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Battle of Lynchburg, Virginia
Other Names: None
Location: City of Lynchburg
Campaign: Lynchburg Campaign (May-June 1864); 1864 Shenandoah Valley Campaigns
Date(s): June 17-18, 1864
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. David Hunter [US]; Lt. Gen. Jubal
A. Early [CS]
Forces Engaged: Corps (44,000 total)
Estimated Casualties: 900 total
| Civil War Battle of Lynchburg Virginia |
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| Historical Marker |
Description: From Lexington, Maj. Gen. David Hunter advanced
against the Confederate rail and canal depots and the hospital complex at Lynchburg. Reaching the outskirts of town on June
17, his first tentative attacks were thwarted by the timely arrival by rail of Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early’s II Corps vanguard
from Charlottesville. Hunter withdrew the next day after sporadic fighting because of a critical shortage of supplies.
His line of retreat through West Virginia took his army out of the war for nearly a month and opened the Shenandoah Valley
for a Confederate advance into Maryland.
Although not geographically part of the Shenandoah Valley, Lynchburg
served as a major rail and canal center, supply depot, and hospital complex for the Confederacy. Produce from the Upper Valley could be shipped there by road or stream and
thence to Richmond on the James River Canal, the Southside Railroad, or the O&A Railroad via Charlottesville
and Gordonsville. The Southside Railroad linked Richmond with
the western Confederacy through its connections with the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad. The Southside Railroad continued
to supply Richmond, with interruptions from Federal raiders,
until the Battle of Five Forks (1 April 1865).
As the war progressed, Lynchburg, too, became an important objective of Union campaigns
in the Valley. In 1864, several expeditions--up the Valley from Winchester, and north from
Bulls Gap, Tennessee--were devised to capture Lynchburg,
but the city remained in Confederate hands until the end of the war.
| Battle of Lynchburg Battlefield Map |
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For the Union, defending the vulnerable B&O Railroad and the line
of the Potomac River were essential considerations for any operations in the Shenandoah Valley. Because of implicit threats against Washington, a small Confederate army in the Valley could pin down three to five times its
number in Union defenders, threaten vital Union transportation and communication lines, and carry the war to the North, if
opportunity presented itself.
| Gen. Early's route from Lynchburg to Washington |
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| Numerous battles were fought along this route |
As the war continued, the Shenandoah Valley increased in
importance to the Southern cause, and correspondingly it became more urgent that the Northern armies succeed there after dramatic
failures in 1862, 1863, and May 1864. Ultimately, the Northern army was forced to lay waste to the agricultural abundance
of the Valley in order to destroy support for the Southern war effort.
Result(s): Confederate victory
Sources: National Park Service; Official Records of the Union and Confederate
Armies; National Archives.
Recommended
Reading: The
Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864 (Hardcover: 252 pages) (McFarland & Company). Description: A significant part of the Civil War was fought in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, especially in 1864. Books
and articles have been written about the fighting that took place there, but they generally cover only a small period of time
and focus on a particular battle or campaign. Continued below...
This work covers
the entire year of 1864 so that readers can clearly see how one event led to another in the Shenandoah Valley and turned once-peaceful
garden spots into gory battlefields. It tells the stories of the great leaders, ordinary men, innocent civilians, and armies
large and small taking part in battles at New Market, Chambersburg, Winchester, Fisher’s
Hill and Cedar Creek, but it primarily tells the stories of the soldiers, Union and Confederate,
who were willing to risk their lives for their beliefs. The author has made extensive use of memoirs, letters and reports
written by the soldiers of both sides who fought in the Shenandoah Valley in 1864.
Recommended
Reading: The
Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864 (Military Campaigns of the Civil War) (Hardcover: 416 pages) (The University
of North Carolina Press). Description: The 1864 Shenandoah Valley Campaign
is generally regarded as one of the most important Civil War campaigns; it lasted more than four arduous months and claimed
more than 25,000 casualties. The massive armies of Generals Philip H. Sheridan and Jubal A. Early had contended for immense
stakes... Beyond the agricultural bounty and the boost in morale to be gained with its numerous battles, events in the Valley
would affect Abraham Lincoln's chances for reelection in November 1864. Continued below...
The eleven
essays in this volume reexamine common assumptions about the campaign, its major figures, and its significance. Taking advantage
of the most recent scholarship and a wide range of primary sources, contributors examine strategy and tactics, the performances
of key commanders on each side, the campaign's political repercussions, and the experiences of civilians caught in the path
of the armies. The authors do not always agree with one another, but, taken together, their essays highlight important connections
between the home front and the battlefield, as well as ways in which military affairs, civilian experiences, and politics
played off one another during the campaign.
Recommended
Reading: From Winchester to Cedar Creek: The Shenandoah Campaign
of 1864. Amazon.com Review: Virginia's Shenandoah Valley was a crucial avenue for Confederate armies
intending to invade Northern states during the Civil War. Running southwest to northeast, it "pointed, like a giant's lance,
at the Union's heart, Washington, D.C.,"
writes Jeffry Wert. It was also "the granary of the Confederacy," supplying the food for much of Virginia. Both sides long understood its strategic importance, but not until the fall of
1864 did Union troops led by Napoleon-sized cavalry General Phil Sheridan (5'3", 120 lbs.) finally seize it for good. He defeated
Confederate General Jubal Early at four key battles that autumn. Continued below…
In addition
to a narrative of the campaign (featuring dozens of characters, including General George Custer and future president Rutherford
B. Hayes), this book is a study of command. Both Sheridan and Early were capable military leaders, though
each had flaws. Sheridan tended to make mistakes before battles,
Early during them. Wert considers Early the better general, but admits that few could match the real-time decision-making
and leadership skills of Sheridan once the bullets started
flying: "When Little Phil rode onto the battlefield, he entered his element." Early was a bold fighter, but lacked the skills
necessary to make up for his disadvantage in manpower. At Cedar Creek, the climactic battle of the 1864 Shenandoah campaign,
Early "executed a masterful offensive against a numerically superior opponent, only to watch it result in ruin." With more
Confederate troops on the scene, history might have been different. Wert relates the facts of what actually happened with
his customary clarity and insightful analysis.
Recommended
Reading: Field Armies and Fortifications in the Civil War: The Eastern Campaigns,
1861-1864 (Civil War America) (Hardcover). Description: The eastern campaigns of the Civil War involved the widespread use of field fortifications, from Big Bethel and the
Peninsula to Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Charleston,
and Mine Run. While many of these fortifications were meant to last only as long as the battle, Earl J. Hess argues that their
history is deeply significant. The Civil War saw more use of fieldworks than did any previous conflict in Western history.
Hess studies the use of fortifications by tracing the campaigns of the Army of the Potomac
and the Army of Northern Virginia from April 1861 to April 1864. He considers the role of field fortifications in the defense
of cities, river crossings, and railroads and in numerous battles. Continued below...
Blending technical
aspects of construction with operational history, Hess demonstrates the crucial role these earthworks played in the success
or failure of field armies. He also argues that the development of trench warfare in 1864 resulted from the shock of battle
and the continued presence of the enemy within striking distance, not simply from the use of the rifle-musket, as historians
have previously asserted. Based on fieldwork at 300 battle sites and extensive research in official reports, letters, diaries,
and archaeological studies, this book should become an indispensable reference for Civil War historians.
Recommended
Reading: Stonewall in the Valley: Thomas J. Stonewall Jackson's Shenandoah Valley Campaign,
Spring 1862. Description: The Valley Campaign
conducted by Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson has long fascinated those interested in the American Civil War as well
as general students of military history, all of whom still question exactly what Jackson
did in the Shenandoah in 1862 and how he did it. Since Robert G. Tanner answered many questions in the first edition of Stonewall
in the Valley in 1976, he has continued to research the campaign. This edition offers new insights on the most significant
moments of Stonewall's Shenandoah triumph. Continued below…
About the Author:
Robert G. Tanner is a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute. Tanner is a native of Southern California, he now lives
and practices law in Atlanta, Georgia. He has studied and lectured
on the Shenandoah Valley Campaign for more than twenty-five years.
Recommended
Reading: Shenandoah Summer:
The 1864 Valley Campaign. Description:
Jubal A. Early’s disastrous battles in the Shenandoah Valley ultimately resulted in
his ignominious dismissal. But Early’s lesser-known summer campaign of 1864, between his raid on Washington and Phil
Sheridan’s renowned fall campaign, had a significant impact on the political and military landscape of the time. By
focusing on military tactics and battle history in uncovering the facts and events of these little-understood battles, Scott
C. Patchan offers a new perspective on Early’s contributions to the Confederate war effort—and to Union battle
plans and politicking. Patchan details the previously unexplored battles at Rutherford’s Farm and Kernstown (a pinnacle
of Confederate operations in the Shenandoah Valley) and examines the campaign’s influence
on President Lincoln’s reelection efforts. Continued below…
He also provides
insights into the personalities, careers, and roles in Shenandoah of Confederate General John C. Breckinridge, Union general
George Crook, and Union colonel James A. Mulligan, with his “fighting Irish” brigade from Chicago.
Finally, Patchan reconsiders the ever-colorful and controversial Early himself, whose importance in the Confederate military
pantheon this book at last makes clear. About the Author: Scott C. Patchan, a Civil War battlefield guide and historian, is
the author of Forgotten Fury: The Battle of Piedmont, Virginia, and a consultant and contributing writer for Shenandoah, 1862.
Review
"The author's
descriptions of the battles are very detailed, full or regimental level actions, and individual incidents. He bases the accounts
on commendable research in manuscript collections, newspapers, published memoirs and regimental histories, and secondary works.
The words of the participants, quoted often by the author, give the narrative an immediacy. . . . A very creditable account
of a neglected period."-Jeffry D. Wert, Civil War News (Jeffry D. Wert Civil War News 20070914)
"[Shenandoah
Summer] contains excellent diagrams and maps of every battle and is recommended reading for those who have a passion for books
on the Civil War."-Waterline (Waterline 20070831)
"The narrative
is interesting and readable, with chapters of a digestible length covering many of the battles of the campaign."-Curled Up
With a Good Book (Curled Up With a Good Book 20060815)
"Shenandoah
Summer provides readers with detailed combat action, colorful character portrayals, and sound strategic analysis. Patchan''s
book succeeds in reminding readers that there is still plenty to write about when it comes to the American Civil War."-John
Deppen, Blue & Grey Magazine (John Deppen Blue & Grey Magazine 20060508)
"Scott C. Patchan
has solidified his position as the leading authority of the 1864 Shenandoah Valley Campaign with his outstanding campaign
study, Shenandoah Summer. Mr. Patchan not only unearths this vital portion of the campaign, he has brought it back to life
with a crisp and suspenseful narrative. His impeccable scholarship, confident analyses, spellbinding battle scenes, and wonderful
character portraits will captivate even the most demanding readers. Shenandoah Summer is a must read for the Civil War aficionado
as well as for students and scholars of American military history."-Gary Ecelbarger, author of "We Are in for It!": The First
Battle of Kernstown, March 23, 1862 (Gary Ecelbarger 20060903)
"Scott Patchan
has given us a definitive account of the 1864 Valley Campaign. In clear prose and vivid detail, he weaves a spellbinding narrative
that bristles with detail but never loses sight of the big picture. This is a campaign narrative of the first order."-Gordon
C. Rhea, author of The Battle of the Wilderness: May 5-6, 1864 (Gordon C. Rhea )
"[Scott Patchan]
is a `boots-on-the-ground' historian, who works not just in archives but also in the sun and the rain and tall grass. Patchan's
mastery of the topography and the battlefields of the Valley is what sets him apart and, together with his deep research,
gives his analysis of the campaign an unimpeachable authority."-William J. Miller, author of Mapping for Stonewall and Great
Maps of the Civil War (William J. Miller)
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