Battle of Tom’s Brook - October 9, 1864

The American Battlefield Trust’s map of the Battle of Tom’s Brook

On October 9, 1864, Union Brig. Gen. Alfred T. A. Torbert’s cavalry troopers turned on their Confederate pursuers as they moved down the Shenandoah River valley. The cavalry-on-cavalry battle devolved into two separate actions two miles apart. The Union division of Brig. Gen. George Custer engaged Maj. Gen. Thomas Rosser’s cavalrymen along the Back Road. To the south, downstream along Tom’s Brook, the division of Brig. Gen. Wesley Merritt collided with the Confederate division of Brig. Gen. Lunsford Lomax along the Valley Pike. Outnumbered two to one, both Confederate divisions had trouble mounting defenses against their fronts and flanks, and both were forced to retreat.

Learn More: The Battle of Tom’s Brook