History of the Battle

On June 11 and 12, 1864, near the small depot at Trevilian Station, there occurred the greatest all-cavalry battle of the War Between the States. Here in Louisa County, Virginia, some 9,300 Federal cavalry with 20 pieces of horse artillery under the command of major General Philip H. Sheridan were intercepted by the commands of Major General Wade Hampton and Fitzhugh Lee. The Confederate forces numbered some 6,450 cavalry and 14 guns of the horse artillery. The two Confederate divisions were under the command of Major General Hampton. A fierce 2 day struggle ensued and ended by the retreat of the Union Forces on the night of June 12th.

The linking of Sheridan and General “Black Dave” Hunter at Charlottesville had been one of the goals of the Federal forces and a part of General Ulysses S. Grant’s 1864 Campaign. This linkup did not occur, and the Virginia Central Railroad and the areas around Trevilian, Gordonsville, and Charlottesville were spared great destruction.

After the battle, many of the wounded and dying were cared for in nearby homes and in the towns of Gordonsville and Louisa. In Louisa, many of the fallen were buried in Oakland Cemetery, located at the western edge of the town. Many of the wounded were sent to the Confederate receiving hospital- the Exchange Hotel- in Gordonsville. Those that died at the hospital were interred behind the hotel and were later moved to Maplewood Cemetery- west of Gordonsville on what is now Route 33/231. The dead from the battle that were not returned to their homes are buried as far away as the University Cemetery in Charlottesville and at the National Cemetery at Spotsylvania and City Point.

Confederate Forces
6,762 Men

Commanded by Major General Wade Hampton

Major General Wade Hampton’s Division
Young’s Brigade
7th, 20th Georgia
Cobb’s Georgia Legion
Phillips Georgia Legion
Jeff Davis Mississippi Legion
Rosser’s Brigade
7th, 11th, 12th Virginia
35th Battalion Virginia
Butler’s Brigade
4th, 5th, 6th South Carolina

Major General Fitzhugh Lee’s Division
Wickham’s Brigade
1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th Virginia
Lomax’s Brigade
5th, 6th, 15th Virginia
1st Maryland Cavalry Battalion
Baltimore Light Artillery
Breathed’s Horse Artillery Battalion
Washington Artillery of South Carolina
Ashby Virginia Artillery
Lynchburg Beauregards
1st Stuart Horse Artillery of Virginia

Union Forces
9,286 Men

Commanded by Major General Philip H. Sheridan

Brig. Gen. A. Torbett’s 1st Cavalry Division
Custer’s Brigade
1st, 5th, 6th, 7th Michigan
Devin’s Brigade
4th, 6th, 9th New York
17th Pennsylvania
Merritt’s Brigade
1st, 2nd, 5th U.S. Cavalry
6th Pennsylvania, 19th New York

Brig. Gen. David Gregg’s 2nd Cavalry Division
Davies’ Brigade
1st Massachusetts, 6th Ohio
1st New Jersey, 10th New York
1st Pennsylvania
Gregg’s Brigade
2nd, 4th, 8th, 13th, 16th Pennsylvania
1st Maine
Robertson’s Horse Artillery Brigade
1st U.S., Batteries H & I
2nd U.S., Batteries B, L, D, & M

More Battle of Trevilian Station information from the National Park Service

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