On Thursday, March 2, 1865 at Waynesborough, Virginia General George Armstrong Custer with 5000 Union troops assaulted Jubal Early’s once powerful Confederate force now reduced to two infantry brigades and cavalry totaling between one to two thousand men. Although escaping capture with his staff officers, Early later told of his “mortification of seeing the greater part of my command being carried off as prisoners.” Over 1000 Confederates were captured, along with two hundred wagons, ten artillery pieces, and seventeen battle flags. After resting for two days the victorious Union cavalry headed toward Charlottesville, Virginia, all the while destroying the tracks of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. Two weeks later Early and his staff finally arrived in Richmond—without their army-- to assist in the defense of the Confederate national capital.
00000174-b11b-ddc3-a1fc-bfdbb1a20000The Schreiner University Department of History is honoring the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War with a series of short vignettes focusing on events from 1861 through 1865. The Civil War was the most destructive conflict in American history, but it was also one of our most defining moments as a people and as a nation. Let us know what you think about "This Week in the Civil War." E-mail your comments to Dr. John Huddleston at jhuddles@schreiner.edu.Airs: Weekdays at 5:19 a.m., 8:19 a.m., 4:19 p.m. on KTXI and 4:49 a.m., 9:29 p.m. on KSTX.