Date
- June 22–July 1, 1864
Location
- Central Virginia
Campaign
- Petersburg
Principal Union Commanders
- Brigadier General James Wilson
- Brigadier General August Kautz
Principal Confederate Commanders
- Major General Wade Hampton
- Major General W.H.F. “Rooney” Lee
- Major General Fitzhugh Lee
- Brigadier General William Mahone
Union Forces Engaged
- Wilson’s Cavalry Division (Army of the Potomac)
- Kautz’s Cavalry Division (Army of the James)
Confederate Forces Engaged
- Hampton’s Cavalry Division
- Fitzhugh Lee’s Cavalry Division
- Rooney Lee’s Cavalry Division
- Mahone’s Infantry Division
Number of Union Soldiers Engaged
- Roughly 5,500
Number of Confederate Soldiers Engaged
- Roughly 5,000
Estimated Union Casualties
- Roughly 1,400
Estimated Confederate Casualties
- Roughly 650-700
Result
- Mixed
Significance
- Planning for the Wilson-Kautz raid began on June 20, 1864.
- On June 22, 1864, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant and Major General George G. Meade dispatched the Third Cavalry Division of the Army of the Potomac, commanded by Brigadier General James H. Wilson, along with the Second Cavalry Division of the Army of the James, commanded by Brigadier General August Kautz, on a raid against the Weldon Railroad, the Southside Railroad and the Richmond & Danville Railroad in central Virginia.
- Brigadier General James Wilson was the overall commander of Union forces during the Wilson-Kautz Raid.
- The primary objective of the Wilson-Kautz Raid was to demolish as much railroad track as possible in central Virginia in order to delay or prevent supplies from reaching General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia in Richmond.
- The Confederate victory at the Battle of Staunton River Bridge on June 25, 1864, was one of three major engagements of the Wilson-Kautz Raid.
- The Confederate victory at the Battle of Sappony Church on June 28, 1864, was one of three major engagements of the Wilson-Kautz Raid.
- The Confederate victory at the Battle of Ream’s Station I on June 29, 1864, was one of three major engagements of the Wilson-Kautz Raid.
- The Battle of Ream’s Station I, and the subsequent Union retreat, marked the conclusion of the Wilson-Kautz Raid.
- By the time that the raiders returned to Union lines on July 1, 1864, they had inflicted moderate damage to Confederate infrastructure in the area.
- Generals Wilson and Kautz lost nearly 1,400 troopers, all of their artillery, and many horses during the Wilson-Kautz Raid.
- General Ulysses S. Grant considered the Wilson-Kautz Raid a success. He later commented that “The damage to the enemy in the expedition more than compensated for the losses we sustained.”
Timeline of the Petersburg Campaign
These are the main battles and events of the Petersburg Campaign in order.
- June 9, 1864 — First Battle of Petersburg
- June 15 – 18, 1864 — Second Battle of Petersburg
- June 21 – 23, 1864 — Battle of Jerusalem Plank Road
- June 22–July 1, 1864 – Wilson-Kautz Raid
- June 25, 1864 — Battle of Staunton River Bridge
- June 28, 1864 — Battle of Sappony Church
- June 29, 1864 — First Battle of First Ream’s Station
- July 27–29, 1864 — First Battle of Deep Bottom
- July 30, 1864 — Battle of the Crater
- August 13–20, 1864 — Second Battle of Deep Bottom
- August 18-21, 1864 — Battle of Globe Tavern
- August 25, 1864 — Second Battle of Ream’s Station
- September 29–30, 1864 — Battle of Chaffin’s Farm and New Market Heights
- September 30–October 2, 1864 — Battle of Peebles Farm
- October 7, 1864 — Battle of Darbytown and New Market Roads
- October 13, 1864 — Battle of Darbytown Road
- October 27-28, 1864 — Battle of Fair Oaks and Darbytown Road
- October 27-28, 1864 — Battle of Boydton Plank Road
- February 5-7, 1865 — Battle of Hatcher’s Run
- March 25, 1865 — Battle of Fort Stedman