Overview
The Battle of Namozine Church took place on April 3, 1865, in Amelia County, Virginia, during the Appomattox Campaign. It followed a series of Union victories that forced General Robert E. Lee to abandon Petersburg and retreat westward.
After the Battle of Five Forks on April 1, 1865, General Ulysses S. Grant ordered a general assault on Confederate defenses on April 2. By 10 a.m., Lee realized he could no longer hold back Union forces and advised President Jefferson Davis to prepare to leave Richmond.
Lee planned to move his weakened army west to Amelia Court House, where he expected to find badly needed supplies. From there, he hoped to move south and join General Joseph E. Johnston’s Army of North Carolina. As the Confederates moved west, General Philip Sheridan’s cavalry pursued them.
Early on April 3, Union cavalry attacked Lee’s rear guard along Namozine Road. When the Confederates reached Namozine Church, General Fitzhugh Lee’s cavalry brigade stopped to delay the Union pursuit. Around noon, Colonel William Wells’ Brigade, part of General George Armstrong Custer’s Cavalry Division, attacked.
The battle lasted into the night and ended without a clear winner, but the Confederates held the road long enough for General Bushrod Johnson’s infantry division to continue toward Amelia Court House.
Essential Facts
- Date: April 3, 1865.
- Location: Amelia County, Virginia.
- Participants: The United States of America (USA) and the Confederate States of America (CSA).
- USA Commanders: George Armstrong Custer, William Wells.
- CSA Commanders: Fitzhugh Lee.
- Who Won: The outcome was inconclusive.
- Campaign: Appomattox Campaign.
- Era: Civil War, 1865.
Statistics
United States of America
- Casualties: 95 killed and wounded.
- Forces Engaged: Colonel William Wells’ Brigade of Brigadier General George Armstrong Custer’s Cavalry Division.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 1,000 soldiers.
Confederate States of America
- Casualties: Unknown killed, 15 known wounded, and 350 captured.
- Forces Engaged: Major General Fitzhugh Lee’s Cavalry Brigade.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 700 soldiers.
Significance
The Battle of Namozine Church is important to American History because it took place during the final stages of the Civil War, as Union forces pursued General Robert E. Lee’s army after the fall of Petersburg. Although the battle ended without a clear winner, General Fitzhugh Lee’s cavalry delayed the Union pursuit long enough for General Bushrod Johnson’s infantry division to continue toward Amelia Court House. The battle also weakened Lee’s army because Federal forces captured about 350 Confederate soldiers.
History
Grant’s Umbrella Strategy
On March 12, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln appointed Ulysses S. Grant as General-in-Chief of the Armies of the United States. Upon his arrival in Washington, Grant drafted a plan to get the various Union armies in the field to act in concert and strike the Confederacy from several directions: Grant would travel with Major General George Meade and the Army of the Potomac in pursuit of General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia in the Richmond area; Major General William T. Sherman would march three federal armies south from Chattanooga to capture Atlanta, and Major General Franz Sigel would invade Western Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley to cut off supplies to Lee’s army and to prevent any Confederate attempts to attack Meade’s flank.
Stalemate at Petersburg
The Union Army of the Potomac relentlessly engaged the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia throughout the spring of 1864. By June, Grant forced Lee to retreat to the Richmond-Petersburg area. Thereafter, both armies were entrenched, and a stalemate ensued for the next ten months. During that period, Grant probed Lee’s defenses to no avail. Despite being well-entrenched, the Confederate situation grew progressively worse as their supplies dwindled.
Union prospects, on the other hand, improved over the winter. Major General Philip Sheridan completed his task of sweeping the Confederates from the Shenandoah Valley, and his well-rested troops rejoined Grant in the spring. Determined to break the stalemate at Petersburg, Grant ordered Sheridan to turn Lee’s right flank with the Army of the Potomac’s Cavalry Corps along with the 2nd and 5th Infantry Corps and force Lee out of Petersburg.
Battle of Fort Stedman — Failed Confederate Breakout
On March 25, 1865, Lee made one final attempt to break the Siege of Petersburg by ordering forces commanded by Major General John B. Gordon to attack Fort Stedman, a Union fortification in the siege lines surrounding Petersburg. Gordon’s pre-dawn attack succeeded initially, but blistering Union counterattacks forced the Confederates back inside their lines, ending the Battle of Fort Stedman.
Appomattox Campaign
Many historians consider March 29, 1865, as the beginning of the Appomattox Campaign. On that date, Grant opened his spring offensive against Lee’s army by ordering Major General Philip Sheridan’s cavalry (freshly returned from the Shenandoah Valley) and Major General G. K. Warren’s 5th Corps to attempt to turn Lee’s right flank at the Battle of Lewis’s Farm. Two days later the action resumed at the Battle of White Oak Road and Battle of Dinwiddie Court House as Lee shored up his right wing to halt the federal Flanking maneuver. On April 1 Sheridan and Warren continued their offensive, with a major victory over Major General George Pickett’s forces at the Battle of Five Forks.
A String of Federal Victories
On March 29, Major General G.K. Warren’s 5th Corps defeated several Confederate brigades commanded by Major General Bushrod Johnson at the Battle of Lewis’s Farm. Two days later, the action resumed at the Battles of White Oak Road and Dinwiddie Court House, as Lee shored up his right wing to halt the federal flanking maneuver. On April 1, Philip Sheridan and Warren continued their offensive, with a major victory over Major General George Pickett’s forces at the Battle of Five Forks. Losing that strategic crossroads further threatened Lee’s already limited supply lines.
Confederates Evacuate Richmond and Petersburg
Encouraged by the Federal victory at Five Forks, Grant ordered a general assault on the Confederate entrenchments on April 2, 1865. By 10 a.m., Lee realized he could no longer hold the Union forces back. He advised President Jefferson Davis to prepare to leave the Confederate capital at Richmond. As Lee abandoned his defenses at Petersburg, three minor engagements took place during the next three days at Sutherland’s Station, Namozine Church, and Amelia Springs.
Lee’s Plan
Lee’s plan was to march his beleaguered army west to Amelia Court House, where he expected to find much-needed provisions. From there, he intended to move south and join forces with Major General Joseph E. Johnston’s Army of North Carolina.
Clash at Namozine Church
As the Confederates moved west, Sheridan’s cavalry began hounding them almost immediately. Early in the morning of April 3, Union cavalry began harassing Lee’s rearguard cavalry, and a running skirmish erupted as the Confederates fell back along Namozine Road. When the Confederates reached Namozine Church, Major General Fitzhugh Lee’s cavalry brigade stopped to hold the road and delay their federal pursuers.
Confederate Escape
At around noon, a brigade of Brigadier General George Custer’s cavalry division, commanded by Colonel William Wells, attacked the Confederates. In an inconclusive battle that lasted into the night, the Confederates held the road long enough to enable Major General Bushrod Johnson’s infantry division to pass by and continue its march toward Amelia Court House.
Timeline
- 1864, March 12 — President Abraham Lincoln appointed Ulysses S. Grant as General-in-Chief of the Armies of the United States.
- 1864, June — Grant forced Lee to retreat to the Richmond-Petersburg area.
- 1865, March 25 — Lee ordered Major General John B. Gordon to attack Fort Stedman in a final attempt to break the Siege of Petersburg.
- 1865, March 29
- Grant opened his spring offensive against Lee’s army.
- Major General G.K. Warren’s 5th Corps defeated Confederate brigades commanded by Major General Bushrod Johnson at the Battle of Lewis’s Farm.
- 1865, April 1 — Major General Philip Sheridan and Major General G.K. Warren won a major victory over Major General George Pickett’s forces at the Battle of Five Forks.
- 1865, April 2
- Grant ordered a general assault on the Confederate trenches.
- Lee realized by 10 a.m. that he could no longer hold back Union forces.
- 1865, April 3
- Union cavalry attacked Lee’s rear guard along Namozine Road.
- Major General Fitzhugh Lee’s cavalry brigade stopped at Namozine Church to hold the road.
- Colonel William Wells’ Brigade attacked the Confederates around noon.
- The Confederates held the road long enough for Major General Bushrod Johnson’s infantry division to continue toward Amelia Court House.
- The Battle of Namozine Church ended without a clear winner.
AP US History
Definition
Battle of Namozine Church (1865) — The Battle of Namozine Church was fought on April 3, 1865, in Amelia County, Virginia, during the Appomattox Campaign. As General Robert E. Lee’s army retreated west from Petersburg, General Philip Sheridan’s cavalry pursued the Confederate rear guard along Namozine Road. General Fitzhugh Lee’s cavalry stopped near Namozine Church to delay the Union advance. Colonel William Wells’ Brigade attacked, but the Confederates held the road long enough for General Bushrod Johnson’s infantry division to escape toward Amelia Court House.
Alignment
The Battle of Namozine Church is part of the following AP US History sections:
