Greene County Pennsylvania hosts an abundance of historic and prehistoric sites, from Adena burial mounds dotted throughout the landscape, to historic structures from every era. These sites have left a lasting impact on the culture and industry of the region. One thing, however, Greene County is lacking are sites that have a direct connection to the conflict fought between 1861 and 1865 that we call the Civil War.
Many men from Greene County gave the last full measure of devotion during that war to preserve the union, and our cemeteries are graced by many monuments and memorials to those who bravely fought to keep this country whole. The Jesse Taylor Monument in Jollytown and Dreamer Memorial Park in Richhill Township are solemn reminders of the human cost of such a conflict.
But, just how close did the actual war come to Greene County? Pretty close! It involved a small town just south of the state line, Burton, West Virginia, and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad which would play a significant role in the war between the states.
Burton, situated along Route 250 in Wetzel County, WV, just east of Hundred, and about two miles directly south of the West Virginia/Pennsylvania line, is a small community with a very rich and largely unknown history. George Bartrug settled in that vicinity sometime around 1812, and it is thought that a mispronunciation of his name is how the town became known as Burton. Burton would be a small settlement until the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad would go through the area in 1852 with a line connecting Grafton to Wheeling.
Once the railroad came through, the town expanded. Hotels, stores, and other businesses would grow up around the railroad, and a very profitable business felling timbers to make railroad ties for the growing B&O would also be established in the area.
Burton was an important freight hub along the B&O. Many businesses in Greene County would receive shipments that ended up at the Burton Depot. Jesse Carpenter’s store in Pine Bank frequently received shipments of goods at the Burton Depot, as well as William Lantz and Son in Blacksville.
In 1861 when the Civil War broke out, the B&O Railroad would get caught up in the action. Both sides during the Civil War claimed the B&O as their own, though the company attempted to remain neutral. Throughout the course of the war, 143 raids, skirmishes and battles would directly involve the B&O Railroad, beginning with Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson’s raid on portions of the railroad that led into the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia.
When the Virginia legislature resolved to leave the union, the western counties in Virginia began organizing themselves under the “Reorganized Government of Virginia” based in Wheeling, WV. The western counties would largely remain on the side of the Union during the war, eventually becoming a new state in 1863, and replacing the Reorganized Government.
In April and May 1863, Confederate Generals William E. Jones and John D. Imboden would conduct a series of raids on the B&O Railroad to disrupt supplies and communications to the burgeoning capitol in Wheeling in an attempt to get the western counties back under Confederate control.
Beginning in Oakland, Maryland, General Jones would bring forces west towards Morgantown and Fairmont, disrupting service and burning railroad bridges, cutting lines to Wheeling. Morgantown in Monongalia County would show little resistance, but in Fairmont, a full-on battle ensued.
The Wheeling Intelligencer would report on that on April 29, 1863 that “morning dawned wet and foggy; our scouts came dashing in and reported the enemy approaching only two or three miles off. One company of militia and most of the armed citizens went out on the hills to meet him. About eight o’clock picket firing commenced and was kept up briskly for half an hour. “
“The enemy finding we were posted on the hills prepared to rake him severely as he came down the pike along Coal Run, sent a heavy force on the hills to drive us off. In this they succeeded after several of them had been summarily unhorsed. The men from the hills retreated, some to the main force, near the railroad bridge, a mile above town, and some to the Palatine end of the Suspension Bridge. The latter made a gallant stand and resisted the crossing for nearly an hour.”
“They took shelter in a Foundry and fired from the windows upon the rebel sharpshooters, who dismounted and took positions in vacant houses, behind fences, stables and whatever else would conceal their cowardly carcass from our unerring aim. Thus was the unequal contest continued until one man, named Coffman, from Bingamon, was fatally wounded, and all but five or six had straggled off. “
“The remainder ceased firing and each one took care of himself as best he could. When the firing ceased the rebels sent over a flag of truce to demand a surrender, but to their astonishment they found no one to receive it. They then hastily replaced the plank which had been removed from the bridge, and crossed over to the number of nearly a thousand, and pushed on up to get in the rear of our men at the Railroad Bridge.”
The battle would rage on across the suspension bridge in Fairmont, and artillery would be opened on the Confederates. Ultimately, the confederates would prevail and continue with raids along the B&O.
A couple days earlier, on the night of April 27, 1863, Hannah Church, who lived on a farm just outside of Burton WV, would witness five men lighting fires under two bridges that spanned Fish Creek on the B&O railroad. Hannah’s farm was situated between the two bridges. Hannah’s parents had both died in 1860; her father Henry Church died at the age of 109 and was known as “Old Hundred.” Henry Church, and his name “Old Hundred” is how the town of Hundred received its name.
The area around Burton had been occupied by Union troops from the 6th West Virginia Volunteer Infantry. The troops had been patrolling the area’s tunnels, bridges and the important Burton Station on the B&O, keeping them secure from Confederate raiders. As the Jones Imboden Raid came into motion, the 6th West Virginia had been called into service to combat the raiders, leaving Burton unsecured.
The fires at the bridges in Burton caused alarm. It is unknown if the arsons were detached raiders from General Jones party or individuals acting on their own. The following day, the burning of the bridges had reached Wheeling, and a contingent of troops were sent to defend the town and provide security for engineers from the B&O Railroad repairing the important bridges.
Many men from Greene County, Pennsylvania were mustered into service to defend the region from Jones and Imboden on their raid against the B&O Railroad, and it is doubtless that the sometimes successful actions of the Confederate generals, and the burning of the bridges in Burton, WV had a negative impact on supply chains and commerce in our county.
Next time you are out for a drive, enjoying the scenery and the natural beauty that abounds in our region, take a drive west on Route 7 from Blacksville WV, and turn north on Route 250, through Burton, Hundred, and on to Cameron. Not only will you be following the path of the historic B&O Railroad, but you’ll also pass the site of the nearest action in the Civil War to Greene County.
Great story Matt! Thanks for digging it up!😁