Fetterman, West Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fetterman
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 Fetterman
Location in West Virginia
Fetterman
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Taylor |
| Elevation | 1,024 ft (312 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| GNIS ID | 1538943 |
Fetterman is a community located in Taylor County, West Virginia, in the United States. It is now part of the city of Grafton, making up Ward 1. Fetterman is about 1,024 feet (312 m) above sea level. It is in the Eastern time zone and uses the postal zip code 26354. Fetterman was one of the first settlements in what became Taylor County. It was originally built near a covered bridge over the Tygart Valley River in the 1830s.
History of Fetterman
The community was first known as "Valley Bridge." This name came from an old covered bridge built over the Tygart River in 1834. This bridge was part of the Northwestern Turnpike, an important road. In 1854, the settlement officially became Fetterman. This happened two years after the B&O Railroad arrived in the area. The new name came from a person from Pittsburgh who owned the land where the town was. The old covered bridge was used until 1888. It was then washed away in a very large flood that year.
Fetterman and the American Civil War
In the early days of the American Civil War, before Virginia officially left the Union, Virginia created its own army. General Robert E. Lee sent Colonel George A. Porterfield to Grafton, Virginia, to find and train new soldiers. These soldiers would support Virginia's decision to join the Confederacy. Porterfield was also told to protect the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. If he couldn't hold it, he was supposed to destroy bridges to slow down Union forces.
Porterfield found that most people in Grafton supported the Union. The Grafton Guards, led by Captain George R. Latham, were formed there. Porterfield moved to nearby Fetterman. He started gathering a company of soldiers called the Letcher Guard. He also brought in other companies that supported the Confederacy. Porterfield's men briefly held Grafton when the Grafton Guards went to Wheeling, Virginia, to join the Union Army on May 25, 1861.
A few days later, Porterfield learned that larger Union forces were coming towards Grafton. He moved his troops to Philippi, about 30 miles (48 km) south of Grafton. Around dawn on June 3, 1861, the Union forces surprised the Confederates. Most of Porterfield's men were still asleep in their tents. The Confederates quickly ran away. This event was called the Battle of Philippi, or sometimes the Philippi Races. Only a few soldiers were hurt on both sides, and about five Confederates were captured.
Thornsbury Bailey Brown from Taylor County is often seen as the first Union soldier killed by a Confederate soldier during the Civil War. Brown was part of a Virginia militia group, the Grafton Guards, which supported the Union. He was killed by a member of the Letcher Guard, a Confederate-supporting militia, on May 22, 1861. This happened at the bridge where the Northwestern Turnpike crossed the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in Fetterman.
Becoming Part of Grafton
Over time, Fetterman was included as Grafton grew larger. It is now considered a part of Grafton. Today, Fetterman makes up Ward 1 of the city of Grafton. Grafton is a city in Taylor County, West Virginia.
