Rowlesburg, in a deep Allegheny gorge where the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad crossed Cheat River, became a prime Confederate target during the Civil War because its bridge and nearby viaducts were vital to Union supply and costly to replace. In 1861, after George McClellan moved to protect the railroad, Union forces under General Charles E. Hill and Colonel James Irvine fortified the town, its railroad bridge and trestles, and the Northwestern Turnpike bridge. Confederate leaders, including Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee, regarded a break at Cheat River as strategically invaluable. In 1863, after Davis again urged destruction of the Cheat River Bridge, Confederate forces under J.D. Imboden and W.E. Jones advanced, and Jones launched a two-pronged attack on Rowlesburg. He sent Captain Weems with sharpshooters over Palmer's Knob to strike the east end of the railroad bridge while Colonel Green advanced by the river road to overrun the garrison. Major Showalter organized the town's defense, posting detachments at key approaches and along the railroad embankment, while armed townspeople joined the soldiers. Weems's men descended the mountain but were met by devastating fire from concealed defenders, townspeople, and other positions, and were driven back. On the river road, Green's force was checked by a small but strongly placed Union detachment in rifle pits overlooking the narrow approach. Attempts to charge past or outflank the position, including an effort to cross the river, failed under heavy fire. By dusk Jones ordered Green to withdraw, the attack collapsed, and Rowlesburg remained unscathed, preserving the railroad lifeline.