Battle of Trevilian Station Facts & Summary

On June 11, 1864, the Battle of Trevilian Station, the bloodiest and largest all-cavalry battle of the American Civil War, began in Louisa County, Virginia. From the article:

"Battle of Trevilian Station Facts & Summary
In June of 1864, hoping to draw attention away from Lieut. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s movement south, destroy supply lines, and join up with Brig. Gen. David Hunter in Charlottesville, Union cavalry commander Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan embarked on a cavalry raid. Near Trevilian Station, Virginia, he clashed with Confederate cavalry under Maj. Gens. Wade Hampton and Fitzhugh Lee. On June 11th, while Hampton’s men struggled against Union forces on one road, Lee’s men advancing on a parallel road fell back, allowing Brig. Gen. George Custer to drive a wedge between the Confederate divisions and take Hampton’s supply train. Confederate reinforcements soon surrounded Custer’s men, and only Sheridan’s arrival saved them and allowed the Union to capture Trevilian Station. The next morning, after destroying several miles of railroad, the combined Union cavalry force made several assaults against a fortified line that the Confederates had formed overnight, but every attack was repulsed. Ultimately, Sheridan was forced to withdraw. He had succeeded in drawing attention away from Grant, but failed to substantially interrupt supply lines or join up with Hunter to take Lynchburg, actions which could have hastened the end of the war. The battle at Trevilian Station was the largest all-cavalry battle of the Civil War."