While returning to the Shenandoah Valley after burning Chambersburg, McCausland’s and Johnson’s cavalry stopped to rest and regroup in "Oldfields" near Moorefield. Oldfields is a flat plain located along the road to Romeny. I think it got its name from the time that native Americans were in the area.Through a combination of carelessness and poor intelligence, the Confederates were surprised on August 7 and routed by General William W. Averell and his pursuing Union cavalry. This defeat cost the Confederate greatly. Not only did the Confederate loose many of their best cavalrymen, they lost hundreds of irreplaceable warhorses.
This defeat impeded the morale and effectiveness of these cavalry units for the remainder of the 1864 Valley Campaign. This engagement is also known as the Battle of Old Fields because that is the location where most of the fight took place. Result(s): Union victory
Estimated Casualties:531 total
Location: Hardy County, West Virginia
Want to Learn More?
Links to the Civil War in the Shenandoah Valley
The Civil War in the Shenandoah Valley Home Page
Back to Battles and Battlefields in the Shenandoah Valley
| History of the War in the Valley | Historic Places | Tour | Valley Museums | Soldiers and Civilians | Site Map | Valley Historical Links |
|
|
||||||
This page has been visited times since September 22, 2001
