First Battle of Saltville
The First Battle of Saltville (October 2, 1864) was fought near the town of Saltville, Virginia, during the American Civil War. The battle over significant Confederate saltworks in town was fought by both regular and Home Guard Confederate units against regular U.S. Army troops, which included two of the few black cavalry units of the United States Colored Troops. U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Stephen G. Burbridge, then commander of U.S. forces in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, led the U.S. Army troops.
| First Battle of Saltville | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the American Civil War | |||||||
View of part of the Saltville battlefield | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| United States (Union) | CSA (Confederacy) | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Stephen G. Burbridge | Alfred E. Jackson | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| 5th United States Colored Cavalry | Confederate Home Guard | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 5,000–5,200 | 2,000–2,800 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 450 | |||||||
Confederates murdered both black and white wounded soldiers after the battle, in what has been called the Saltville Massacre.
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