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Battle of Rutherford's Farm
Other Names: None
Location: Frederick County and Winchester
Campaign: Early's Raid and Operations against the B&O Railroad (June-August 1864)
Date(s): July 20, 1864
Principal Commanders: Commanders: Brig. Gen. William W. Averell
[US]; Maj. Gen. S.D. Ramseur [CS]
Forces Engaged: Divisions (5,850 total)
Estimated Casualties: 1,100 total
Result(s): Union victory
Description: On July 20, Brig. Gen. W.W. Averell’s Union
division attacked Maj. Gen. S.D. Ramseur’s Confederate division at Rutherford’s and Carter’s farms. This
sudden assault came in on the flank of Hoke’s brigade as it was deploying, throwing it into a panic. Ramseur retreated
toward Winchester in confusion. Averell captured four pieces of artillery and nearly 300 men. With this defeat, Early withdrew
his army south to a defensive position at Fisher’s Hill.
| Battle of Rutherford's Farm Map |
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| Civil War Rutherford's Farm Battlefield Map |
| Battle of Rutherford's Farm Map |
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| Civil War Rutherford's Farm Battle Map |
Early had a good start. He proceeded down the Valley without opposition,
bypassed Harpers Ferry, crossed the Potomac River, and advanced into Maryland. Grant dispatched a corps under Horatio G. Wright and other troops under George Crook to reinforce
Washington and pursue Early.
The Battle of Rutherford's Farm was one of several battles fought during
Early's Raid and Operations against the B&O Railroad (June-August 1864). Early's
Operations against the B&O Railroad, often times referred to as Early's Raid or Early's Maryland Campaign, was
part of the Shenandoah Valley Campaigns of 1864 and was the second of three principal campaigns fought throughout the valley
region.
| Battle of Rutherford's Farm Historical Marker |
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| Civil War Rutherford's Farm History Marker |
Following two unsuccessful Union attacks on his flanks at Kabletown and
Berry's Ferry, General Early ordered a withdrawal from the Confederate position at Berryville towards a more secure position
at Strasburg on July 19. The movement required the evacuation of the military hospitals and storage depots from the Confederate
base of operations at Winchester. To cover the evacuation, Early ordered Ramseur's division to Winchester, with orders to
stay within the city's defensive works and not to precipitate any unnecessary engagements with the enemy.
Three days prior, Union Maj. Gen. David Hunter had received an erroneous
report of Confederate cavalry in Winchester preparing for a raid on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. To meet this threat,
Hunter dispatched Averell's division from Martinsburg. Averell got underway on July 19 and crept slowly up the valley, wary
of being overrun by Early's army, making it as far as Bunker Hill by nightfall, where he made camp.
| Civil War Rutherford's Farm Battle |
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| Battle of Rutherford's Farm |
Battle: The
Battle of Rutherford's Farm, also known as Carter's Farm and Stephenson's Depot, was a small engagement between Confederate
forces under Maj. Gen. Stephen D. Ramseur and Union forces under Brig. Gen. William W. Averell on July 20, 1864, in Frederick
County, Virginia, during the American Civil War, as part of Confederate Lt. Gen. Jubal Early's Valley Campaign, resulting
in a Union victory.
Ramseur's division arrived at Winchester the morning of July 20, whereupon
he dispatched his cavalry under John C. Vaughn and William L. Jackson to Carter's Farm north of town to scout the enemy's
position. Confederate skirmishers found the Union encampment at Bunker Hill about 7 a.m. and reported their presence to Ramseur.
At 9 a.m Averell's force broke camp and set down the Valley Turnpike, fighting the Confederate skirmishers the entire way.
By 11 a.m the Federals arrived at Stephenson's Depot where they encountered Vaughn's and Jackson's dismounted cavalry supported
by artillery on a small ridge. The artillery opened fire halting the Union advance and prompting Averell to bring up his artillery,
leading to a protracted duel.
About 2 p.m, Vaughn sent a courier to Ramseur apprising him of the developments
and recommending that the infantry be brought up to ambush the Union force. Despite Early's orders to stay within the defenses
of Winchester, Ramseur saw the chance for a great victory and agreed with Vaughn, dispatching his infantry to the developing
battle. Within the hour the infantry arrived and was concealed in a woods atop the ridge. As the Confederate infantry was
arriving, the Union assault got underway. As the Union charge approached the woods, the concealed Confederate infantry unleashed
a volley of musket fire that checked the Union advance and threatened to turn its left.
| Rutherford Farm Battlefield Map |
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| Civil War Rutherford Farm History Map |
| Battle of Rutherford's Farm Map |
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| Civil War Rutherford's Farm Battlefield Map |
| Civil War Railroad Map |
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| American Civil War Map of Railroads |
Unfortunately for the Confederates, the woods in which they hid formed an
acute angle with the Turnpike, leaving their left protruding towards the Union advance. Union cavalry covering the Union right
soon smashed into the exposed Confederate left flank, turning it. The Confederate center and right continued to deliver devastating
fire against the Union center and left, but slowly regiment by regiment of the Confederate left began to turn in full retreat
towards Winchester until finally the whole Confederate line collapsed in retreat. Despite Ramseur's effort, the line could
not be reassembled before it reached the defenses of Winchester. Still unsure of the whereabouts of the rest of Early's army,
Averell declined to pursue the retreating Confederates, thus ending the battle. (See: Shenandoah Valley and the American Civil War and American Civil War in the Shenandoah Valley.)
| Frederick County, Virginia, Map |
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| Civil War Battle of Rutherford's Farm Map |
Aftermath and Analysis: The battle resulted in a
resounding Union victory, but strategically resulted in little else except some much needed boosting of Union morale after
a string of defeats by Early's veteran troops. The evacuation of Winchester continued undisturbed, and Ramseur, despite his
insubordination resulting in unnecessary losses, received nothing more than stern talk from Early.
Pvt. John Shanes, Company K, 14th West Virginia Infantry, received the Medal
of Honor for his actions in the fighting near Carter's Farm, where he "charged upon a Confederate fieldpiece in advance of
his comrades and by his individual exertions silenced the piece."
The Battle of Rutherford's Farm was fought in Winchester (county seat of
Frederick County) and Frederick County, Virginia. Winchester, furthermore, changed hands between the Confederate and
Union Armies on average once every three weeks during the Civil War. Many battles were fought in Frederick County. Some of
those battles include:
- First Battle of Kernstown, March 1862
- First Battle of Winchester, May 1862
- Second Battle of Winchester, June 1863
- Second Battle of Kernstown, July 1864
- Third Battle of Winchester, September 1864
- Battle of Cedar Creek, October 1864
The first constitution of West Virginia provided for Frederick County to be
added to the new state if approved by a local election. Unlike those of neighboring Berkeley and Jefferson counties, Frederick
County residents voted to remain in Virginia despite being occupied by the Union Army at the time.
(Sources listed below.)
Sources: National Park Service; Official Records of the Union and Confederate
Armies; Patchan, Scott C. Shenandoah Summer: The 1864 Valley Campaign. University of Nebraska Press; Lincoln, Nebraska, 2007;
National Archives; Library of Congress.
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