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437:, who reported to Grant. Meade had employed Sheridan's forces primarily in the traditional role of screening and reconnaissance, whereas Sheridan saw the value of wielding the Cavalry Corps as an independently operating offensive weapon for wide-ranging raids into the rear areas of the enemy. On May 8, 1864, Sheridan went over Meade's head and told Grant that if his Cavalry Corps were let loose to operate as an independent unit, he could defeat "Jeb" Stuart, long a nemesis to the Union army. Grant was intrigued and convinced Meade of the value of Sheridan's request.
539:. After resupplying with Butler, Sheridan's men returned to join Grant at Chesterfield Station on May 24. Sheridan's raid achieved a victory against a numerically inferior opponent at Yellow Tavern but accomplished little overall. Their most significant achievement was killing Jeb Stuart, which deprived Robert E. Lee of his most experienced cavalry commander, but this came at the expense of a two-week period in which the Army of the Potomac had no direct cavalry coverage for screening or reconnaissance.
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444:—over 10,000 troopers with 32 artillery pieces—rode to the southeast to move behind Lee's army. They had three goals: first, and most important, defeat Stuart, which Sheridan did; second, disrupt Lee's supply lines by destroying railroad tracks and supplies; third, threaten the Confederate capital in
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The Union cavalrymen suffered 625 casualties, but they captured 300 Confederate prisoners and recovered almost 400 Union prisoners. Sheridan disengaged his men and headed south toward
Richmond. Although tempted to burst through the modest defenses to the north of the city, they continued south across
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In the larger picture, Sheridan's raid proved to be a costly mistake. Chasing Stuart was another side show for the campaign, which would be decided by what the armies did at
Spotsylvania. By abandoning the main theater of conflict to pursue his whimsical raid south, Sheridan deprived Grant of an
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Stuart moved his 4,500 troopers to get between
Sheridan and Richmond. The two forces met at noon on May 11 at Yellow Tavern, an abandoned inn located 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Richmond (Present day location is at the intersection of Mountain Rd, Brook Rd, and Telegraph Rd. 37.640111,
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streamed in retreat past Stuart, a dismounted Union private, 44-year-old John A. Huff, a former sharpshooter, turned and shot Stuart with his .44-caliber revolver, from a distance of 10–30 yards. Stuart died in
Richmond the following day. Huff was killed at the
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important resource. His victory at Yellow Tavern offered scant solace to the blue-clad soldiers hunkering in trenches above the courthouse town. Sheridan's absence hurt Grant at
Spotsylvania in much the same way that Stuart's absence from
384:. The Confederates were outnumbered, and Stuart was mortally wounded. However, Sheridan’s 'sideshow' did not achieve any of its other objectives and had meanwhile deprived Grant’s army of key cavalry functions at
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that evening. The
Confederate troops had been able to destroy many of the critical military supplies before the Union arrived, so Sheridan's men destroyed numerous railroad cars and six locomotives of the
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634:(p. 268), Longacre states that Huff was able to advance "close enough" to Stuart to shoot him in the abdomen, although he was not aware at the time that his victim was Stuart.
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654:"The war of the rebellion: a compilation of the official records of the Union and Confederate armies; Series I, Vol. XXXVI, Part 1"
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The Union cavalry column, which at times stretched for over 13 miles (21 km), reached the
Confederate forward supply base at
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630:, claims that Huff's shot was from 400 yards (370 m) away, an arguably impressive feat with a revolver; in his book,
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pushed the advancing Union troopers back from the hilltop as Stuart, mounted on horseback, shouted encouragement. As the
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Battles for Spotsylvania Court House and the Road to Yellow Tavern May 7–12, 1864
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was dissatisfied with his role in the campaign. His
Cavalry Corps was assigned to the
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Richmond Raid, including the Battles of Yellow Tavern and Meadow Bridge
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Lincoln's Cavalrymen: A History of the Mounted Forces of the Army of the Potomac
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The Gallant Dead: Union & Confederate Generals Killed in the Civil War
469:-77.459593). Not only did the Union outnumber the Confederates by three
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The War in the East from Gettysburg to Appomattox 1863–1865
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Bloody Roads South: The Wilderness to Cold Harbor, May–June 1864
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The fighting kept up for an hour after Stuart was wounded with
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On May 9, the most powerful cavalry force ever seen in the
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Cavalryman of the Lost Cause: A Biography of J.E.B. Stuart
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Battles of the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War
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And Keep Moving On: The Virginia Campaign, May–June 1864
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To the North Anna River: Grant and Lee, May 13–25, 1864.
795:. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1981.
731:. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1997.
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The Longest Night: A Military History of the Civil War
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Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2000.
759:The Official Virginia Civil War Battlefield Guide
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861:. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2002.
812:. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1986.
984:Battles of the American Civil War in Virginia
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776:. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2005.
761:. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2001.
716:. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2000.
425:. Up to this point, Union cavalry commander
342:was fought on May 11, 1864, as part of the
895:Monument to J.E.B. Stuart at Yellow Tavern
421:and were engaged in heavy fighting at the
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969:Union victories of the American Civil War
876:. Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1989.
949:Henrico County in the American Civil War
841:National Park Service battle description
829:. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2008.
701:. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001.
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810:Bold Dragoon: The Life of J.E.B. Stuart
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499:Maj. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee
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57:May 11, 1864
872:Trudeau, Noah Andre.
516:had handicapped Lee.
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195:Casualties and losses
712:Longacre, Edward G.
632:Lincoln's Cavalrymen
492:Battle of Haw's Shop
487:5th Michigan Cavalry
483:1st Virginia Cavalry
925:37.6599°N 77.4552°W
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846:CWSAC Report Update
601:Herrmann, Allison.
559:CWSAC Report Update
494:a few weeks later.
431:Army of the Potomac
370:Army of the Potomac
317:Saint Mary's Church
900:2016-05-10 at the
787:Starr, Stephen Z.
643:Rhea, pp. 209, 390
529:Chickahominy River
453:Beaver Dam Station
404:Ulysses S. Grant's
374:Richmond, Virginia
364:was detached from
348:American Civil War
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35:American Civil War
979:Conflicts in 1864
954:Overland Campaign
930:37.6599; -77.4552
882:978-0-316-85326-2
835:978-0-7432-7819-5
801:978-0-8071-3292-0
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307:Cold Harbor
943:Categories
916:77°27′19″W
913:37°39′36″N
791:. Vol. 2,
752:0807131113
690:References
514:Gettysburg
392:Background
302:Old Church
292:Haw's Shop
282:North Anna
257:Wilderness
61:1864-05-11
659:April 30,
505:Aftermath
471:divisions
359:Maj. Gen.
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85:Union
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