The Battle of Staunton River Bridge was an engagement on June 25, 1864, between
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
and
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
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* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
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forces during
Wilson-Kautz Raid of the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
. The battle took place around the Staunton River Bridge, over the
Staunton River
The Roanoke River ( ) runs long through southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina in the United States. A major river of the southeastern United States, it drains a largely rural area of the coastal plain from the eastern edge of the App ...
, in Halifax and Charlotte counties,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
.
[
]
Background
During the month of June 1864, Confederate General Robert E. Lee was commanding the Army of Northern Virginia
The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most oft ...
in the defense of Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 33,458. The Bureau of Econ ...
, against the Union siege under the command of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
. The Confederate forces were dependent on the flow of supplies from the south and west along the South Side and Richmond and Danville Railroad
The Richmond and Danville Railroad (R&D) Company was a railroad that operated independently from 1847 until 1894, first in the U.S. state of Virginia, and later on of track in nine states.
Chartered on March 9, 1847, the railroad completed its ...
lines, and Grant realized that without these supplies the Confederates would be forced to abandon Petersburg.
Thus, Grant decided to dispatch Union cavalry to raid the rail lines and destroy them, thus cutting Lee off from his supplies. On June 22, 5,000 Union cavalry and 16 artillery
Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...
pieces were pulled from the siege of Petersburg and sent, under the command of Brig. Gens. James H. Wilson
James Harrison Wilson (September 2, 1837 – February 23, 1925) was a United States Army topographic engineer and a Union Army Major General in the American Civil War. He served as an aide to Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan during the Maryland Cam ...
and August V. Kautz
August Valentine Kautz (January 5, 1828 – September 4, 1895) was a German-American officer. He served as a general in the Union cavalry during the American Civil War. He was the author of several army manuals on duties and customs eventually ad ...
, to destroy the lines of supply. During the next three days, despite pursuit and harassment from Confederate cavalry under the command of Maj. Gen.
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
W.H.F. "Rooney" Lee, the Union cavalry succeeded in destroying of railway.
Battle
The Staunton River Bridge runs south-southwest to north-northeast over the River Staunton (which itself runs northwest to southeast) and along it runs the Richmond and Danville Railroad
The Richmond and Danville Railroad (R&D) Company was a railroad that operated independently from 1847 until 1894, first in the U.S. state of Virginia, and later on of track in nine states.
Chartered on March 9, 1847, the railroad completed its ...
, a vital part of the supply system for the besieged Army of Northern Virginia. The bridge was defended by 296 Confederate reservists under the command of Captain Benjamin L. Farinholt, who had been warned on June 23 that Union cavalry forces were approaching his position. Heeding this warning, Farinholt dispatched couriers to the nearby areas of Halifax, Charlotte, and Mecklenburg in order to recruit additional forces, and on the morning of the battle, 642 reinforcements arrived, of whom 150 were regular soldiers and the rest volunteer fighters.[Salmon, p. 412; Longacre, p. 289.]
Realizing that he would be under the surveillance of Union scouts, Farinholt ordered a train to run continually along the line from his position to a station further south[An account of the battle]
retrieved on March 10, 2007 in order to create the impression that he was receiving continual reinforcements. The illusion was further strengthened by Mrs. Nancy Mcphail, Mulberry Hill plantation owner's wife, who in addition to hosting Union wounded during the battle, informed the Union forces that up to 10,000 Confederate forces awaited them at the bridge. In reality, there were only 938 men.
As well as these 938 men, Farinholt commanded two earthwork sites on the southern bank of the river, and he positioned his 6 artillery pieces accordingly, with four in the fortress on the Eastern side of the rail line, and two on the western side. He also had constructed a network of concealed rifle trenches between the earthwork defenses and the bridge itself.
At 3:45 p.m., according to reports by Farinholt, the Union forces arrived on the northern bank of the river "within a mile of my main redoubt."[ However, Farinholt's opening salvo fell short. Kautz dismounted with his cavalry opposite the bridge, and advanced from both the east and the west.
Colonel Robert M. West, who commanded the Union forces attacking from the western side of the rail line, attempted to quickly capture the bridge and hold it for sufficient time to set fire to it, but his attack was repulsed. Meanwhile, the Union forces reached and occupied a drainage ditch situated from the bridge, from which they organized four unsuccessful charges, all of which were repulsed by fire from Farinholt's concealed trench systems, which led to heavy Union casualties.
Around sunset, Rooney Lee arrived on the field with the Confederate cavalry forces that had been pursuing the Union raiders. Lee attacked the Union forces in the rear, and Wilson was forced to retire by midnight.
The following morning, Farinholt advanced with skirmishers onto the vacated Union positions, taking 8 prisoners and burying 42 Union dead. Casualties on the Union side amounted to 42 killed, 44 wounded, and 30 missing or captured; Confederate losses were 10 killed and 24 wounded.][
]
Aftermath
The defense of the Staunton River Bridge ensured the survival of the Richmond & Danville rail supply line, which was a key part of the chain supplying the besieged Confederate forces in Petersburg. However, Lee was forced to abandon Petersburg in April 1865 when his supply lines were finally cut.
Part of the area where the battle took place is now preserved as part of Staunton River Battlefield State Park
Staunton River Battlefield State Park is a state park located in Virginia. The park straddles the Staunton River in Halifax and Charlotte counties. The Roanoke visitor center in Randolph, Virginia is a railroad depot which now holds exhibits ...
, and the Confederate defensive fortifications are listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
.
See also
* Battles of the American Civil War
Battles of the American Civil War were fought between April 12, 1861, and May 12–13, 1865 in 19 states, mostly Confederate (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio ...
* Bibliography of Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States (1869–1877) following his success as military commander in the American Civil War. Under Grant, the Union Army defeate ...
* Bibliography of the American Civil War
The American Civil War bibliography comprises books that deal in large part with the American Civil War. There are over 60,000 books on the war, with more appearing each month. Authors James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier stated in 2012, ...
Notes
References
National Park Service battle description
CWSAC Report Update
* Longacre, Edward G., ''Lincoln's Cavalrymen: A History of the Mounted Forces of the Army of the Potomac'', Stackpole Books, 2000, .
* Salmon, John S., ''The Official Virginia Civil War Battlefield Guide'', Stackpole Books, 2001, .
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