Battle of Opequon, or Third Winchester, September 19, 1864

The Battle of Opequon was Union General Philip Sheridan's long-awaited decisive blow against the Confederate forces in the Shenandoah Valley led by General Jubal Early. Sheridan had been maneuvering for nearly two months, avoiding conflict when the odds were unfavorable, actively seeking the opportunity to crush the Confederate forces. Early, convinced that Sheridan was yet another ineffective Union commander, gave Sheridan his opportunity by dispatching a portion of his force to rejoin General Lee's army defending Petersburg, and dispersing much of the rest for raids against the North, including the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad at Martinsburg. The battle, on September 19, 1864, was the largest and most costly engagement of the Civil War in the Shenandoah Valley, and was a decisive Union victory.

The battle began with a Union advance from the Berryville area towards Winchester along the Winchester-Berryville Pike in the early morning hours. After crossing Opequon Creek, the Pike enters a narrow ravine known as Berryville Canyon, which seriously slowed the Union advance, giving Early time to concentrate his dispersed forces to resist the attack. When the Union forces finally assembled for an assault across what became know as the Middle Field, the resistance was fierce and the attack failed, resulting in over 3,000 casualties. A separate Union assault, near the Dinkle Barn, acheived initial success but a counterattack drove the attackers back, again with heavy casualties.

With the Union attack stalled, Sheridan ordered Crook's 8th Corps, which included the 116th Ohio as part of Thoburn's 1st Division, to attack the enemy's left flank. This attack eventually succeeded in turning the flank and causing a Confederate withdrawal toward Winchester. Sheridan then ordered a general attack along the entire front, with cavalry units menacing the enemy's rear. The Confederate defense collapsed and Early retreated through Winchester and up the Valley Pike towards Strasburg.

Links

• American Battlefield Protection Program study of Civil War sites in the Shenandoah Valley
• eHistory
• Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Battle Summary

Maps

• Modern topographic map of Ft. Collier area
• 1873 Map illustrating Battle of Opequon for the Official Record