The Battle of Fisher's Hill was fought September 21–22, 1864, near Strasburg, Virginia, as part of the Valley Campaigns of 1864 during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

. Despite its strong defensive position, the Confederate army of Lt. Gen.

Jubal Early Jubal Anderson Early (November 3, 1816 – March 2, 1894) was a Virginia lawyer and politician who became a Confederate general during the American Civil War. Trained at the United States Military Academy, Early resigned his U.S. Army commissi ...

was defeated by the Union Army of the Shenandoah, commanded by Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan.

Background

Military situation

Sheridan had almost 35,000 men in the Shenandoah Valley opposing Early, with just under 10,000. Early, following the Third Battle of Winchester took a strong position. His right rested on the North Branch of the Shenandoah River. The left flank of his infantry was on Fisher's Hill. Confederate cavalry was expected to hold the ground from there to Little North Mountain. Maj. Gen.

George Crook George R. Crook (September 8, 1828 – March 21, 1890) was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. During the 1880s, the Apache nicknamed Crook ''Nanta ...

advised Sheridan to flank this position. His command was assigned to move along the wooded slopes of the mountain to attack the cavalry.

Opposing forces

Union

Confederate

Battle

Crook's attack began about 4 p.m. on September 22, 1864. The infantry attack pushed the Confederate troopers out of their way. Maj. Gen. Stephen Dodson Ramseur tried refusing the left flank of his division. Crook and Brig. Gen. James B. Ricketts's division, of Horatio G. Wright's VI Corps struck Ramseur's line, pushing it in. Wright's remaining divisions and XIX Corps broke the Southern line.

Aftermath

The Confederates fell back to

Waynesboro, Virginia Waynesboro (formerly Flack) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is a principal city of the Staunton-Waynesboro Metropolitan Statistical Area. Waynesboro is located in the Shenandoah Valley and is surrounded by Augusta C ...

. Brig. Gen.

Alfred Torbert Alfred Thomas Archimedes Torbert (July 1, 1833 – August 29, 1880) was a career United States Army officer, a Union Army General commanding both infantry and cavalry forces in the American Civil War, and a U.S. diplomat. Early life Torb ...

was sent into the Luray Valley with 6,000 cavalrymen to force his way through the 1,200 Confederate cavalrymen under Brigadier General Williams Wickham. Torbert was then supposed to move through the New Market and Luray Gap in Massanutten Mountain and come up behind Early and cut-off his retreat at Fisher's Hill. Torbert fell back after making a token effort against Wickham's force at Milford (present day Overall) and Early escaped. Four Union Army enlisted men and one officer received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor ...

in the action at Fisher's Hill. * Private James Connors, 43rd New York Infantry * Private John Creed, 23rd Illinois Infantry * Private George G. Moore, 11th West Virginia Infantry * Sergeant Sylvester D. Rhodes, 61st Pennsylvania Infantry * First Lieutenant Edward N. Whittier, 5th Battery Maine Light Artillery

Battlefield preservation

The Civil War Trust (a division of the American Battlefield Trust) and its partners have acquired and preserved of the battlefield. The preserved portion of the battlefield is marked by trails and interpretive signs.
American Battlefield Trust Fisher's Hill Battlefield page. Accessed May 28, 2018.

Notes

References

National Park Service battle description

CWSAC Report Update and Resurvey: Individual Battlefield Profiles

Memoirs and primary sources

*Early, Jubal A. ''A Memoir of the Last Year of the War for Independence in the Confederate States of America''. Edited by Gary W. Gallagher. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2001. . * Sheridan, Philip Henry.
Personal Memoirs of P. H. Sheridan, General, United States Army in Two Volumes
', Vol. II. New York, New York: Charles L. Webster & Company, 1888. * U.S. War Department
''The War of the Rebellion''
''a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies''. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1880–1901.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fishers Hill, Battle Of Battle of Fisher's Hill Fisher's Hill 1864 Battles of the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War Union victories of the American Civil War Fisher's Hill Battle of Fisher's Hill Conflicts in 1864 September 1864 events