Third Battle of Winchester

During the summer of 1864, Confederate forces under Gen. Jubal A. Early dominated the Shenandoah Valley, defeating Federal armies, burning Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, threatening Washington, D.C., and endangering President Abraham Lincoln's reelection. In August 1864, Union leaders sent Gen. Philip Sheridan to the Valley to end Confederate control. After weeks of probing, marching, and smaller clashes, Sheridan learned that Early had divided his forces and that one of his divisions had left for Richmond, so he moved to attack. Early on the morning of September 19, Sheridan's cavalry crossed Opequon Creek at three points, leading some 39,000 Union soldiers toward Winchester, with three infantry corps following. Although Sheridan hoped to surprise Early, Early had recognized his intentions on September 18 and had hurried to consolidate his army, while the Union advance through Berryville Canyon became confused and delayed, giving the Confederates time to prepare. Around 11:40 am, the first main Union attack by Gen. Horatio Wright's VI Corps and Gen. William Emory's XIX Corps struck across the Berryville Pike from the First Woods through the Middle Field to the Second Woods and West Woods, but Confederate artillery and counterattacks by Gen. John Gordon's and Gen. Robert Rodes' divisions stopped the assaults. By mid-afternoon, Sheridan committed his reserve, Gen. George Crook's Army of West Virginia, or VIII Corps, against Early's weakened left from the north, forcing it back toward Winchester, while two Union cavalry divisions of 6,000 mounted soldiers attacked along the Valley Pike and overwhelmed resistance in their path. The Confederate left collapsed, and Early's retreat turned into a rout through the streets of Winchester. The Third Battle of Winchester, fought on September 19, 1864, was the largest battle ever fought in the Valley and one of the pivotal battles of the Civil War. Further Union victories at Fisher's Hill, Tom's Brook, and Cedar Creek, together with the destruction of the region's agriculture in The Burning, gave the Union permanent control of the Valley, aided Lincoln's reelection, and helped speed Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox the following spring.

Virginia · United States