General William “Grumble” Jones Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

May 9, 1863: Confederate Raiders Set Fire to the Oil Field in Wirt County

On May 9, 1863, Confederate raiders set fire to the prosperous oil works at Burning Springs in Wirt County. Just two years before the Civil War, Burning Springs had become the birthplace of Western Virginia’s oil industry. When the war began, it was one of only two oil-producing fields in the world.

The destruction of Burning Springs was the culmination of a month-long raid through Western Virginia led by Confederate generals William “Grumble” Jones and John Imboden. When their men arrived at Burning Springs, they set fire to the oil, tanks, engines for pumping, engine houses, wagons, and boats filled with barrels of oils. The boats exploded and sent burning oil into the Little Kanawha River, which became a sheet of flame, emitting thick clouds of jet-black smoke into the air. In his report to General Robert E. Lee, Jones described the fiery sight as a ‘‘scene of magnificence that might well carry joy to every patriotic heart.’’

After the war, hundreds of new wells were drilled in the Burning Springs area until the oil industry declined in the late 19th century.

April 29, 1863: Largest Civil War Battle in Present Day Northern West Virginia Occurs in Fairmont

On April 29, 1863, the largest Civil War battle in present northern West Virginia occurred at Fairmont. It was part of the Jones-Imboden Raid. In the previous five days, Confederate cavalry under General William “Grumble” Jones had fought battles in Hardy and Preston counties. On April 28, Jones raided Morgantown. Ironically, one of the Confederate raiders was William Lyne Wilson, who would later return to Morgantown as president of West Virginia University

After heading south for Fairmont, the Confederates defeated about 500 Northern regulars, home guards, and volunteers. Jones’s troops also exploded an iron railroad bridge across the Monongahela River and burned the personal library of Francis Pierpont, governor of the Restored Government of Virginia. Afterward, Jones headed further south and linked up with General John D. Imboden’s cavalry at Buckhannon. Jones and Imobden’s combined force proceeded on to Wirt County, which was the center of the region’s oil industry. The Confederates set fire to oil wells, boats, tanks, and other equipment.

The entire raid lasted four weeks and covered 700 miles. However, the success was short-lived, and Confederates never seriously threatened that region again.

April 25, 1863: Confederate Soldiers Advance Through Greenland Gap

On April 25, 1863, about 1,500 Confederate soldiers under General William “Grumble” Jones advanced through Greenland Gap, a scenic 820-foot-deep pass in New Creek Mountain in Grant County. Jones’s Confederates clashed with 87 Union soldiers, who’d taken positions in a local church and cabins.

The Northern troops held off several assaults over four hours of fighting. After the church was set on fire, the Union forces finally surrendered. The Union side lost two killed and six wounded, while the Confederates lost seven killed and 35 wounded.

It was the beginning of what would become known as the Jones-Imboden Raid, an ambitious but ultimately unsuccessful bid by Confederates to disrupt the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and weaken Union control in what would soon become the new state of West Virginia.

Today, Greenland Gap remains a place of stunning beauty, with towering sandstone cliffs. The North Fork of Patterson Creek, a popular trout stream, flows through the gap. Greenland Gap, which has been designated as a State Natural Landmark, is the centerpiece of a 255-acre nature preserve owned by the Nature Conservancy.