Campaign and battle of Lynchburg, Va.

A veteran’s recollection, delivered on the thirty‑seventh anniversary of the fighting, brings the 1864 campaign into vivid focus. Written by a former cavalryman who served with the Second Virginia, the address blends personal reminiscence with a clear-eyed appraisal of why Lynchburg mattered so greatly to the Confederacy—its stores of provisions, medical supplies, and the vital rail line that fed Lee’s army. The introductory pages also include a roster of local volunteer companies, offering a tangible link to the community that rallied to defend the city.

The narrative then turns to the Union’s strategy, drawing from General Grant’s June orders that urged General Hunter to seize Lynchburg, even if only for a single day. It outlines the planned march through Charlottesville, the intended destruction of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway, and the hope of cutting the “Lynchburg branch” of the Orange & Alexandria line. By juxtaposing these high‑level directives with the Confederate readiness to reinforce the garrison, the work captures the tense buildup to the battle without revealing its later outcomes.