Alarm bells sounded all evening on the night of May 11th, Sheridan was rumored to be headed to Richmond. The home guard militia was called to assemble in Capitol Square and was sent to the lines in the northern part of the city. Brigadier General Eppa Hunton’s brigade was marching to Richmond from Chaffin’s Bluff, a distance of about 15 miles. Brigadier General Seth Barton’s brigade under the command of Colonel Burkett Fry was headed for the intermediate line of the city’s northern defenses on the Brook Turnpike. The 3rd VA Battalion Defense Troops, the Regiment of Clerks, would man the earthworks a mile to the east on the Meadow Bridge Road. To their right near the Mechanicsville Pike was sent the 6th VA Battalion Local Defense Troops, made up of workers from the Tredegar Iron Works. Colonel John McAnerney Jr. commanded the home guard troops. Meanwhile, Major General Fitzhugh Lee was reorganizing his cavalry after their devastating defeat at Yellow Tavern and had a plan to trap and destroy Sheridan’s cavalry.
He knew that three of the four directions that Sheridan could head to try and escape were blocked. To the south the home guard defended the Broad Turnpike to Richmond. Brigadier General James Gordon and his three North Carolina regiments blocked the Brook Road to the north and there were no good roads to the west, as a result Sheridan would have to head east on the Military Road. In that direction he would cross a plateau with Broad Run and the Chickahominy River to his north and the Richmond defenses to his south. With Gordon’s North Carolinians behind him the only way out to the east was across two bridges that ran side by side over the Chickahominy River. The first on the Meadow Bridge Road and the second on the Virginia Central Railroad’s bridge. East of the bridges the plateau came to a cul-de-sac dead end at the Mechanicsburg Pike. Sheridan had to cross over these bridges. As he did so he would marching over open ground in plain view.
Fitzhugh Lee’s two brigades set out from Half Sink north of the Chickahominy just before midnight and reached the Crenshaw farm on the north bank, which commanded the two bridges, before dawn. Sheridan’s column would head in that direction at 3:00 AM on the 12th. Wilson’s brigade was in the lead with Colonel George Chapman’s brigade in the van followed by Colonel John McIntosh’s brigade. As they crossed onto the plateau a man in a blue overcoat opened a gate onto a farm lane stating that Sheridan had sent him to show the way. Wilson sensed a trap when, as they continued to move forward, the guide wanted to leave. Wilson left him with Colonel McIntosh and sent an officer to a local farm to get a new guide. The guide confirmed Wilson’s fears. Two hundred yards ahead on high ground in a position to sweep the road was a Confederate battery. Wilson sent Captain Edward Whitaker forward to locate the battery and the guns opened fire. Wilson sent word back to Sheridan, he was trapped. McIntosh then shot the man in the blue overcoat in the head. Merritt who halted his division behind Wilson could see Lee’s guns on the far back of the Chickahominy. With Gordon’s division behind Brigadier General Gregg’s rear guard there was no way out except over the Meadow Bridge.
Sheridan ordered Custer and his four brigades to take the bridge, see the map on the Civil War Trails sign below. Sheridan would need to wage a battle on three fronts until they could cross the bridge.
To the west Gregg would need to hold off Gordon. Devin and Gibbs would support Custer, while Wilson guarded an attack coming from Richmond to the south along the Meadow Bridge Road or the Mechanicsville Pike. Sheridan needed to break out of the trap before he ran out of ammunition, food and forage for his horses. Colonel Chapman marched to Strawberry Hill and formed on the Virginia Central Railroad. McIntosh formed on Chapman’s right. Wilson sent his other battery commanded by Lieutenant Alexander Pennington to aid Custer. To the west Brigadier General Gregg formed his line perpendicular to the road a quarter mile from the Brock Church. Colonel John Gregg’s brigade was to the north and Henry Davies brigade to the right. Behind them was Lieutenant Rufus King’s battery. All 10 of Gregg’s regiments were in line and Gordon rather than attack sent word back to Richmond requesting reinforcements to attack Gregg’s southern flank and artillery.
Fitz Lee’s men had torn up the flooring of the bridge on the road and were behind earthworks constructed by McClellan’s men during the Peninsula Campaign. The pioneers attempted to repair the bridge but came under heavy fire and had to withdraw. Custer decided his best chance to cross was over the railroad bridge. Under the cover of sharpshooters, men from the 5th MI Cavalry managed to make it to the other side of the bridge. Well positioned behind a bog they were able to provide covering fire for the pioneers to repair the railroad bridge. All of this was happening in the midst of a violent thunderstorm. Two of Custer’s regiments were able to cross to the north side.
Braxton Bragg sent Hunton’s brigade up the Brook Turnpike to support Gordon and Archibald Gracie’s Alabama brigade up the Meadow Bridge Road to attack Wilson. Two guns were sent to Gordon at 9:00 AM but were manned by inexperienced artillerists and were ineffective. When a more experienced Confederate battery appeared Lieutenant King borrowed some napoleons from Captain Martin’s New York battery and drove them off with solid shot. When Hunton’s first brigade arrived around 10:00 AM, the 32nd VA under Colonel Edward Montague, Gordon placed one company on each end of his line and charged to no avail. The 25th VA (City Batalion) came up the turnpike next and Montague sent them to attack Gregg’s southern flank. Davies brigade was there in a ravine aligned perpendicular to the road. Gregg sent the 1st ME Cavalry to guard Davies left flank. The 25th VA was stymied and run off the field by a charge from the 1st NJ. Gordon was shot in the elbow and command fell to Colonel Clinton Andrews of the 2nd NC Cavalry. Henry Gantt came up with another one of Hunton’s regiments, the 19th VA, and charged from the south which was broken up by the 1st ME. Colonel Andrews then shifted the 5th NC to the left to attack Gregg’s right but they were also repulsed. This ended Confederate activity from the west.
A mile to the east Archibald Gracie started forward about 1:30 PM with the 41st, 43rd, 59th and 60th AL, along with the 23rd Battalion of Alabama Sharpshooters. Postmaster General Reagan commanded the home guards and placed 300 of his troops behind Gracie’s men. When fired on by Pennington’s cannons he shifted his path toward McIntosh’s brigade. McIntosh moved back, after his request for reinforcements was denied, uncovering Fitzhugh’s battery on Strawberry Hill. The battery stayed in place and opened their guns on Gracie’s men. Pennington’s battery joined in followed by Edward Williston’s guns. Sheridan ordered Merritt to send Wilson’s artillerists more ammunition. Sheridan seemed to be exactly where he was needed at key moments on the battlefield. Gracie fell back suffering 70 casualties and action on the southern end of the battlefield ended by 3:00 PM.
Meanwhile, the 5th and 6th Michigan’s covering fire was so effective that the Union pioneers had repaired the bridge using all the available lumber that could be appropriated from fences, houses and barns in the area. By 4:00 PM the bridge was ready to cross. Merritt was sent to reinforce Custer on the opposite side of the river. Gibbs brigade charged across the bridge on horseback. Davies 9th NY and 17th PA charged the rifle pits. Fitzhugh Lee’s men retreated and Lieutenant Colonel Robert Randolph was killed. Lee fell back toward Mechanicsville. Sheridan had broken through. The action at Meadows Bridge is interpreted by the Civil War Trails sign pictured below.
Merritt chased Lee while the rest of the Federals crossed the bridge. Sheridan set the bridges on fire and headed for Haxall’s Landing. He traveled through Mechanicsville, Gaines Mill and Cold Harbor. He then headed south and crossed back over the Chickahominy River at Bottom’s Bridge by noon on the 13th. The Confederate home guard had pulled up the planks on the bridge and Sheridan went into camp here. On the 14th they crossed the White Oak Swamp and reached Malvern Hill by noon and then the James River, map shown below.
Here Major General Benjamin Butler sent food and fodder to resupply them. Sheridan’s Raid was over. The Federals suffered 625 casualties and Confederate losses were estimated at about 800.
On the evening of May 12th Jeb Stuart died at the home of his brother-in-law, Dr. Charles Brewer, on Grace Street in Richmond. His wife and children reached the home about an hour after his death.
Around the corner this sign is also on the building.
On the 13th Stuart’s funeral was held at St. James Church in Richmond. It was attended by Confederate President Jefferson Davis and General Braxton Bragg. He would be buried in Hollywood Cemetery, his gravesite is shown below. Brigadier General James Gordon who had been shot in the elbow during the battle at Meadow Bridge died from complications of his wound five days later.
The Battle of Yellow Tavern and Sheridan’s Raid will always be best known for the death of JEB Stuart, which was an enormous blow to the Army of Northern Virginia and the Confederate cavalry service. It also solidified Sheridan’s status in Grant’s eyes, further weakening Meade.
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