Locust Grove in Orange County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

The Battle of Payne’s Farm

Stalemate at the Crossroads

Photographed By Bernard Fisher, June 6, 2011

1. The Battle of Payne’s Farm CWT Marker

Inscription. “Gen. [Edward] Johnson … cheered us on to the fight with ‘Hurrah for North Carolina, go it North Carolina—give it to them boys!’ … The Federals were as thick as black birds in our front.” — Capt. Thomas Boone, 1st North Carolina Infantry, CSA

“Our battery was doing fine execution, planting their shell into the very midst of the rebel masses, and dealing death and dismay to their troops.” — Thomas E. Cook, reporting for the New York Herald, USA

Union Gen. Henry Prince’s Second Division, III Corps, marched in advance of the Federal army on the day of battle. Uncertain of which roads to take and encountering Confederates in force near the intersection, Prince halted, allowing his enemy precious time to concentrate near the battlefield. Prince advanced two brigades into a clearing of several acres on both sides of the road to your right front. At the same time, Confederate Gen. George H. Steuart spread his brigade out along the Raccoon Ford Road and attacked.

The fight seesawed back and forth as charge met countercharge. The dense underbrush made the advance far more difficult and, despite his numerically superior force, Prince was unable to exploit his advantage. Calling for reinforcements, Prince adopted a defensive position near the clearing and waited.

Paid Advertisement

Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.

Click or scan to see
this page online

For their part, Steuart's men had exhausted their ammunition and were in no position to resume the offensive. His 1st and 3rd North Carolina regiments lost more men killed and wounded than any other Confederate units during the Mine Run Campaign.

Erected 2011 by The Civil War Trust and Virginia Civil War Trails.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Civil War Trails series list.

Location. 38° 20.266′ N, 77° 49.757′ W. Marker is in Locust Grove, Virginia, in Orange County. Marker can be reached from Zoar Road (Virginia Route 611) east of Indiantown Road (Virginia Route 603). Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 31334 Zoar Road, Locust Grove VA 22508, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. A different marker also named The Battle of Payne’s Farm (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named The Battle of Payne’s Farm (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named The Battle of Payne’s Farm (approx. ¼ mile away); a different marker also named The Battle of Payne’s Farm (approx. 0.3 miles away); a different marker also named The Battle of Payne’s Farm (approx.

The Battle of Payne’s Farm initial troop deployment image. Click for full size.

2. The Battle of Payne’s Farm initial troop deployment

0.4 miles away); a different marker also named The Battle of Payne’s Farm (approx. 0.4 miles away); a different marker also named The Battle of Payne’s Farm (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Mine Run Campaign (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Locust Grove.

More about this marker. On the lower left is a battlefield map with the caption, "After Prince’s skirmishers fired on the rear of Johnson’s column, the battle escalated and involved Prince’s Union division and Steuart’s and Walker’s Confederate brigades."

On the upper right are two portraits with the captions, "Union Gen. Henry Prince is only partly to blame for the slow advance of III Corp on November 27. After Prince’s initial delays, Gen. William H. French slowed the forward movement even more but subsequently blamed Prince for the entire affair. French and Prince were reassigned after the Mine Run Campaign, their military reputations forever tarnished. Courtesy Library of Congress" and "Lt. John Knight Bucklyn, Battery E, 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery, positioned near Prince’s division, heard “the peculiar rebel yell” as the Confederates charged his

Union officers image. Click for full size.

June 6, 2011

3. Union officers

battery. He “gave them canister, shot, spherical case, and shell,” and the Southerners fell back whence they came. — Courtesy Gettysburg National Military Park"

Also see . . .
1. Mine Run (Payne's Farm). American Battlefield Trust (Submitted on June 6, 2011.)

2. The Mine Run Campaign by James K. Bryant II. Essential Civil War Curriculum, Virginia Center for Civil War Studies at Virginia Tech (Submitted on June 6, 2011.)

The Battle of Payne’s Farm Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Benjamin Harrison Allen, November 26, 2021

4. The Battle of Payne’s Farm Marker

A new version of the marker has been installed.

Jacob's Ford Road is in the distance image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Bernard Fisher, June 6, 2011

5. Jacob's Ford Road is in the distance

Present-day Indiantown Road

Credits. This page was last revised on February 24, 2022. It was originally submitted on June 6, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 938 times since then and 27 times this year. Last updated on April 16, 2018, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 6, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. 4. submitted on February 23, 2022, by Benjamin Harrison Allen of Amissville, Virginia. 5. submitted on June 6, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.