Rutherford's Farm

On July 20, 1864, Confederate troops led by Maj. Gen. Stephen D. Ramseur clashed with Union forces commanded by Brig. Gen. William W. Averell near Rutherford's Farm in Frederick County, Virginia. This limited but notable clash, sometimes called Carter's Farm or Stephenson's Depot, formed part of Lt. Gen. Jubal Early's Valley Campaign during the American Civil War and ended with Union forces prevailing.

Among those who fought that day was Pvt. John Shanes of Company K, 14th West Virginia Infantry. His conduct near Carter's Farm earned him the Medal of Honor: he rushed ahead of his fellow soldiers to attack a Confederate fieldpiece, and through his own efforts managed to silence it.

Background

General Early found himself pushed back on two fronts when Union forces attacked his flanks at Kabletown and Berry's Ferry without success, yet these engagements convinced him to pull his troops away from Berryville and head for the safer ground around Strasburg, a retreat that began on July 19. This shift in position meant Confederate forces first had to clear out the hospitals and supply depots located at their operational base in Winchester. Ramseur's division received the assignment of shielding this withdrawal, and Early instructed the men to remain behind the city's fortifications, avoiding any combat with enemy troops unless absolutely necessary.

Meanwhile, three days earlier, Union commander Maj. Gen. David Hunter had acted on faulty intelligence suggesting Confederate horsemen were massing in Winchester for an assault on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Responding to this perceived danger, he sent Averell's division out from Martinsburg. Setting out on the nineteenth of July, Averell advanced cautiously through the valley, conscious of the risk that Early's larger force might overwhelm his own, and by evening he had reached only Bunker Hill, where his men settled in for the night.

Battle

On the morning of July 20, Ramseur's division reached Winchester, and he immediately sent his horsemen, John C. Vaughn and William L. Jackson, north to Carter's Farm to size up the enemy. Around 7 a.m. Confederate skirmishers spotted the Federal camp at Bunker Hill and passed word back to Ramseur. Two hours later Averell's men struck their tents and pushed down the Valley Turnpike, trading fire with Confederate skirmishers for the length of the march. By 11 a.m. they reached Stephenson's Depot, where Vaughn's and Jackson's dismounted troopers waited on a low ridge, backed by cannon. That artillery fire stopped the Federals in their tracks, and Averell answered by wheeling up his own guns, sparking a long exchange of fire.

Around 2 p.m., Vaughn sent word to Ramseur describing the situation and urging him to bring up infantry for an ambush. Although Early had instructed him to remain behind Winchester's defenses, Ramseur sensed an opportunity for a decisive win and, siding with Vaughn, ordered his foot soldiers forward into the growing fight. Within the hour these troops arrived and hid themselves in a stand of trees on the ridge. Just as they settled into position, the Union assault began. When the attacking Federals neared the woods, the hidden Confederates fired a sudden volley that stalled the advance and threatened to collapse the Union left.

The Confederates' good fortune did not last, however, since the treeline they occupied met the Turnpike at a sharp angle, leaving their own left flank exposed toward the oncoming Federals. Union cavalry guarding the Federal right soon crashed into that vulnerable flank and bent it back. Although the Confederate center and right kept pouring destructive fire into the Union center and left, one regiment after another on the Confederate left gave way and streamed back toward Winchester, and eventually the entire line broke apart in retreat. Ramseur tried to rally his men, but the formation could not be restored before reaching the town's fortifications. Uncertain where the remainder of Early's army might be, Averell chose not to chase the fleeing Confederates, and with that decision the fighting came to a close.

Aftermath

The clash ended in a clear win for Union forces, though its strategic weight amounted to little beyond a welcome lift in morale after a series of setbacks against Early's seasoned troops. Winchester's evacuation proceeded without interruption, and Ramseur, whose insubordination had cost needless casualties, faced only a sharp rebuke from Early rather than any real punishment.

For his conduct near Carter's Farm, Pvt. John Shanes of Company K, 14th West Virginia Infantry, was awarded the Medal of Honor. He had pushed ahead of the men around him to charge a Confederate fieldpiece, silencing it through his own efforts alone.

Today the ground where the fighting occurred looks far different, having undergone extensive development in recent years. Sitting at the northern edge of Winchester, Virginia, the former battlefield is now home to a shopping center and an office complex.