BA004847
Second Battle of Waynesborough
Dec. 4, 1864
Today marks the "second" battle of Waynesboro. This was the last significant engagement before the Yankees arrived at Savannah, and the capture of Ft. McAlister on the 13th.
"We have also consumed the corn and fodder in the region of country thirty miles on either side of a line from Atlanta to Savannah, as also the sweet potatoes, cattle, hogs, sheep and poultry, and have carried away more than ten thousand horses and mules, as well as a countless number of their slaves. I estimate the damage done to the state of Georgia and its military resources at one hundred millions of dollars; at least twenty millions of which have inured to our advantage, and the remainder is simple waste and destruction."
The Bastard, WTS
The following is excerpted from my book, The Battles for Buckhead Creek and Waynesborough.
Brig. Gen. Judson Kilpatrick with his command of the 3rd Cavalry Division set out on the morning of December 4th and rode northeastward towards Waynesborough. His objective was attack Waynesborough and destroy Joseph Wheeler’s cavalry command.
At 7:30 A.M. US Colonel Smith D. Atkins's brigade drove Wheeler's advanced guard into their entrenchments south of Waynesborough. Atkins rode around the Confederate position and hit their rear. When the Federals flanked their left, the Confederates fled north to the town, their second line of defense.
As the Union advance continued, they met more barricades which required time to overcome. Kilpatrick's entire division attacked the barricades in a frontal assault. Finally, the Confederates fell back to a final line of barricades within the town. After furious fighting, the Union troops broke through and occupied Waynesborough. The Confederate forces retreated north of town and established a line of defense at the creek. Kilpatrick’s men did not pursue and after two days, the confederate forces withdrew to Augusta. Estimated casualties were 190 U.S. and 250 C.S.
The Confederate entrenchments at the creek were still in place until about 2006 when a new bridge was built and the breastworks destroyed.
My Comments: Again the casualty number for the Confederate Forces (250 CS) are unsubstantiated. If Wheeler’s troops were decimated / ran off, why did Kilpatrick and his forces retreat back to the main Yankee force and not consolidate their gains? Why did they not succeed in burning Waynesboro after two attempts?