Grafton in Taylor County, West Virginia — The American South (Appalachia)
Union Troops Seize Grafton
"Grafton Should Be Occupied at Once"
| — | The First Campaign | — |
Photographed by Mark Parker, July 17, 2026
1. Union Troops Seize Grafton Marker
Situated at the junction of the Baltimore & Ohio and Northwestern Virginia railroads, the railroad tracks below you carried the Civil War to Grafton. Both Union and Confederate authorities hide the strategic importance of the railroad shops, foundry, and rolling stock that hugged the Tygart River.
In April 1861, Gen. Robert E. Lee dispatched a Confederate recruiting agent here, but the agent reported that the area around Grafton was "verging on a state of actual rebellion" from Virginia. Confederate Col. Thomas J. Jackson (the future "Stonewall") felt that "Grafton should be occupied at once," but when Confederates under Col. George Porterfield occupied the town in May 1861, they found it to be almost entirely pro-Union. "I do not like the place," one Confederate recruit wrote. "No cheers greet us here; no secession banners wave."
When Union troops under Col. Benjamin Kelley approached on May 28, Porterfield —short of men, arms, and ammunition —evacuated Grafton and withdrew to Phillipi. Kelley occupied the town on May 30 without a shot being fired, his soldiers a "most magnificent site" to the pro-Union residents.
Union
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Though targeted by Confederates during the Jones-Imboden Raid, Grafton was occupied by the Federals throughout the remainder of the war, and witnessed hundreds of thousands of troops pass through on their way to eastern and western battlefields.
"The march of the United States troops down the hill into our town yesterday [was] a most magnificent sight. Marching in solid columns. down the slope with the strictest military precision, their burnished arms glittering in the sunlight, it was a grand and imposing spectacle."[Captions:]
-The Grafton Virginian
Union Col. Benjamin Kelley
Courtesy Library of Congress
Union troops occupying Grafton. From Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper.
Erected by West Virginia Civil War Trails.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Railroads & Streetcars • War, US Civil.
Photographed by Mark Parker, July 17, 2026
2. Union Troops Seize Grafton Marker
Taylor County Courthouse is in the background. The railroad tracks are on the left.
Location. 39° 20.476′ N, 80° 1.284′ W. Marker is in Grafton, West Virginia, in Taylor County. It is at the intersection of West Main Street (U.S. 119) and Latrobe Street, on the left when traveling west on West Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 121 West Main Street, Grafton WV 26354, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in North Central West Virginia. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Loar Building (a few steps from this marker); Colerider Block (a few steps from this marker); Jolliffe Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Brinkman Block (within shouting distance of this marker); Merchants & Mechanics Savings Bank (within shouting distance of this marker); The First Campaign (within shouting distance of this marker); Grafton (within shouting distance of this marker); Welcome To Historic Grafton West Virginia (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Grafton.
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 20, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 17, 2026, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 16 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 17, 2026, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
