Battle at Meadow Bridge

Battle at Meadow Bridge (HM9VJ)

Location: East Highland Park, VA 24153 Hanover County
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Country: United States of America
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N 37° 36.499', W 77° 24.775'

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Forcing a Crossing

On May 12, 1864, this crossing of the Chickahominy River was the scene of a sharp engagement between Union and Confederate cavalry The previous day, Gen. Philip Sheridan and his Union troopers fought and defeated Gen. J.E.B. Stuart and his Confederate cavalry near Yellow Tavern. Stuart was mortally wounded during that battle.


Although the Confederates had dismantled the road bridge, the railroad crossing remained intact. The responsibility for seizing this span was given to Gen. George Custer Throughout the morning and early afternoon, while Southern cavalry pressed from behind and government clerks and workers (turned soldiers) sallied forth from the city's fortifications, Custer worked hard to clear the north bank of the Chickahominy of the stubborn Confederate troopers.

After gaining a foothold on the Confederate side of the river, Custer's men kept the Southerners pinned down while Union pioneers repaired the road bridge and planked the railroad span. By 4 p.m., the bridge was open and Union soldiers crossed the swollen stream. Sweeping resistance aside, Sheridan successfully pulled his men out of the trap and pointed the head of his column toward Mechanicsville and out of harm's way. Two days later, the Union commander led his cavalrymen to the safety of the James River, ending a raid on Richmond begun five days earlier.

"We had to fight or die"
- Michael Donlon, 2nd U.S. Cavalry
HM NumberHM9VJ
Series This marker is part of the Virginia Civil War Trails series
Placed ByVirginia Civil War Trails
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Saturday, October 18th, 2014 at 4:09pm PDT -07:00
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 287014 N 4165096
Decimal Degrees37.60831667, -77.41291667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 37° 36.499', W 77° 24.775'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds37° 36' 29.94" N, 77° 24' 46.50" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)540
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 5921-5991 State Rte 627, East Highland Park VA 24153, US


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