Battle of Winfield
Part of the American Civil War
DateOctober 26, 1864 (1864-10-26)
Location
Winfield, Putnam County, West Virginia
38°32.034′N 81°53.544′W / 38.533900°N 81.892400°W / 38.533900; -81.892400
Result Union victory
Belligerents
United States United States (Union) Confederate States of America Confederate States (Confederacy)
Commanders and leaders
United States Capt. John Reynolds Confederate States of America Lt. Col. Vincent Witcher
Confederate States of America Capt. Phillip Thurmond †
Units involved
Company D, 7th West Virginia Cavalry Thurmond's Rangers, 44th Virginia Cavalry
34th Virginia Cavalry Battalion
Strength
1 company, 83 men[1] 2 columns, 425 men[2][3]
Casualties and losses
None Unknown killed and wounded
Several captured

Lieutenant Colonel Vincent Witcher and Captain Phillip Thurmond led two columns of Confederates on October 26, 1864, against Federal troops protecting Winfield, the Putnam County Courthouse and local traffic on the Ohio River. Though outnumbered, Company D of the 7th West Virginia Cavalry under Captain John Reynolds repulsed the attack, killing Thurmond and taking several prisoners without suffering any major casualties.[4]

Lt. Col. Witcher led the first column, consisting of men from the 34th Virginia Cavalry Battalion, and Capt. Thurmond led the second column, consisting of his own Thurmond's Rangers, which was organized as part of the 44th Virginia Cavalry.

Background

Winfield's location along the Kanawha River made it an important hub for trade and commerce, and of strategic value during the war as a result. Control of this section of the riverfront enabled control of all steamboat traffic on the upper Kanawha.

Riding under the cover of darkness, a force of 425 Confederate troops approached the town, where they learned of the Union garrison's presence there.

Company D of the 7th West Virginia Cavalry had been ordered to Winfield primarily to protect steamboat traffic. A secondary role for Union troops was to guard the Putnam County Courthouse and town of Winfield from Confederate attack; not an unpopular task given the company's men were from Putnam and surrounding counties in West Virginia.[5]

References

  1. ↑ WV Gazette-Mail, Battle of Winfield, 26 October 2014, retrieved July 3, 2021
  2. ↑ WV Gazette-Mail, Battle of Winfield, 26 October 2014, retrieved July 3, 2021
  3. ↑ Charleston Gazette-Mail, 26 October 2014, retrieved November 13, 2020
  4. ↑ Historical Marker Database–Battle of Winfield, retrieved November 13, 2020
  5. ↑ e–WV, retrieved July 1, 2021


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