's Rangers, an independent irregular Confederate military company commissioned under the Partisan Ranger Act.McNeill was born near Moorefield, Virginia...
of McNeill's Rangers
McNeill's Rangers
McNeill's Rangers was an independent Confederate military force commissioned under the Partisan Ranger Act by the Confederate Congress during the American Civil War. The 210 man battalion-size unit was formed from Company E of the 18th Virginia Cavalry and the First Virginia Partisan Rangers...
. His plan was the destruction of an important bridge of the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
, which was vital to the Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
supply lines through western Virginia. McNeill's idea was expanded into a two-prong attack. Gen. Jones was to attack the B&O between Grafton
Grafton, West Virginia
Grafton is a city in, and county seat of, Taylor County, West Virginia, USA. The population was 5,489 at the 2000 census. The only two national cemeteries in West Virginia are located in Grafton. Mother's Day was founded in Grafton on May 10, 1908; the city is the home to the International Mother's...
(West) Virginia and Oakland
Oakland, Maryland
Oakland is a town in the west-central part of Garrett County, Maryland, United States. With a population of 1,925 according to United States Census 2010 figures, it is the most populated community in Garrett County...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. Gen. Imboden would attack Union garrisons at Beverly
Beverly, West Virginia
Beverly is a small town in Randolph County, West Virginia, USA. It is situated along the Tygart Valley River and had a population of 651 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Beverly is located at ....
, Philippi
Philippi, West Virginia
Philippi is a city in — and the county seat of — Barbour County, West Virginia, USA. The population was 2,870 at the 2000 census. In 1861, the city was the site of the Battle of Philippi, known as "The Philippi Races"...
, and Buckhannon
Buckhannon, West Virginia
Buckhannon is the only incorporated city in, and the county seat of, Upshur County, West Virginia, United States, and is located along the Buckhannon River. The population was 5,725 at the 2000 census. Buckhannon is home to West Virginia Wesleyan College and the West Virginia Strawberry Festival,...
. The object of the raid was to secure supplies, disrupt the B&O Railroad, raise recruits and, if possible, cripple the Unionist government in Wheeling
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
.
Rowlesburg Raid
General W. E. Jones, who was known by the nickname of “Grumble” for his irascible temper and profanity-laced tirades, commanded the 6th6th Virginia Cavalry
The 6th Virginia Volunteer Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia....
, 7th
7th Virginia Cavalry
The 7th Virginia Cavalry also known as Ashby's Cavalry was a Confederate cavalry regiment raised in the spring of 1861 by Colonel Angus W. McDonald, Sr. The regiment was composed primarily of men from the counties of the upper Shenandoah Valley as well as from the counties of Fauquier and Loudoun...
, 11th
11th Virginia Cavalry
The 11th Virginia Volunteer Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
and 12th Virginia Cavalry
12th Virginia Cavalry
The 12th Virginia Volunteer Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
, the 1st Maryland Battalion of Cavalry, 35th Battalion of Virginia Cavalry
35th Battalion of Virginia Cavalry
The 35th Battalion of Virginia Cavalry, also known as White's Battalion, White's Rebels and the Comanches, was a Confederate cavalry unit during the American Civil War raised by Elijah V. White in Loudoun County, Virginia in the winter of 1861-62...
, and McNeill's Rangers. He left Rockingham County with 3,500 men on April 21, 1863, and moved into (West) Virginia with his primary target being two bridges at Rowlesburg, WV. Passing through Greenland Gap on April 25, 1863, he encountered a fortified troop detachment of the 23rd Illinois and was delayed four hours in capturing their position (Battle of Greenland Gap). Jones moved west riding to summit of Cheat Mountain and on to Red House the same day (Red House is located at the intersection of US 219 and US 50). Here he encamped briefly.
Next morning, April 26, 1863, Jones sent McNeill's rangers and the 12th Virginia Cavalry to destroy the B&O bridge at Oakland, Maryland, about 10 miles (16.1 km) to the north, while Jones's other forces set out to destroy the two main targets of the campaign: the wood and iron bridge crossing Cheat River
Cheat River
The Cheat River is a tributary of the Monongahela River in eastern West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Via the Monongahela and Ohio rivers, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed, ultimately draining into the Gulf of Mexico.-Geography:The Cheat is formed at...
and the iron bridge crossing Tray Run. R. E. Lee would say that to destroy the Cheat River Bridge would be “worth to me an army.”* To the Federal side preserving "Lincoln's Lifeline" was of equal importance. The bridges crossing Cheat River and Tray Run in Rowlesburg were critical to both sides because their destruction would halt rail traffic all the way to the Ohio. After the initial threat posed by General Garrett’s unsuccessful move toward Rowlesburg in 1861, the Rowlesburg garrison was gradually reduced to about 250 men under the command of Major John Showalter.
Early on the morning of April 26, 1863, Jones and his cavalry rode from Red House, Maryland to the foot of Cheat Mountain on the old Northwestern Turnpike, now US 50. Just the day before they had engaged and defeated a garrison of Union troops defending the passage through Greenland Gap.
When he reached Cheat River on the Northwestern Turnpike Jones chose a two-prong maneuver. From the east side of covered bridge he would be about five miles (8 km) south of Rowlesburg. Jones sent a small dismounted force of less than 100 men up and over Palmer’s Knob to descend into Rowlesburg. This maneuver shortened the distance to Rowlesburg by one-half. Jones ordered his field officer, Captain Octavius T. Weems of the 11th Virginia Cavalry, to torch the Cheat River railroad bridge "at all hazard."
Weems' company K was seen forming on Palmer’s Knob, across the river, east of town while church services were underway. Union soldiers and townsmen grabbed their weapons and rushed to take up defensive positions. The Confederates took up attack positions about two-thirds way down the mountain on a “bench" where they formed a line and moved forward. According to an eyewitness account, at around two-thirty, the troopers “came bounding and bellowing down the mountain, yelling like fiends just up from the pit.” Concealed behind the railroad embankment and armed with Enfield rifles and muskets, soldiers and townspeople allowed the Raiders to come within “easy rifle range,” then opened with devastating fire.
According to other accounts, Weems’ men were also fired upon by a force of “sharpshooters” and “townsfolk,” and by cannons from Cannon Hill about 600 feet (182.9 m) above the valley with clear views of the battle site. The rebels replied with a volley of their own. Then, a “constant and well-directed fire was opened up on them from the town, and in half an hour not a rebel was to be seen.” The Confederate force was in full retreat. Weems’ attack on the railroad bridge crossing Cheat River had failed utterly.
Fragments of Parrott gun
Parrott rifle
The Parrott rifle was a type of muzzle loading rifled artillery weapon used extensively in the American Civil War.-Parrott Rifle:The gun was invented by Robert Parker Parrott, a West Point graduate. He resigned from the service in 1836 and became the superintendent of the West Point Foundry in Cold...
shells have been found on the hillside around Palmer's Knob and below where the Confederates grouped for their charge toward the bridge. Cannon balls have been found for years on Cannon Hill and in town. Records show that cannons were pulled to the top of the hill by oxen. It is assumed these guns were involved in defending the bridge. Howitzers were likely used at close range along the barricade of crossties thrown up by the defenders, as military records show that howitzers were present in Rowlesburg at the time. If cannons were used in the battle for the bridge, it would explain why the Confederates retreated without getting to the bridge.
In the meantime, with the remainder of his forces, Jones had moved two miles (3 km) east to Macomber where the River Road (now WV 72) connected Rowlesburg to the Northwestern Turnpike. He would send Col. John S. Green and his 6th Virginia Cavalry to drive in pickets and attack any perimeter defenses—creating in effect a pincer move against Rowlesburg. At two o’clock shots were heard in town from the direction of the River Road where Green’s forces were driving the pickets back to the Union lines. Green would advance until his troops were less than a mile from town, just beyond a point known as The Cliffs. There a barricade of logs thrown up by the Union forces stopped them. As the Confederate cavalry approached, Lt. McDonald of the Union forces ordered his riflemen to fire. Unable to charge past the enemy as Jones had commanded, Green ordered his men to fall back, then sent for Jones.
This decision would infuriate Gen. Jones and eventually led to the court-martial of Green that September. Col. Green next ordered troops armed with carbines to dismount and move forward along the road and engage McDonald’s force. They came under heavy fire from the mountaineers in the rifle-pits and fell back. Green sent still another dismounted attachment higher up the steep mountainside to circle above McDonald’s men. Strengthened by Lieutenant Hathaway’s Company K., the Union line held once again. According to one source, Hathaway’s force consisted mainly of “about 20 citizens.”
As the day progressed, the fighting on the river road became a desperate test of wills. According to one source, the battle raged “at intervals from 3 p.m. until dark....”. Green could do nothing to dislodge the stubborn Rowlesburg troops and townsmen from their impregnable positions. By now, a completely enraged Jones personally commanded the last assault but after seeing that his troops were stalemated, ordered Green to hold his position until dusk and then pull back to the turnpike. Jones, now accepting defeat, decided to move west to camp for the night. According to Jones, “To renew the attack without the hope of surprise was out of the question, with the difficulties of the ground against us.” The dreaded Confederate Cavalry was useless to him because of the narrow passage and steep hillside. Like the Persians before him at Thermopylae, geography and a stubborn enemy willing to sacrifice all would defeat Jones in his first major battle of the campaign.
A special target for destruction by order of both Confederate President, Jefferson Davis, and Commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, General Robert E. Lee, Rowlesburg was the only town or outpost in western Virginia that was a principal target of the raid to stand up to the Confederate onslaught and emerge unscathed. “Lincoln’s Lifeline” was preserved.
The Oakland raid was a success, but the Cheat River bridge was left intact. Jones blamed his subordinates for weak execution of his orders.
Gen. John Imboden had under his command the 22nd
22nd Virginia Infantry
22nd Virginia Infantry was a Confederate regiment during the American Civil War. Its commander was George S. Patton, the grandfather of World War II General George S. Patton.-Organization:...
, 25th
25th Virginia Infantry
The 25th Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of the Northwest and Army of Northern Virginia...
, and 31st Virginia Infantry
31st Virginia Infantry
The 31st Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia....
regiments, the 62nd Virginia Mounted Infantry
62nd Virginia Mounted Infantry
The 62nd Virginia Mounted Infantry Regiment, raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, served in many capacities including the war, including as an infantry regiment, a cavalry regiment, a mounted infantry unit, a partisan unit of rangers, and...
, Dunn's Mounted Infantry
37th Battalion Virginia Cavalry
The 37th Battalion, Virginia Cavalry was a cavalry battalion raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly in western Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley....
, and the 18th
18th Virginia Cavalry
The 18th Virginia Volunteer Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought with the Army of Northern Virginia, in southwest Virginia, and in the Shenandoah Valley....
and 19th Virginia Cavalry
19th Virginia Cavalry
The 19th Virginia Volunteer Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
. Among his subordinate officers were Col. George S. Patton of the 22nd, and Col. William Lowther Jackson
William Lowther Jackson
William Lowther Jackson was a United States Army general.-References:...
of the 19th Virginia Cavalry, later promoted to brigadier general. On April 20, 1863, Imboden moved westward from Shenandoah Mountain with 1,825 men, although reinforcements the next day increased his strength to 3,365. Imboden reported his march through a heavy rain and then snow on his way to Beverly. Once reaching Beverly he was able to defeat Union defenders under Col. George Latham, who retreated northward, leaving behind much needed supplies.
Imboden proceeded towards Buckhannon, but reports of Union reinforcements at Philippi and no news of Jones's position caused him to return to Beverly. Union Brig. Gen. Benjamin S. Roberts
Benjamin S. Roberts
Benjamin Stone Roberts was an American lawyer, civil engineer, and a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Early life:...
, at Buckhannon, decided to withdraw his forces from there as well as from Philippi and reinforce Clarksburg.
That same day, April 28, Imboden learned of Roberts' retreat from Buckhannon and immediately moved his forces there. Roberts had ordered remaining supplies burned, but Imboden's men were able to salvage some, and well as cattle and horses.
In Washington, Gen. Henry Wager Halleck
Henry Wager Halleck
Henry Wager Halleck was a United States Army officer, scholar, and lawyer. A noted expert in military studies, he was known by a nickname that became derogatory, "Old Brains." He was an important participant in the admission of California as a state and became a successful lawyer and land developer...
was frustrated by his subordinate officers' inability to stop the raid. He telegraphed to Gen. Robert C. Schenck
Robert C. Schenck
Robert Cumming Schenck was a Union Army general in the American Civil War, and American diplomatic representative to Brazil and the United Kingdom. He was at both battles of Bull Run and took part in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1862, and the Battle of Cross Keys...
: "The enemy's raid is variously estimated at from 1,500 to 4,000. You have 45,000 under your command. If you cannot concentrate enough to meet the enemy, it does not argue well for your military dispositions." To Gen. Benjamin S. Roberts
Benjamin S. Roberts
Benjamin Stone Roberts was an American lawyer, civil engineer, and a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Early life:...
in Buckhannon he wrote: "I do not understand how the roads there are impassable to you, when, by your own account, they are passable enough to the enemy."
On April 29 Imboden decided to march to Philippi and on the way he was met by Gen. Jones and part of his command. Jones had so far burned nine railroad bridges, captured two trains, an artillery piece, 1,200 to 1,500 horses, and 1,000 head of cattle.
On May 3 they moved their forces to Weston, just 23 miles (37 km) south of Clarksburg. Two days later they led a parade through the town and were presented with a flag by the ladies of Weston. Gen. Imboden took the opportunity to send his parents, who lived in Weston, to safety behind Confederate lines.
Although they had contemplated an attack on Clarksburg, the two generals decided that they did not have enough men, detachments having been sent east with the cattle and a number of sick and injured still in Beverly and Buckhannon. They decided to split forces once again, Jones to go northwest and Imboden south to Summersville with the captured supplies and the wounded.
Jones captured West Union and Cairo, burned five more bridges and disabled a railroad tunnel. He then moved toward Oiltown and demolished the oil field and equipment, and burned 150000 barrels (23,848.1 m³) of oil. He then moved south to join up with Imboden.
Bad weather returned for Imboden on his march south, the last three days before reaching Summersville covering only 14 miles (22.5 km). At Summersville he captured a 28 wagon supply train pulled by 170 mules, and also gathered more livestock. He met again with Jones there on May 14 and once again they went their separate ways. Imboden moved south to Lewisburg. A force of Union troops attempted to stop his return to the Shenandoah Valley, but they were met by another Confederate force under Col. John McCausland
John McCausland
John McCausland, Jr. was a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army, famous for the ransom of Hagerstown, Maryland, and the razing of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, during the American Civil War....
, who defeated them at Fayetteville, 30 miles (48.3 km) southwest of Summersville. Gen. Imboden reached the Shenandoah Valley in the last week of May.
Gen. Jones led his men through Greenbrier County where they rested at White Sulphur Springs on May 17 at the "Old White". They moved on to Bath County and came to camp near Mount Crawford in Rockingham on May 21.
Aftermath
In the final tally of the raid, Jones estimated that about 30 of the enemy were killed and 700 prisoners taken. Some 400 new recruits were added, as well as a piece of artillery, 1,000 head of cattle, and some 1,200 horses. Sixteen bridges had been destroyed, an oil field, many boats and rolling rail stock.The greater part of Gen. Imboden's troops and a good portion of Gen. Jones's troops came from western Virginia. Just a few weeks after their raid the homes of these men would be located in the newest state of the Union, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, which officially achieved statehood on June 20, 1863. West Virginia is the 35th state to join the Union.