
On the morning of October 9, 1864, Brigadier General Alfred Torbert ordered two Union cavalry divisions to attack the Confederate cavalry camped along Tom’s Brook near Woodstock, Virginia. [Wikimedia Commons]
Battle of Tom's Brook Facts
Key facts about he Battle of Tom's Brook.
- Also known as:
- Woodstock Races
Date:
- October 9, 1864
Location:
- Shenandoah County, near Woodstock, Virginia
Campaign:
- Sheridan’s Valley Campaign
Principal Union commander(s):
- Brigadier General Alfred Torbert
- Brevet Major General Wesley Merritt
- Brigadier General George A. Custer
Principal Confederate commander(s):
- Major General Thomas Rosser
- Major General Lunsford Lomax
Union forces engaged:
- Army of the Shenandoah cavalry
Confederate forces engaged:
- Army of the Valley cavalry
Number of Union soldiers engaged:
- Roughly 6,300
Number of Confederate soldiers engaged:
- Roughly 3,500
Estimated Union casualties:
- 57 (killed, wounded, captured/missing)
Estimated Confederate casualties:
- 350 (killed, wounded, captured/missing)
Result:
- Union victory
Significance:
- The Confederate retreat at the Battle of Tom’s Brook was so rapid that Union cavalrymen referred to the Rebel flight as the Woodstock Races.