1SGDan
Major
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2009
- Location
- New Hampshire
Trevilian Station
Following the disaster at Cold Harbor Grant came under pressure from Washington to make progress against the Confederates. The enormous casualty list of the Overland Campaign created concern in the administration that the Northern population would continue to sour on the war effort. With the election only a few months away they wanted a victory. Grant obliged the politicians by devising a daring plan to disengage from the Army of Northern Virginia and move south across the James River to invest Petersburg, the rail hub that was key to Richmond. To prevent being caught on the move, a dangerous proposition for any army, Grant again turned to General Sheridan. The movement of 100,000 men could not be accomplished stealthily under the watchful eyes of the Confederate cavalry. They needed to be occupied so his newest move to the left could go undetected. Shrugging off the rather disappointing results of his recently completed raid on Richmond, Grant proposed another large scale cavalry movement, this time to the north. The object of the raid would be the Virginia Central Railroad around Gordonsville and Charlottesville. Unlike the previous adventure, however, Grant established three clear cut objectives for his horseman.
Sheridan was to:
1. Draw away the Confederate cavalry to mask the larger move.
2. Disrupt Lee's supply line by attacking the rail system that fed his army.
3. Link up with Major General Hunter moving east from the Shenandoah Valley to threaten the Army of Northern Virginia and Petersburg from the west.
It was an ambitious plan that readily appealed to Sheridan's self-absorbed notion of what cavalry operations should be. He hastily organized two divisions, under Torbert and Gregg, and struck out from Cold Harbor. They headed north with about 9,000 troopers, making no effort to disguise their move. He traveled considerably heavier this time than his previous raid. Four batteries of horse artillery and 125 wagons accompanied the column. They intended to present themselves as a threat and catch the attention of Robert E. Lee.
The march began on 7 June in intense early summer heat. Horses almost immediately began to give out. Those that succumbed were left to be put down by the rear guard. The move continued on at a tedious yet determined pace. It was Sheridan’s “intention to march along the north bank of the North Anna, cross it at Carpenter’s Ford, strike the railroad at Trevilian Station and destroy it to Louisa Court House, march past Gordonsville, strike the railroad again at Cobham Station, and destroy it thence to Charlottesville as we proceeded.” They remained unmolested until they had completed passage of the river.
Robert E. Lee learned of the movement almost immediately after it began and ordered a pursuit on 9 June. Lee understood that the Union force represented a serious threat to his fragile supply line. He ordered General Wade Hampton to protect the vulnerable line from the Union raiders. Hampton assessed the situation and determined that “Sheridan with a heavy force of cavalry and artillery” was headed for Trevilian Station and decided to “take one division in addition to my own and follow him”. Hampton moved his division out at once while “directing Major General Fitzhugh Lee to follow as speedily as possible.” He hoped “to interpose my command between him” and the railroad lifeline. By 10 June they had made camp at Green Spring Valley, 3 miles from Trevilian Station. Fitzhugh Lee’s men established camp at Louisa Court House.
Following the disaster at Cold Harbor Grant came under pressure from Washington to make progress against the Confederates. The enormous casualty list of the Overland Campaign created concern in the administration that the Northern population would continue to sour on the war effort. With the election only a few months away they wanted a victory. Grant obliged the politicians by devising a daring plan to disengage from the Army of Northern Virginia and move south across the James River to invest Petersburg, the rail hub that was key to Richmond. To prevent being caught on the move, a dangerous proposition for any army, Grant again turned to General Sheridan. The movement of 100,000 men could not be accomplished stealthily under the watchful eyes of the Confederate cavalry. They needed to be occupied so his newest move to the left could go undetected. Shrugging off the rather disappointing results of his recently completed raid on Richmond, Grant proposed another large scale cavalry movement, this time to the north. The object of the raid would be the Virginia Central Railroad around Gordonsville and Charlottesville. Unlike the previous adventure, however, Grant established three clear cut objectives for his horseman.
Sheridan was to:
1. Draw away the Confederate cavalry to mask the larger move.
2. Disrupt Lee's supply line by attacking the rail system that fed his army.
3. Link up with Major General Hunter moving east from the Shenandoah Valley to threaten the Army of Northern Virginia and Petersburg from the west.
It was an ambitious plan that readily appealed to Sheridan's self-absorbed notion of what cavalry operations should be. He hastily organized two divisions, under Torbert and Gregg, and struck out from Cold Harbor. They headed north with about 9,000 troopers, making no effort to disguise their move. He traveled considerably heavier this time than his previous raid. Four batteries of horse artillery and 125 wagons accompanied the column. They intended to present themselves as a threat and catch the attention of Robert E. Lee.
The march began on 7 June in intense early summer heat. Horses almost immediately began to give out. Those that succumbed were left to be put down by the rear guard. The move continued on at a tedious yet determined pace. It was Sheridan’s “intention to march along the north bank of the North Anna, cross it at Carpenter’s Ford, strike the railroad at Trevilian Station and destroy it to Louisa Court House, march past Gordonsville, strike the railroad again at Cobham Station, and destroy it thence to Charlottesville as we proceeded.” They remained unmolested until they had completed passage of the river.
Robert E. Lee learned of the movement almost immediately after it began and ordered a pursuit on 9 June. Lee understood that the Union force represented a serious threat to his fragile supply line. He ordered General Wade Hampton to protect the vulnerable line from the Union raiders. Hampton assessed the situation and determined that “Sheridan with a heavy force of cavalry and artillery” was headed for Trevilian Station and decided to “take one division in addition to my own and follow him”. Hampton moved his division out at once while “directing Major General Fitzhugh Lee to follow as speedily as possible.” He hoped “to interpose my command between him” and the railroad lifeline. By 10 June they had made camp at Green Spring Valley, 3 miles from Trevilian Station. Fitzhugh Lee’s men established camp at Louisa Court House.