Battle of Trevilian Station

Battle of Trevilian Station
	Part of the American Civil War
Date	June 11, 1864 – June 12, 1864
Location	Louisa County, Virginia38°02′59″N 78°03′58″W / 38.04973°N 78.06604°W
Result	Confederate victory
Belligerents
United States	Confederate States
Commanders and leaders
Philip Sheridan; Alfred T. A. Torbert; David McM. Gregg	Wade Hampton; Fitzhugh Lee
Strength
9,286	6,762
Casualties and losses
1,512 total; (150 killed;; 738 wounded;; 624 captured/missing)	803 total

The Battle of Trevilian Station (also called Trevilians) was fought on June 11–12, 1864, in Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign against Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. Union cavalry under Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan fought against Confederate cavalry under Maj. Gens. Wade Hampton and Fitzhugh Lee in the bloodiest and largest all-cavalry battle of the war.

Sheridan's objectives for his raid were to destroy stretches of the Virginia Central Railroad, provide a diversion that would occupy Confederate cavalry from understanding Grant's planned crossing of the James River, and link up with the army of Maj. Gen. David Hunter at Charlottesville. Hampton's cavalry beat Sheridan to the railroad at Trevilian Station and on June 11 they fought to a standstill. Brig. Gen. George A. Custer entered the Confederate rear area and captured Hampton's supply train, but soon became surrounded and fought desperately to avoid destruction.

On June 12, the cavalry forces clashed again to the northwest of Trevilian Station, and seven assaults by Brig. Gen. Alfred T. A. Torbert's Union division were repulsed with heavy losses. Sheridan withdrew his force to rejoin Grant's army. The battle was a tactical victory for the Confederates and Sheridan failed to achieve his goal of permanently destroying the Virginia Central Railroad or of linking up with Hunter. Its distraction, however, may have contributed to Grant's successful crossing of the James River.

^ ^a ^b Wittenberg, pp. 342, 345. Salmon, p. 298, cites 6,000 Union, 4,700 Confederate. Kennedy, p. 294, cites 5,000 Confederates. Davis, pp. 21-22, cites 8,000 Union, 4,700 Confederate. Longacre, p. 299, cites "more than 9,000" Union, 6,500 Confederate. Starr, pp. 129, 136, cites 6,000 Union, 4,700 Confederate; Starr explains that the 6,000 number was based on Sheridan leaving behind with Wilson all of his men who lacked mounts.
^ General summary from the Rapidan to the James River, May 5-June 24, 1864: Official Records, Series I, Volume XXXVI, Part 1, page 188.
^ ^a ^b 1,007 total (95 killed; 445 wounded; 410 missing/captured) according to Wittenberg, pp. 342, 345; Wittenberg cites specific casualties for Hampton's Division (59 killed, 258 wounded, 295 missing/captured), plus 161 total casualties for Lee's Division, and 30 for the horse artillery. Eicher, p. 694, cites 1,007 Union (102 killed, 470 wounded, 435 missing/captured) and 612 Confederate (which accounts only for Hampton's Division). Urwin, p. 1975, reports 735 Union casualties, including 416 in Custer's brigade. Salmon cites more than 1,000 on each side. Kennedy, p. 295, cites 1,007 Union, 1,071 Confederate. NPS Archived April 9, 2005, at the Wayback Machine cites 1,600 total (both sides).

[strength-1] Wittenberg, pp. 342, 345. Salmon, p. 298, cites 6,000 Union, 4,700 Confederate. Kennedy, p. 294, cites 5,000 Confederates. Davis, pp. 21-22, cites 8,000 Union, 4,700 Confederate. Longacre, p. 299, cites "more than 9,000" Union, 6,500 Confederate. Starr, pp. 129, 136, cites 6,000 Union, 4,700 Confederate; Starr explains that the 6,000 number was based on Sheridan leaving behind with Wilson all of his men who lacked mounts.

[2] General summary from the Rapidan to the James River, May 5-June 24, 1864: Official Records, Series I, Volume XXXVI, Part 1, page 188.

[casualties-3] 1,007 total (95 killed; 445 wounded; 410 missing/captured) according to Wittenberg, pp. 342, 345; Wittenberg cites specific casualties for Hampton's Division (59 killed, 258 wounded, 295 missing/captured), plus 161 total casualties for Lee's Division, and 30 for the horse artillery. Eicher, p. 694, cites 1,007 Union (102 killed, 470 wounded, 435 missing/captured) and 612 Confederate (which accounts only for Hampton's Division). Urwin, p. 1975, reports 735 Union casualties, including 416 in Custer's brigade. Salmon cites more than 1,000 on each side. Kennedy, p. 295, cites 1,007 Union, 1,071 Confederate. NPS Archived April 9, 2005, at the Wayback Machine cites 1,600 total (both sides).

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