On the night of November 10, 1861, Confederate cavalry led by Colonels John Clarkson and Albert Jenkins raided Guyandotte and surprised Union recruits of the 9th WV Infantry. After a heated battle, Confederate soldiers and citizens of the town captured 98 Union troops and supporters, and on November 11 the captives began a hard trek to prisons in the South. As the Confederates withdrew from Guyandotte on November 11, 1861, the S.S. Boston appeared with Union troops of the 5th WV Infantry and Ohio Home Guards. They marched into Guyandotte and burned homes, businesses, and churches. Sixteen secessionists were arrested and imprisoned, and the burning of the town was due in part to its reputation as a hot bed of secession.