Battle of Lynchburg 1864
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 17 June 1864 – 18 June 1864 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1864 | Wikidata P580 (start time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | United States | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | North America | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | American Civil War | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 37.3845, -79.1832 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Lynchburg was fought on June 17–18, 1864, as part of the American Civil War. Over 30,000 soldiers were at the battle, and fighting took place outside of Lynchburg, Virginia. The Union Army of West Virginia, commanded by Major General David Hunter, attempted to capture the city. Hunter took too much time moving his force to Lynchburg; allowing Confederate reinforcements time to arrive to defend the city. Hunter was repulsed by troops under the command of Confederate Lieutenant General Jubal Early. A portion of Early's troops arrived on the first day the battle. Following the battle, Confederate troops pursued the Union army as it retreated into West Virginia.
Lynchburg was important to the Confederate Army. It had three railroads, a navigable canal, military hospitals, and was a distribution center for food and military supplies. Telecommunication lines strung along the railroads enabled Confederate military headquarters in Richmond to communicate with regional headquarters in western Virginia and Tennessee. Because of its importance, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant wanted Hunter to attack the city and its railroads.
Hunter retreated west into West Virginia after his defeat at Lynchburg. This left the Shenandoah Valley open to the Confederate Army down to Maryland.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Lynchburg (revision 1375121775), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Appomattox Station 1865 · 32 km
- Battle of Appomattox Court House 1865 · 34 km
- Battle of Galudoghson · 36 km
- Battle of Staunton River Bridge 1864 · 70 km
- Battle of Cumberland Church 1865 · 71 km
- Battle of High Bridge 1865 · 77 km
Other battles of the American Civil War
- Siege of Suffolk 1863
- Siege of Vicksburg 1863
- Skirmish at Ashley's Mills 1863
- Skirmish near Brooklyn, Kansas 1863
- Skirmish of Sporting Hill 1863
- Action at Ashley's Station 1864
- Ambush of the steamboat J. R. Williams 1864
- Bahia incident 1864
- Battle of Adairsville 1864
- Battle of Albemarle Sound 1864
All 498 battles of the American Civil War →
Browse more: battles in United States · North America · 19th century battles