Battle of Cumberland Church

Part of the American Civil War

Date	April 7, 1865 (1865-04-07)
Location	Cumberland County, Virginia, near Farmville, Virginia
Result	Confederate victory

Belligerents

United States (Union)

CSA (Confederacy)

Commanders and leaders

Andrew A. Humphreys
George Crook
J. Irvin Gregg

Robert E. Lee
Thomas L. Rosser
Thomas T. Munford

Units involved

II Corps Union Army
Army of the Potomac, Cavalry Corps, Second Division

Army of North Virginia

Strength

12,000

Casualties and losses

645

255

The Battle of Cumberland Church was fought on April 7, 1865, between the Union Army's II Corps of the Army of the Potomac and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia during the Appomattox Campaign of the American Civil War.

After the Battle of Sailor's Creek on April 6, 1865, surviving Confederate troops of Lieutenant General Richard H. Anderson and Major General John B. Gordon headed for the High Bridge, a double-deck structure with a railroad bridge on top and a lower wagon road bridge over the Appomattox River to cross to the north side of the river and continue their retreat to the west. The Confederates intended to destroy the bridge, which they had fought to save the day before in the Battle of High Bridge, but through mistakes and delays did not start to do so until Union troops of Major General Andrew A. Humpreys's II Corps began to arrive at the bridges. After a second smaller Battle of High Bridge, the Union soldiers at the scene kept the railroad bridge from total destruction and saved the wagon bridge in shape for use.

Humphreys's troops pursued the last division in the line of march, the division of Major General William Mahone to Cumberland Church about 4 miles (6.4 km) to the west and 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Farmville, Virginia where the Confederates began to fortify the high ground around the church. Soon, Lieutenant General James Longstreet with the entire remaining Confederate infantry moved up from Farmville, Virginia to join Mahone, burning the railroad and wagon bridges at Farmville after them. The Confederate cavalry and one infantry brigade that were left behind had to ford the river nearby.

...
Wikipedia