Virginia's Retreat

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In late spring 1864, Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign had ground to a bloody halt outside Petersburg and Richmond, defended by Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia. In June, to deny Lee the use of the South Side Railroad and the Richmond and Danville Railroad for supplies, Grant sent Gen. James H. Wilson's and Gen. August V. Kautz's cavalry divisions south of Petersburg to destroy track and rolling stock.

How to Experience the Trail
The trail is comprised of 26 stops with detailed interpretation at each site. The self-guided driving tour allows you to enjoy the trail at your own pace, letting you linger longer at some stops and pass by others, if time is short. Because the trail is not linear or chronological, it can be started and ended at any point. Once you begin, follow the Virginia Civil War Trails trail blazing signs from one stop to the next. A Lee's Retreat brochure and a Virginia State Map could be helpful if you want to skip a stop or should you get lost. Pick them up at any Virginia Welcome Center or call 1-800-6-RETREAT to receive them by mail. To fully experience the tour, allowing time to enter buildings that are publicly accessible, it will take approximately two full days.

On June 22, the Union cavalrymen marched down the South Side Railroad. Almost at once, however, Confederate cavalry commander Gen. W. H. F. "Rooney" Lee set off in pursuit. For the next three days, the raiders alternated destroying track and depots with fighting rearguard actions. On June 25, they attacked the Staunton River Bridge crossing of the Richmond and Danville Railroad, where they were decisively repulsed. They then headed back to Petersburg by way of Ream's Station, where Wilson expected to find Union infantry but instead discovered Confederates surrounding him. He and Kautz cut their way out and finally reached the Petersburg lines on June 30. Although the Federals had destroyed track, buildings, rolling stock, and supplies, they suffered almost 1,800 casualties. The Confederates soon made repairs and kept materiel flowing to Petersburg.