When Virginia seceded from the United States in 1861, its western counties showed very little popular support for the Confederacy, and loyalist bands of bushwhackers, partisans and guerillas drove most Southern sympathizers from the region. Most inconvenient for the Confederacy was the fact that these counties (which later would become West Virginia) housed the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, which connected Washington with the Midwest’s vast wealth of manpower and supplies. This work covers the Confederacy’s 1863 attempt to invade West Virginia and destroy the critical B&O line. Rich with oral history, the book gives a detailed, personal account of the ultimately unsuccessful Jones-Imboden Raid.

Darrell L. Collins has written several books on Civil War topics. He lives in Montrose, Colorado.

Darrell L. Collins
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 220
Bibliographic Info: 11 photos, maps, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2007
pISBN: 978-0-7864-3070-3
Imprint: McFarland

List of Maps      ix

Preface      1

1. The Setup      3

2. Beverly      25

3. Buckhannon      38

4. Greenland Gap      56

5. Rowelsburg      78

6. Morgantown      88

7. Fairmont      108

8. Weston      135

9. Burning Springs      156

10. Summersville      168

11. Home      178

12. The Breakdown      185

Chapter Notes      195

Bibliography      209

Index      213

“solid, primary source testimony…a cohesive, easy-to-follow narrative”—Blue & Gray Magazine; “clear and very readable…sources are sound…well supported”—The Civil War Courier.