On March 2, 1865, Philip Sheridan‘s Union troops under the command of George A. Custer defeated Jubal Early‘s Confederate force at Waynesboro, Virginia, ending the last Confederate threat in the Shenandoah Valley.
Both armies had been wintering in the Shenandoah Valley after a series of Union victories that had hit Early’s troops hard. In February, Sheridan received word from U. S. Grant to take his 10,000 men and capture Lynchburg and then meet up with W. T. Sherman‘s forces in North Carolina. However, before he left, Sheridan decided to finish up what was left of Early’s force (which by then had dwindled to about 1,200).
Early decided to meet the Federals at Waynesboro, hoping to delay them there long enough that he could get his artillery across the mountain and reposition his troops at the more advantageous Rockfish Gap. Early set up his line with the men’s backs toward the South River, leaving his left flank exposed because he thought they would be protected by a dense wood.
Sheridan sent Custer to test Early’s position, and Custer spotted the weakness in Early’s left. On March 2, Custer sent part of his division to attack from the front, while he sent others to hit the left. The left quickly crumbled, and the Confederate line broke. The Federals captured nearly all the Confederate troops, as well as their supplies and artillery, but Early, who had climbed up a nearby hill to reconnoiter, escaped capture.
I think it’s ironic that Custer’s disposition of his troops – dividing them into three units for the attack was essentially identical to what he did in June, 1876 as the Lieutenant Colonel of the 7th Cavalry Regiment along the banks of the Little Bighorn River.
Very ironic indeed! Was Custer promoted to brigadier general at the end of the Civil War, or was it later during the Indian wars or was it posthumously?
Three Men of the Heilig family of Rowan Co N Carolina fought at Waynesboro with the 5th Regiment. My 6th gr grandfather George Heilig settled in Pensburg PA before the revolution. One of his sons moved to Rowan Co. NC. Members of this family fought on both sides.
It is interesting to note that writers in thus instance leave out the work of Stonewall Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley who with about half as many men, repeatedly whipped Union armies. They take up the war at a later time when Union Armies were winning battles in that area. Will there ever be a time when writers cease showing their biases even though they think they are giving evenhanded reporting? Mankind will never change. It all stems from the basic instinct of survival.
Hip ! Hip ! Hooray ! to Edmund for the truth. Have “they” ever noted a time when their yankee rear-ends were soundly beaten ? The South won most major battles for the first three years. And we were so disadvantaged from the beginning. Besides, Mr. Lincoln could have negotiated and stopped the war completely, instead of raising 75,000 yankee troops in the very beginning.
If they cared for the “slaves” so much, why did they “free” 4 million without a vital plan to care for them ?
Sorry but this article was about a specific event in time. I do agree that the Confederate States did win many battles. But they did lose the war, of which I had family members in as well. I’m not sure how much one contributed but you can see whom he was. Hannibal Hamlin was a cousin of my grandmother and an abolitionist.
For real brother. And all the fuss about Anderson prison! But you will never hear or read in the history books about the time when Union soldiers abandoned 2,000 confederate prisoners in box cars up north to freeze to death when a blizzard overcame them! Or when Sherman had a black slave girl friend on his march through Ga. while he wrote letters back home to his wife! Or about his soldiers digging up graves in the cemeteries looking for valuables! And his soldiers took all the food and didn’t even leave any for the slaves! You see the while the north was busy writing their biased civil war history books the southern whites and blacks were digging in the ground looking for a potato!
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Great story.. We had visited Charlette and do you know those people are still fighting the damn war, Chris
Chris they must be great Democrats.
Chris, you are so on point. One only need to read Linda’s post to know that you are correct.
Custer was brevetted to the rank of major general by the end of the Civil War. He reverted to his permanent rank of major after the end of the war. He was a Lt. Col. at the time of the Little Big Horn battle.
History is written by the victors!
It is also re-written for political expediency by the politicians.
Custer split his men into 3, which may have been a smart thing to do. Then he stupidly attacked first which left Reno at a disadvantage in a bad tactical position. Benteen was far behind and came up on Renos forces , by which time had managed to get to defensable ground. Benteen and Reno spent between 22 and 45 minutes discussing the situation , giving Custer the same treatment as he gave a friend of Benteens in a Kansas battle, which ended up in a slaughter. At best Custer was a ego maniac which cost many 7th Calvary lives.
Mark
Initially, the war was not about slavery. It was about State’s Rights. Read the Constitution! Also, please note that when Lincoln freed the slaves in the Confederate States, he did so in an effort to gain support for the upcoming Presidential Election. Also, he did not free slaves in the Northern States. Get the facts from archives.
The civil war, on both sides, was fought with stupidity and Carnage. Both Lee and Grant butchered there army. It was the Southern-Hated General Sherman that cut off the Supply lines and ended the fiasco. Gen. Sheriden did the same thing in the Shenendoah Valley. In the words of Gen. Sherman” War is hell and the crueler you make it the sooner it is over”. Regretably, Sherman was right.
The war was not really fought to free the Slaves and it wasn’t fought for States Rights versus Federal Rights. These latter hypothesis are the result emanating from the main cause. Rich Southern Planters were threatened by budding Northern Industrialists for political power. Neither groups commited there children, or themselves, to the battle.Glorifying the Carnage, on either side, is ridiculous.
No one seems to remember the reprehensible tactics of Sherman and Sheridan and their scorched earth burn/rape/pillage of Georgia and the Shenandoah Valley.
The Southern states sought to peacefully leave the Union on Constitutional principles but Lincoln closed off that option with the re supplying of Ft Sumpter by warship. Ft Sumpter is South Carolina soil in Charleston Harbor.
Check the Lincoln Memorial for what Lincoln’s hands are resting upon… Faci. As in Facism. Raw power commanding submission.
I never implied Sherman and Sheridan didn’t commit Genocide. War is Genocide and what they did ended a war where 600,000 died which is the main Genocide and main stupidity of this country.Gen. Joseph Johnson, Sherman’s confederate adversary during the war, was good friends with Gen. Sherman and realized the necessity of cutting the Supply lines to the southern Forces which he could not prevent though he tried.Here’s some more Genocide, Franklin, Shiloh, Gettysburg etc.
EOL makes a point about Ft. Sumter that is incorrect. Yes indeed, the US Government did re-supply Ft. Sumter. Ft. Sumter, however, was built on a man-made Island, made by the Army Corp of Engineers, and ceded by South Carolina to the Federal Government. Thus, Sumter was not part of South Carolina and its re-supply, for that reason, wasn’t a provocative act. Furthermore, South Carolina tried to block re-supply which was a provocation.Major Anderson realized the danger his troops were under and abandoned other Forts, like Ft. Moultre, which were part of South Carolina.Anderson wisely spiked the Canon,in these forts, and moved to Ft. Sumter. Gen. Beauregard, commander of the South Carolina Militia, instituted an Artillery barrage on Fort Sumter thus starting the Civil War. It really don’t make a difference who started the War. Both parties were eager for a fight, and in human natures time worn fashion, instituted a provocation to start the conflict.
And! Lets not forget the fact that Lincoln had appropriated millions of dollars for the reconstruction of the south at the end of the war BUT after he was assassinated that NEVER happened, nor was the money ever accounted for! If you drive through the part of Georgia that Sherman went through you will see that it hasn’t grown one Bit!!!
Sounds to me like this war hasn’t ended.
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