Overview
The Lynchburg Campaign took place from May through June 1864 and was the first of three campaigns in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864. General-in-Chief Ulysses S. Grant ordered General Franz Sigel to advance through Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, destroy the railroad center at Lynchburg, and cut supplies reaching General Robert E. Lee’s army.
Sigel entered the valley with 9,000 to 10,000 Union soldiers. Confederate General John C. Breckinridge assembled approximately 4,000 men, including cadets from the Virginia Military Institute. On May 15, 1864, Breckinridge defeated Sigel at the Battle of New Market. Union officials removed Sigel from command and replaced him with General David Hunter.
Grant ordered Hunter to resume the offensive, obtain supplies from the countryside, and use scorched-earth tactics. Hunter defeated Confederate forces at the Battle of Piedmont on June 5 and 6. He then moved to Lexington, where his soldiers burned the Virginia Military Institute and looted the town on June 12.
General Robert E. Lee sent approximately 8,000 soldiers under General Jubal Early to stop Hunter. On June 17 and 18, Early prevented Hunter from occupying Lynchburg and forced the Union army to retreat into West Virginia. The campaign ended without a clear overall winner.
Essential Facts
- Date: May–June 1864.
- Location: Northern Virginia, central Virginia, Augusta County and Shenandoah County.
- Participants: The United States of America (USA) and the Confederate States of America (CSA).
- USA Commanders: Franz Sigel and David Hunter.
- CSA Commanders: John C. Breckinridge, William E. Jones, and Jubal Early.
- Who Won: The outcome of the Lynchburg Campaign was inconclusive.
- Campaign: Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864.
- Era: Civil War, 1864, May–August.
Statistics
United States of America
- Casualties: At least 1,700 killed, wounded, captured, or missing.
- Forces Engaged: Department of West Virginia.
- Troop Strength: At least 16,600 soldiers.
Confederate States of America
- Casualties: At least 2,000 killed, wounded, captured, or missing.
- Forces Engaged: Department of Western Virginia and Army of the Valley District.
- Troop Strength: At least 14,000 soldiers.
Significance
The Lynchburg Campaign was important to American History because it opened the Shenandoah Valley Campaigns of 1864, which threatened the Confederacy’s military and economic strength. Confederate forces defeated General Franz Sigel at New Market, but General David Hunter renewed the Union offensive and won at Piedmont. General Jubal Early’s victory at Lynchburg prevented Union forces from occupying the city and forced Hunter into West Virginia. The inconclusive campaign led General-in-Chief Ulysses S. Grant to place General Philip Sheridan in command of Union forces in the valley.
History
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 have the various Union armies in the field act in concert and strike the Confederacy from several directions. Grant would travel with Major General George Meade and his Army of the Potomac in pursuit of General Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia in the Richmond, Virginia area; Major General William T. Sherman would march three Federal armies south from Chattanooga, Tennessee to capture Atlanta, Georgia; 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.
Battle of New Market
The Shenandoah Valley runs in a north-south direction through approximately 140 miles of western Virginia between the Allegheny and Blue Ridge Mountains. Because of its exceptionally fertile farmland, the valley served as the breadbasket for the Confederacy during the American Civil War. In May 1864, Sigel marched 9,000 to 10,000 Union soldiers into the valley with orders from Grant to destroy the railroad center at Lynchburg, Virginia. Known as the Lynchburg Campaign, Sigel’s campaign was short-lived and ill-fated. Upon learning of Sigel’s advance from the north, Confederate Major General John C. Breckinridge cobbled together a force of approximately 4,000 men, including cadets from the Virginia Military Institute, to oppose the Yankees. On May 15, 1864, the Confederates engaged Sigel’s army at New Market, Virginia. Despite being outnumbered, the Confederates drove the Federals from the field at the Battle of New Market.
Battle of Piedmont
After retreating to Strasburg, Virginia, Union officials relieved Sigel of his command and replaced him with Major General David Hunter. Grant ordered Hunter to resume the offensive, live off the land, and use scorched-earth tactics in the valley. On June 5 and 6, Hunter defeated a Confederate force at the Battle of Piedmont.
Battle of Lynchburg
Following the Union victory, Hunter moved south to Lexington, Virginia, where he burned the Virginia Military Institute and plundered the town on June 12. Robert E. Lee countered Hunter’s movements by sending a force of approximately 8,000 soldiers, under the command of Lieutenant General Jubal Early, into the valley to halt the Union advance. On June 17 and 18, Early stopped Hunter’s attempt to occupy Lynchburg, driving the Federals into West Virginia. After Hunter’s defeat at the Battle of Lynchburg, Grant dispatched Major General Philip Sheridan to take command of federal forces in the Valley. Relegated to subordinate administrative duties, Hunter asked Union officials to relieve him of his duties.
Lynchburg Campaign
The Lynchburg Campaign was one of three campaigns that comprised the Shenandoah Valley Campaigns of 1864. The other two campaigns were Early’s Valley Campaign (July to August) and Sheridan’s Valley Campaign (August to October).
Timeline
- 1864, March 12 — President Abraham Lincoln appointed Ulysses S. Grant as General-in-Chief of the Armies of the United States.
- 1864, May — Franz Sigel marched between 9,000 and 10,000 Union soldiers into the Shenandoah Valley during the Lynchburg Campaign.
- 1864, May 15 — Confederate forces won the Battle of New Market. Afterward, Union officials removed Sigel from command and replaced him with David Hunter.
- 1864, June 6 — Union forces won the Battle of Piedmont.
- 1864, June 12 — Hunter’s soldiers burned the Virginia Military Institute and looted Lexington, Virginia.
- 1864, June 16 — John C. Breckinridge’s Confederate forces arrived in Lynchburg and constructed defensive lines.
- 1864, June 17–18 — Confederate forces won the Battle of Lynchburg and forced the Union army into West Virginia.
- 1864, July–August — Early’s Valley Campaign followed the Lynchburg Campaign.
- 1864, August–October — Sheridan’s Valley Campaign followed Early’s Valley Campaign.
AP US History
Definition
Lynchburg Campaign (1864) — The Lynchburg Campaign was the first of three campaigns that formed the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864. General Franz Sigel advanced into the valley but lost the Battle of New Market on May 15. General David Hunter replaced Sigel and won the Battle of Piedmont before burning the Virginia Military Institute. General Jubal Early then defeated Hunter at Lynchburg and forced the Union army into West Virginia.
Alignment
The Lynchburg Campaign is part of the following AP US History sections:
