The Mine Run Campaign

On the morning of November 27, 1863, Union Gen. George G. Meade expected the Union Third Army Corps under Gen. William H. French to break camp early and march directly to Locust Grove to join the rest of his command, but after a lengthy delay in determining the correct route, French’s leading division under Gen. Henry Prince advanced and encountered elements of Confederate Gen. Edward Johnson’s division marching along the road. The battle erupted and spilled into the surrounding woods and fields as more troops joined the fight until ultimately 16,000 men were engaged. Johnson launched a series of uncoordinated assaults against his numerically superior foe, and the attacks eventually stalled in a bloody stalemate as darkness ended the action. The Battle of Payne’s Farm, also known as Locust Grove, caused more than 1,400 casualties and was the only significant action of the campaign, but although Johnson’s command suffered heavily, it gave the Confederates more time to reunite and establish a strong position along Mine Run.

Virginia · United States