His Death Caused The Burning Of A Town

Union Major John Rodgers Meigs was killed October 3^rd 1864 under a cloud of controversy which led to the burning of a town in Virginia as retaliation.

John Rodgers Meigs was born February 9^th 1841 the son of Major General Montgomery C and Louisa (Rodgers) Meigs.  He received an appointment to the United State Military Academy at West Point in 1859.  He took a short leave from the school following the First Battle of Bull Run to serve as aide-de-camp to Union General Philip Henry Sheridan.  Meigs returned to West Point graduating at the top of the class of 1863.

Following the Battle of Gettysburg, Meigs became a staff officer for Brigadier General Benjamin Franklin Kelly in West Virginia.  He saw action at the Battle of New Market, and was with Sheridan during the actions in the Shenandoah Valley.  Meigs received a brevet to Captain and then to Major for action in the Third Battle of Winchester and the Battle of Fisher’s Hill.

On the rainy night of October 3^rd 1864 Meigs and two other Union soldiers were traveling to Union headquarters in Harrisonburg, Virginia.  They came onto three Confederate cavalrymen riding on the same road.  Both parties demanded the surrender of the other.  There was an exchange of gunfire during which Meigs was killed, one of the men riding with him was taken prisoner, and the third man escaped.  The man who escaped told Sheridan that Meigs was killed without the chance to defend himself.  Thinking Meigs had been murdered; Sheridan ordered the town of Dayton, Virginia to be burned to the ground as retaliation.

Meigs’ father had him buried in the Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington, DC, but would latter have him re-interred in Arlington National Cemetery.

A Fight At Fisher's Hill

The Battle of Fisher’s Hill a part of the Valley Campaign was fought September 22^nd 1864 near Strasburg, Virginia.

The Union had about 30,000 men in the Shenandoah Valley under Major General Philip H Sheridan.  They were opposing about 10,000 Confederates fighting under Lieutenant General Jubal Anderson Early.  After the Third Battle of Winchester the Confederates took up a strong position with their right on the North Branch of the Shenandoah River and left on Fisher’s Hill.  Union Major General George Crook began the attack September 22^nd 1864 at about 4 pm.  The Union infantry pushed Confederate Cavalry causing Confederate Major General Stephen Dodson Ramseur to refuse his left flank.  With Ramseur’s line pushed in the Confederate’s fell back to Waynesboro, Virginia.

Union Brigadier General Alfred Torbert with 6,000 cavalry then moved against about 1,200 Confederate cavalry under the command of Brigadier General William Wickam.  Torbert was supposed to move behind Early and cut off any retreat of the Fisher’s Hill area.  Torbert was pushed back by the Confederate cavalry and Early go t away.  The battle resulted in 1,235 Confederate casualties and 528 Union.