Battle of Staunton River Bridge

Battle of Staunton River Bridge
Part of the American Civil War
Clockwise from upper left: Brigadier General August V. Kautz, Brigadier General James H. Wilson, Confederate artillery firing across the river.
Date June 25, 1864 Location Staunton River, Halifax and Charlotte counties, Virginia. Result Confederate victory
Belligerents
United States of America (Union)	Confederate States of America
Commanders and leaders
Brigadier General James H. Wilson and Brigadier General August V. Kautz	General William Henry Fitzhugh Lee and Captain Benjamin Farinholt
Strength
5000	938
Casualties and losses
at least 42	at least 10

The Battle of Staunton River Bridge was an engagement on June 25 1864 between Union and Confederate forces. The battle took place around the Staunton River Bridge, over the Staunton River, in Halifax and Charlotte counties, Virginia, during the American Civil War.

Background to the battle

During the month of June, 1864, Confederate General Robert E. Lee was commanding the Army of Northern Virginia in the defence of Petersburg, Virginia against the Union siege under the command of Union General Ulysses S. Grant. The Confederate forces were dependant on the flow of supplies from the south and west along the South Side and Richmond & Danville rail lines, and Grant realised 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, 5000 Union cavalry and 16 artillery pieces were pulled from the siege of Petersburg and sent, under the command of Brigadier General James H. Wilson and Brigadier General August V. Kautz, to destroy the lines of supply. During the next three days, despite pursuit and harassment from Confederate cavalry under the command of General William Henry Fitzhugh Lee, the Union cavalry succeeded in destroying 60 miles of railway.

The battle

The Staunton River Bridge runs South South West to North North East over the River Staunton (which itself runs North West to South East) and along it runs the Richmond & Danville rail line, 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 Farinholt, who had been warned on June 23 that Union cavalry forces were approaching his position. Heeding this warning, Farinholt despatched 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.

Realising 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 in order to create the impression that he was receiving continual reinforcements. The illusion was further strengthened by local plantation owners who would host Union wounded during the battle, who would inform the Union forces that up to 10’000 Confederate forces awaited them at the bridge, as opposed to the 938 who were actually there.

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 defences and the bridge itself.

At 3:45pm, 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. Union commander Brigadier General August V. Kautz dismounted with his cavalry opposite the bridge, and advanced from both the east and the west.

Wilson-Kautz Raid, June 22 – June 30

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, however his attack was repulsed. Meanwhile, the Union forces reached and occupied a drainage ditch situated 150 yards from the bridge, from which hey organised four unsuccessful charges, all of which were repulsed by fire from Farinholt’s concealed trench systems, which led to heavy Union casualties.

As “The sun was going behind the hills” General W. H. F. 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 General James H. 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. He noted his own casualties to be 10 killed and 24 wounded.

Consequences of the battle

The defence 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.