The Battle of Waynesboro was fought on December 4, 1864, at the Burke County seat of Waynesboro during the final stage of Sherman's March to the Sea. Union cavalry under Brig. Gen. Judson Kilpatrick, supported by infantry of Brig. Gen. Jefferson C. Davis's XIV Corps, attacked Confederate cavalry led by Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler, who was screening the town and its Augusta & Savannah Railroad link. After hard fighting, the Union troopers overran Wheeler's barricaded defensive line and drove his command from the field, suffering about 190 casualties to the Confederates' roughly 250. The victory helped conceal Sherman's true objective and opened the way for his armies to close on Savannah.
About this site
Waynesborough is a battlefield in Burke County, Georgia. It is one of 2 battlefields documented in Burke County, among 109 historic sites cataloged across the county on Georgia Roam.
The site sits at 33.0759, -81.9916. The nearest cataloged historic site is Burke Memorial Gardens (cemetery), about 0.5 miles away. Others within a short drive include Colonels Twiggs and Few, Old Quaker Road, and The Cavalry Actions at Waynesboro.
This record is drawn from the National Park Service. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
The Battle of Waynesboro was fought on December 4, 1864, at the Burke County seat of Waynesboro during the final stage of Sherman's March to the Sea. Union cavalry under Brig. Gen. Judson Kilpatrick, supported by infantry of Brig. Gen. Jefferson C. Davis's XIV Corps, attacked Confederate cavalry led by Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler, who was screening the town and its Augusta & Savannah Railroad link. After hard fighting, the Union troopers overran Wheeler's barricaded defensive line and drove his command from the field, suffering about 190 casualties to the Confederates' roughly 250. The victory helped conceal Sherman's true objective and opened the way for his armies to close on Savannah.
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