"Run or Die"

"Run or Die". Desperate Fighting Occurred Here. On three separate occasions dramatic Civil War events took place here on Rutherford's Farm and the nearby Susan Carter farm, land now radically changed by development. The homesteads sat by the Valley Turnpike, modern Route 11, and their location placed them squarely in the path of warring armies., During the Gettysburg Campaign, on June 14-15, 1863, hard-marching Confederate troops chased Union Gen. Robert H. Milroy's army on the turnpike behind you after the Second Battle of Winchester. The Confederates caught Milroy and defeated him at Stephenson's Depot, modern Stephenson, to the north., On July 20, 1864, shot, shell and the yells of fighting soldiers filled the air here during the Battle of Rutherford's Farm, when Union Gen. William W. Averell's cavalry and infantry overwhelmed Gen. Stephen Ramseur's Confederates and sent them retreating to Winchester during the Shenandoah Valley Campaign. The fight left 420 dead and wounded men on the land surrounding you., A few month later, on September 19, 1864, during the Third Battle of Winchester, Gen. George Custer's cavalrymen thundered across Rutherford's Farm in pursuit of retreating Confederate infantry and cavalry that were heading south to regroup at Fisher's Hill during the Shenandoah Valley Campaign., "The enemy... advanced from the wood and charged our line of skirmishers.... A short but closely contested struggle ensued, which resulted in the repulse of the enemy. Many prisoners were taken, and quite a number on both side left on the field.", Gen. George Custer recalled the September 19, 1864, fight at Rutherford's Farm., "This was the first time the Yankees saw my back, but it was run or die...." , A North Carolina soldier describes the July 20, 1864, Battle of Rutherford's Farm., (captions) , Gen. George A. Custer's cavalry charging and capturing prisoners near the turnpike, September 19, 1864 - Courtesy Library of Congress, Confederate cartographer Jebediah Hotchkiss made this map of the July 20, 1864, Battle of Rutherford's Farm. Both it and the inset map are oriented with north to the right. You are looking slightly northwest, and Union Gen. Averell's attack swept from your right to your left across this area, once part of Rutherford's farm. - Courtesy Library of Congress