Lieutenant Colonel Vincent Witcher and Captain Phillip Thurmond led two columns of Confederates on October 26, 1864, against Federal troops protecting Winfield, the Putnam County Courthouse and local traffic on the Ohio River.

Though outnumbered, Company D of the 7th West Virginia Cavalry under Captain John Reynolds repulsed the attack, killing Thurmond and taking several prisoners without suffering any major casualties.

Winfield's location along the Kanawha River made it an important hub for trade and commerce, and of strategic value during the war as a result.

Riding under the cover of darkness, a force of 425 Confederate troops approached the town, where they learned of the Union garrison's presence there.

Company D of the 7th West Virginia Cavalry had been ordered to Winfield primarily to protect steamboat traffic.