During the Civil War, Lynchburg served primarily as a supply and hospital center, and was spared most of the destruction that befell other Virginia cities and towns. Lynchburg did see battle action, however, in June of 1864, when Confederate forces successfully fought off a Union attack. On June 17, Union General David Hunter approached the city from the west after moving down the Shenandoah Valley burning farms and towns. On the morning of June 17, Crook was ordered ``to march across to the main road at New London." He arrived there at 10:00 A.M. and stopped to wait for Union General Jeremiah C. Sullivan's division. At 4:00 P.M., Crook led the two divisions forward on the main road to Lynchburg. Averell was marching ``on a road to the right, which intersected the main road some four miles from Lynchburg" and when Crook reached the intersection, Averell was engaging the Confederates ``at the church on the hill beyond." After a series of delaying actions by Confederate General John McCausland, the Union troops managed to force back a Confederate line positioned at the old Quaker Meeting House, and took the nearby Sandusky House for use as a temporary headquarters. On June 18 following the fallback, Confederate forces, now reinforced by General Jubal Early, maintained positions along a 3-mile line west of the town (extending from what is now Fort Early to McCausland Ridge).

The best information to be obtained at this point of the enemy's forces and plans indicated that all the rebel forces heretofore operating in the Valley and West Virginia were concentrated in Lynchburg, under the command of General [John C.] Breckinridge. This force was variously estimated at from 10,000 to 15,000 men, well supplied with artillery, and protected by strong works.

The night before a train had scurried up and down the tracks as if it brought in reinforcements to Lynchburg and bugles and drum rolls could be heard by even Hunters men. It was a ploy that even the townspeople took part in, with bands playing and citizens screaming. Hunter became convinced Lee had sent an army in. On the turnpike outside the city near the old Quaker church, McCausland was at the right flank, somewhere between the river and creek. Crook was going to attack McCausland's men but decided it unwise. The day grew hot and the soldiers suffered from exhaustion, fear, heat and dust. The constant noise of the artillery filled the air on and off throughout the day. The battle ended sometime after 2:00 p.m.

McCown reported that the Thirteenth ``did not get up to the front until 9 o'clock P.M., when it was assigned to its place in line of battle for the next day." On June 18 ``. . . at sunrise the enemy opened heavily with artillery." Crook took his division to see if he could turn the enemy's left, but decided against it. As he was returning, the Confederates suddenly came out of their works and attacked him on the Bedford Turnpike, hoping to cut his line in half. Sullivan, however, was able to hold the enemy until Crook had safely returned.

That afternoon, however, Hunter wrote: ``It had now become sufficiently evident that the enemy had concentrated a force of at least double the numerical strength of mine, and what added to the gravity of the situation was the fact that my troops had scarcely enough of ammunition left to sustain another well contested battle." Hunter began preparing to retreat as soon as darkness came, but meanwhile, because there were still five hours of daylight left, he ordered the army to continue fighting. The Thirteenth was ``deployed in the line of battle in front of brigade at 1:00 P.M., and slowly advanced under a heavy artillery and musketry fire toward the enemy's works." The Confederates were ``repulsed with loss" and ``fell back to their works and kept a desultory fire until 8 o'clock P.M., when learning that the enemy had been re-enforced [sic] by Earleys [sic] Corps from Richmond, we were ordered to withdraw" At 8:00 P.M., they were ordered to march ``one mile beyond the village of New London" where they camped for the night. Their losses stood at six wounded and missing.

The soldiers were stunned. Private William B. Stark, a member of the Thirty-fourth Massachusetts Volunteers, expressed their feelings in these words: ``After the battle, Hunter made preparations to retreat . . . but we did not think such a thing possible. We must and would take Lynchburg at all hazards; rations we must have and we could get them only in Lynchburg. We could never retreat, that was impossible; if we were not all captured we should most certainly starve."

We thought when we were going to Lynchburg that we had an awful large army and nothing could stand before it. We have since learned, to our cost, that it was too small to go where we went. We also found that it was not impossible to overcome us. The troops are not so very differently constituted. Rebel soldiers fight splendidly and there is no better soldiers to bear burdens or suffer privations or defeats.

We were hundreds of miles away from reinforcements and supplies. Our amunition (sic) was nearly exhausted and we had no rations or place to get any. We were already worn with hunger and exhaustion from the last 4 days and nearly sleepless nights. Some . . . had no control of themselves. They fell and were of course gobbled up.

After inconclusive fighting, the Union troops withdrew under the false impression they were facing a larger Confederate force. Part of the deception arose from a continuous series of train movements on several rail lines, giving the impression that reinforcements were arriving at a steady pace. The following day, General Early chased the Union troops back towards Liberty (now Bedford), overtaking them and inflicting heavy casualties. The course of these events turned to favor the Confederates and now the Federals fled. That morning Major Genera. R. Ransom joined McCausland's brigade as they sped to Buchanan in an effort to cut off Hunter. The day became hot and the roads thick with dust. Kyd Douglas noted, as they went, "ransacked houses, crying women, clothes ... draggled (sic) in the road, the garments of little children, here and there ... a burning house marked ... Hunter's retreat ... and ... I felt that vengeance ought not be left entirely to the Lord." McCausland hoped to take General David Hunter prisoner, and on the 19th caught up with Hunter's rear guard at Liberty (now Bedford, Va) ten miles west of Lynchburg. McCausland then captured part of Hunter's supply train, destroying part of it and then resumed the chase.