 He took command of a brigade of inexperienced New York militia and led it in pursuit of the retreating Army of Northern Virginia following the Battle of Gettysburg.Returning to his XII Corps brigade, Knipe went to the Western Theater and served in the Atlanta Campaign.He took command of a division of Union cavalry during John Bell Hood's incursion into Tennessee, and captured 6,000 Confederates and eight battleflags in a decisive victory over the retreating Army of Tennessee following the Battle of Nashville.