Battle of Williamsport 1863
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 1863 | Wikidata P585 (point in 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 | 39.6333, -77.7167 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Williamsport, also known as the Battle of Hagerstown or Falling Waters, took place from July 6 to July 16, 1863, in Washington County, Maryland, as part of the Gettysburg campaign of the American Civil War. It is not to be confused with the fighting at Hoke's Run which was also known as the Battle of Falling Waters.
During the night of July 4–July 5, Gen. Robert E. Lee's battered Confederate army began its retreat from Gettysburg, moving southwest on the Fairfield Road toward Hagerstown and Williamsport, screened by Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry. The Union infantry followed cautiously the next day, converging on Middletown, Maryland.
By July 7, Brig. Gen. John D. Imboden stopped Brig. Gen. John Buford's Union cavalry from occupying Williamsport and destroying Confederate trains. On July 6, Brig. Gen. Judson Kilpatrick's cavalry division drove two Confederate cavalry brigades through Hagerstown before being forced to retire by the arrival of the rest of Stuart's command. Lee's infantry reached the rain-swollen Potomac River but could not cross, the pontoon bridge having been destroyed by a cavalry raid.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Williamsport (revision 1370276911), 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 Funkstown 1863 · 3 km
- Battle of Boonsboro 1863 · 13 km
- Battle of Antietam 1862 · 18 km
- Battle of South Mountain 1862 · 18 km
- Battle of Hoke's Run 1861 · 21 km
- Battle of Shepherdstown 1862 · 23 km
Other battles of the American Civil War
- Siege of Fort Macon 1862
- Siege of Fort Pulaski 1862
- Skirmish at Paint Rock Bridge 1862
- Skirmish of the Brick Church 1862
- Van Buren raid 1862
- Action off Galveston Light 1863
- Battle of Aldie 1863
- Battle of Arkansas Post 1863
- Battle of Baxter Springs 1863
- Battle of Bayou Bourbeux 1863
All 498 battles of the American Civil War →
Browse more: battles in United States · North America · 19th century battles