- Joined
- Nov 8, 2018
- Location
- Palm Coast, Florida
After the battle of New Market, Lee, desperate for more troops, called for General Breckenridge, the victor at the battle, to send his 2 infantry brigades and artillery battalion to join him against Grant. This left the Valley defended by Grumble Jones and a smattering of other brigades, and allowed for David Hunter to march down, beat Jones, inflict casualties on the Confederate forces, and burn Staunton.
Could Lee have done without Breckenridge's troops? Breckenridge's force, plus W. E. Jones' reinforcements, could have stopped Hunter from moving down the Valley. If these numbers are as accurate as they could be, Breckenridge's 2 brigades numbered 2400 men, while Jones mustered 5,600 men againts Hunter at Piedmont. This would give him 9000 men, to oppose approx. 8,000 men. (These number's are courtesy of Scott Patchan's The Battle of Piedmont and Hunter's Raid on Stauton, and Alfred Young's Lee's Army in the Overland Campaign: A Numerical Study. For detailed breakdowns, see these threads: https://civilwartalk.com/threads/co...ening-of-the-valley-campaigns-of-1864.166760/ and https://civilwartalk.com/threads/co...gn-army-corps-division-and-or-brigade.155605/ respectively).
Could Lee have done without Breckenridge's troops? Breckenridge's force, plus W. E. Jones' reinforcements, could have stopped Hunter from moving down the Valley. If these numbers are as accurate as they could be, Breckenridge's 2 brigades numbered 2400 men, while Jones mustered 5,600 men againts Hunter at Piedmont. This would give him 9000 men, to oppose approx. 8,000 men. (These number's are courtesy of Scott Patchan's The Battle of Piedmont and Hunter's Raid on Stauton, and Alfred Young's Lee's Army in the Overland Campaign: A Numerical Study. For detailed breakdowns, see these threads: https://civilwartalk.com/threads/co...ening-of-the-valley-campaigns-of-1864.166760/ and https://civilwartalk.com/threads/co...gn-army-corps-division-and-or-brigade.155605/ respectively).