Third Battle of Winchester

By mid-afternoon on September 19, 1864, the Third Battle of Winchester had reached a stalemate on the south side of Red Bud Run until Gen. Philip H. Sheridan ordered Gen. George Crook's small Army of West Virginia into the fight on the Union right. As Crook's men moved forward, Lt. Elmer Husted of the 123rd Ohio Infantry recalled wounded men being carried away in every possible way, some on stretchers, some in blankets, and some leaning on comrades, while some urged the advancing troops to hurry and help. Crook strengthened the right flank of XIX Corps and placed Col. Joseph Thoburn's division south of Red Bud Run, then led Col. Isaac Duval's division to the north side to charge across the fields of the Huntsberry Farm and drive off the remnants of Gen. Fitzhugh Lee's command. Thoburn joined the attack, and Crook's men advanced with a sustained battle yell. Confederate Gen. John B. Gordon quickly shifted troops south of the stream to meet the assault, launching a fierce counterattack marked by continuous musketry, but Crook's attack broke the Confederate left and turned the tide for the Union.

Virginia · United States