Battle of Waynesboro
From Dixiepedia: The PC-Free Encyclopedia
Battle fought at Waynesboro, Virginia on March 2nd, 1865, between Jubal Early and Phil Sheridan. The final battle in the Shenandoah Valley.
After his series of defeats in the late summer and fall of 1864, Jubal Early took the remnants of the Army of the Valley District into winter quarters at Fishersville. Lee called most of the divisions back to Petersburg, leaving Early with only Gabriel Wharton’s small division and Rosser’s cavalry. Shortage of fodder forced Rosser to disperse his command over an enormous area to keep the horses alive.
In late February, Grant ordered Sheridan to sweep the Valley clear of Confederates and cut the rail and canal lines west of Richmond. Early received word that Sheridan was advancing south “up” the Valley, and moved his command quickly out of camp and to a small hill west of Waynesboro. Prudence would have dictated that the small force withdraw into the mountains at Rockfish Gap, where Sheridan’s massive cavalry column would have been less dominant. Early opted to defend Waynesboro, because it held some dismounted cannon, some supplies, and, finally because he “had done more difficult things than that during the war.” (Early, pg. 462) Early’s men dug in and waited. They had 1,000 infantry, 100 cavalry and 11 cannon.
Freezing rain began to fall, and the morning was miserable. Sheridan attacked frontally at first, and surprisingly was repulsed. In his second attack, Custer attacked the exposed Confederate left flank, striking at what is now the intersection Pine and Fourteenth Streets now. This caused the front to collapse from left to right. Simultaneously, the 12th NY Cavalry attacked in column of fours right down Main Street, piercing Early’s thin line, and continuing on right to the only bridge over the South River. Realizing what they had done, they spread out to catch fugitives trying to escape. In the free-for-all that followed, almost Early’s entire army was captured. Jed Hotchkiss reported seeing “general officer rush by me in the headlong stampede.” (Hotchkiss, pg. 259). Only twenty of Early’s staff escaped capture. Rosser, having assembled a good bit of his command, tried to rescue the prisoners at Rude’s Hill on March 7th, but the prisoners were reluctant to take the opportunity to escape. Lee soon thereafter relieved Early of command and directed him to return home and await orders which never came.
Bibliography
Jubal Early’s Memoirs, (Baltimore: Nautical and Aviation Co., 1989)
Make Me a Map of the Valley, Jedediah Hotchkiss, (Dallas: SMU Press, 1973)
