The Battle of Mine Run, also known as Payne's Farm, or New Hope Church, or the Mine Run Campaign (November 27 – December 2, 1863), was conducted in Orange County, Virginia, in the American Civil War. An unsuccessful attempt to defeat Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, it was marked by false starts and low casualties and ended the war in the Eastern Theater for the year.

After the Battle of Gettysburg in July, Robert E. Lee retreated back across the Potomac River to Virginia. Union commander Maj. Gen. George G. Meade was widely criticized for failing to pursue aggressively and defeat Lee's army. Meade planned new offensives in Virginia that fall to correct this. His first attempt was a series of inconclusive duels and maneuvers in October and November known as the Bristoe Campaign.

In late November, Meade attempted to steal a march through the Wilderness of Spotsylvania and strike the right flank of the Confederate army south of the Rapidan River. Meade had intelligence reports that Lee's army, half the size of Meade's Army of the Potomac, was split in two, separated by Clark's Mountain, with the two flanks anchored at Mine Run and Liberty Mills, over thirty miles apart. His plan was to cross the Rapidan at points beyond J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry screen, overwhelm the right flank (Richard S. Ewell's corps) and then follow up with the remainder (A.P. Hill's).

Unlike Joseph Hooker's plan in the Battle of Chancellorsville earlier that year on essentially the same ground, Meade planned no diversions; he intended a lightning strike with his entire army. The army marched on November 25 and got off to a good start, aided by fog on Clark's Mountain, which screened his movements from Confederate lookouts. However, William H. French 's III Corps got bogged down in fording the river at Jacob's Ford, causing traffic jams when they moved their artillery to Germanna Ford, where other units were attempting to cross.

Speed had escaped George Meade, who was furious with French. And Robert E. Lee had time to react. He ordered Maj. Gen. Jubal A. Early, in command of Ewell's Second Corps, to march east on the Orange Turnpike to meet French's advance near Payne's Farm. Joseph B. Carr 's division of French's corps attacked twice. Edward "Allegheny" Johnson's division counterattacked, but was scattered by heavy fire and broken terrain.

After dark, Lee withdrew to prepared field fortifications along Mine Run. The next day the Union army closed on the Confederate position. Meade planned a heavy artillery bombardment followed by Gouverneur K. Warren's attack in the south, then John Sedgwick's in the north an hour later. Lee planned an assault for December 2 that would have exploited the dangling left flank of the Union line, discovered the previous day by Wade Hampton's cavalry. Although the Union bombardment began on schedule, the major attack did not materialize; Meade concluded that the Confederate line was too strong to attack and retired during the night of December 1–2, ending the fall campaign. Lee was chagrined to find he had no one to attack.

The Army of the Potomac went into winter quarters at Brandy Station, Virginia. Mine Run had been Meade's final opportunity to plan a strategic offensive prior to the arrival of Ulysses S. Grant as general-in-chief the following spring. Lee also regretted the inconclusive results. He was quoted as saying, "I am too old to command this army. We never should have permitted those people to get away." Confederate hopes of repeating their Chancellorsville triumph had been dashed.

External link

• National Park Service battle description