3rd Battle of Winchester Battle Maps – Early Afternoon

3rd Winchester • Tour the Battlefield • Battle Maps • Battle Facts • The Armies
The Battlefield • Dawn • 10 a.m. • Attack • Counterattack • Early p.m. • Late p.m. • Dusk

By early afternoon the attacks and counterattacks had stalled out, although shooting continued along the battle line. All of Early’s divisions had fought hard and taken significant casualties. Sheridan’s men also suffered, and Ricketts’ and Grover’s men were behind the lines reorganizing.

Battle map for the 3rd Battle of Winchester - Early afternoon

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But where Early had no reserves, Sheridan still had the two divisions of Crook’s Eighth Corps (also known as the Army of West Virginia). Sheridan had been holding them back to move around the southern flank and block Early’s line of retreat when his defences collapsed. But Early was stubbornly not collapsing, and Crook’s reserve were the only men left that might make it happen.

There was some debate about who came up with the idea of a flank attack on the right, Crook or Sheridan. Whoever came up with the plan, Crook put it into action, sending Thoburn’s division through the First Woods and accompanying Duval’s division across Red Bud Run. Wickham’s cavalry and Breathed’s horse artillery, who had savaged the attack of Emory’s Nneteenth Corps from the safety of the other side of Red Bud Run, fell back as Duval’s division came right for them.

At the same time, Averell’s and Merrett’s cavalry divisions pushed through Stephenson’s Depot and worked their way down the Valley Pike toward Winchester. The outnumbered and outgunned Confederate cavalry had no choice but to fall back in front of them, and Wharton’s small infantry division moved to man the defenses on the north side of Winchester.

On the south flank Sheridan ordered Wilson’s cavalry to push toward Winchester to break the Confederate line of retreat, playing the role he had envisioned for the entire 8th Corps. But Lomax’s Confederate Cavalry dogged Wilson’s path, and he never got within sight of the Pike.