Battle Of Trevilian Station  "A Wild Melee"  June 11 - 12, 1864

Leaving his ordnance wagons and 800 horses at Trevilian Station on the Virginia Central Railroad on the morning of June 11, 1864, Confederate Gen. Wade Hampton led two brigades of dismounted cavalry northward through thick woods. Pushing forward, they attacked an 8,000-man Union cavalry force commanded by Gen. Philip Sheridan. On the converging road to the east, another division of Rebel cavalry commanded by Gen. Fitzhugh Lee also moved northward for the attack.

Hampton's men fought furiously for several hours while anxiously awaiting the sound of Lee's attack on the right. Vastly outnumbered, the Rebel horsemen were gradually being pushed back toward the railroad when the sound of battle suddenly erupted from their rear. Hampton quickly disengaged one of his two brigades and returned to Trevilian Station. He discovered that a Union brigade commanded by Gen. George A. Custer had slipped past Fitz Lee's command and was capturing the station and Hampton's horses and wagons. Custer's fortunes quickly changed, however, when his men were suddenly attacked from three directions by angry Rebel troopers. A Confederate reserve brigade charged from the west, while Hampton's men hit from the north, and Fitz Lee's division came charging in to attack from the east. The Confederates quickly recaptured their wagons and horses as well as Custer's headquarters wagon and a large number of Union prisoners.

Custer's brigade was on the verge of being completely overwhelmed in the furious battle. Stepping up the pressure from the north, Sheridan pushed aside the brigade Hampton had left behind and came charging into Trevilian Station from the north. The cavalry battle became a wild melee of saber strokes and pistol shots that ended when the Confederates, outnumbered eight to five, withdrew and left the Union troopers in possession of the station. Sheridan did not pursue but began instead to tear up the four miles of railroad track he had captured.

Fascinating Fact:  When Custer's color-bearer was shot during the fight, Custer tore the flag from the staff and hid it in his coat to keep it from being captured.


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