A. Brooks Fleming House

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, and Confederate losses were slight. By May 26, both commands had returned to Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. During the war, Aretas Brooks Fleming, born in 1839 and later the eighth governor of West Virginia from 1890 to 1893, was Marion County prosecuting attorney and served in the Fairmont Home Guard; at the time of the raid, he instructed and provisioned Mannington’s Home Guard. Detachments of the 23rd Illinois Infantry, the 106th New York Infantry, and the 6th West Virginia Infantry also guarded Fairmont. Early on April 29, 1863, Gen. William E. Jones’s forces attacked Fairmont from the west to destroy the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad bridge over the Monongahela River at present-day 12th Street. Part of the garrison, including Fleming, was stationed in the foundry in Palatine to protect the eastern ends of the suspension bridge joining Fairmont and Palatine and the railroad bridge upstream, while the Federals had removed the suspension bridge’s floorboards to prevent a Confederate crossing. Jones divided his command, sending his main column in Fairmont upriver to the railroad bridge while a detachment fought its way across the suspension bridge, laying found timbers for flooring as they went. The Confederates secured both bridges and captured many Federals, including those in the foundry. A train bearing Union reinforcements arrived from Grafton but was driven away from the rail bridge, which Jones destroyed. He then paroled the prisoners before leaving for Bridgeport and reported three men wounded and left in the care of “kind friends.” Fleming was promoted to captain by the Paw Paw militia for his service during the raid and later became a leading West Virginia politician and industrialist, especially in coal mining.

Fairmont, West Virginia · United States