Battle of Fisher's Hill

Battle of Fisher's Hill
	Part of the American Civil War
	; Battlefields of Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek, VA
Date	September–October, 1864
Location	Shenandoah County, Virginia38°59′02″N 78°23′45″W / 38.9838°N 78.3959°W
Result	Union victory
Belligerents
United States (Union)	CSA (Confederacy)
Commanders and leaders
Philip H. Sheridan	Jubal Early
Units involved
Army of the Shenandoah	Army of the Valley
Strength
~35,000 ("present for duty"); 29,444 (engaged)	9,500
Casualties and losses
528	1,234

The Battle of Fisher's Hill was fought September 21–22, 1864, near

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

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.

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

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 in the action at Fisher's Hill.

Private James Connors, 43rd New York Infantry
Private
John Creed
, 23rd Illinois Infantry
Private
11th West Virginia Infantry
Sergeant
61st Pennsylvania Infantry
First Lieutenant
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 362 acres (1.46 km²) of the battlefield.^[8] The preserved portion of the battlefield is marked by trails and interpretive signs.^[9]

Notes

^ National Park Service.
^ Further information: Official Records, Series I, Volume XLIII, Part 1, pages 107-112.
^ Further information: Official Records, Series I, Volume XLIII, Part 1, pages 1002-1003.
^ 40,000 (at Third Battle of Winchester) - 5,000 casualties (Third Battle of Winchester); Further information: Official Records, Series I, Volume XLIII, Part 1, page 61 and pages 112-119.
^ Further information: Official Records, Series I, Volume XLIII, Part 1, page 1011.
^ Further information: Official Records, Series I, Volume XLIII, Part 1, pages 120-124.
^ Further information: Official Records, Series I, Volume XLIII, Part 1, page 557.
^ [1] American Battlefield Trust "Saved Land" webpage. Accessed May 25, 2018.
^ [2] American Battlefield Trust Fisher's Hill Battlefield page. Accessed May 28, 2018.

References

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
ISBN 1-57003-450-8
.

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

[1] National Park Service.

[2] Further information: Official Records, Series I, Volume XLIII, Part 1, pages 107-112.

[3] Further information: Official Records, Series I, Volume XLIII, Part 1, pages 1002-1003.

[4] 40,000 (at Third Battle of Winchester) - 5,000 casualties (Third Battle of Winchester); Further information: Official Records, Series I, Volume XLIII, Part 1, page 61 and pages 112-119.

[5] Further information: Official Records, Series I, Volume XLIII, Part 1, page 1011.

[6] Further information: Official Records, Series I, Volume XLIII, Part 1, pages 120-124.

[7] Further information: Official Records, Series I, Volume XLIII, Part 1, page 557.

[8] [1] American Battlefield Trust "Saved Land" webpage. Accessed May 25, 2018.

[9] [2] American Battlefield Trust Fisher's Hill Battlefield page. Accessed May 28, 2018.

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