Editing Clarksburg, West Virginia (section)

===Civil War===
[[File:Clarksburg, West Virginia 1898. LOC 75696677.jpg|thumb|left|1898 bird's-eye view of Clarksburg]]
During the [[Virginia Secession Convention of 1861]], Harrison county had two delegates, [[John S. Carlile]] and [[Benjamin Wilson (congressman)|Benjamin Wilson]]. Carlile became a leader of the [[Wheeling Convention]] which led to creation of the [[Restored Government of Virginia]] during the [[American Civil War]]. Carlile was appointed to the U.S. Senate by the convention. Though he had been a strong advocate for statehood for West Virginia he later opposed the bill in the senate.<ref>Rice, Otis K. and Stephen W. Brown, ''West Virginia, A History'', Univ. Press of Kentucky, 1993, pgs. 147-48</ref> Wilson had abstained in the April 17 vote on Virginia's secession ordinance, but signed the ordinance later in April. He was arrested by Union forces in June and later released. In 1862 he named his son after Stonewall Jackson, who had been born in Clarksburg. Wilson later became a U.S. senator from West Virginia.<ref>Hall, Granville Davisson, ''The Rending of Virginia, A History'', Univ. of Tennessee Press, 2000, pg. 155</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.virginiamemory.com/docs/votes_on_secession.pdf?_ga=2.20612024.1801777395.1578592816%E2%80%9393862292.1577732683 |title=How Virginia Convention Delegates Voted on Secession, April 4 and April 17, 1861, and Whether They Signed a Copy of the Ordinance of Secession |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= |website= |publisher=Library of Virginia |access-date=May 29, 2024 |quote=}}</ref>

Clarksburg's citizenry also reflected this divide. Union General McClellan established his headquarters near Clarksburg until the [[First Battle of Bull Run]]. The B&O line made Clarksburg an important Union supply base throughout the war, with at one point more than 7000 troops in the city. It became a target of Confederate raiders, but none actually reached the city, instead striking surrounding areas with fewer defenders. The closest, most famous (and materially successful) raid, the [[Jones-Imboden Raid]] of April and May 1863, was designed to impede recognition of West Virginia (which became the 35th state of the Union anyway in June 1863).

The influx of Union troops and the increased demand for goods and services stimulated the city's economy. Many new businesses were established to cater to the needs of the military, and existing businesses experienced a boom in trade. The war also heightened political tensions in the city, as residents debated the issues of slavery and secession.<ref>{{Citation |title=Prelims |date=January 1, 2019 |url=https://doi.org/10.1108/S2055-537720190000013001 |work=European Origins of Library and Information Science |volume=13 |pages=i–xv |access-date=December 2, 2023 |series=Studies in Information |publisher=Emerald Publishing Limited |doi=10.1108/S2055-537720190000013001 |isbn=978-1-78756-718-4}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=http://www.harrisoncowvhistoricalsociety.org/ |access-date=December 2, 2023 |website=Harrison County WV Historical Society |language=en}}</ref>