Yellow Tavern - Civil War Discovery Trail Sites on Waymarking.com

Confederate Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart was a cavalry commander with expertise in reconnaissance missions. He initially served under Stonewall Jackson and was a significant figure in the campaigns of the Army of Northern Virginia, even assuming temporary command of the infantry after Jackson was wounded. Stuart was highly valuable to General Robert E. Lee for the accurate information he provided about the movement of Union troops. During the Battle of Gettysburg, however, Stuart's cavalry arrived late to the battle due to an unforeseen incursion with a Union cavalry. The late arrival at the end of the second day of battle had deprived Lee of critical information and support, which contributed to the Confederate defeat.

During the Overland Campaign of 1864, Union Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan set out specifically to defeat Stuart. At the Battle of Yellow Tavern on May 11, 1864, Stuart was mortally wounded by a dismounted Union soldier. Stuart was transported to Richmond six miles south where he died the following day.

The text of the marker reads as follows:

While Grant and Lee fought at Spotsylvania, Gen. Philip H. Sheridan took 12,000 Federal cavalry on a raid toward Richmond. After destroying a large Confederate supply depot at Beaver Dam Station, Sheridan’s troopers met 4,000 Southern cavalrymen under Gen. J.E.B. Stuart near here at Yellow Tavern on May 11, 1864. Union cavalry attacked from the west and in heavy hand-to-hand fighting drove Gen. Lunsford Lomax’s Brigade from Telegraph Road before pushing northward.

Late in the day, while the Richmond local defense troops gathered to guard the capital, Sheridan attacked Stuart on this high ground. The Confederate line shattered. Stuart fell fatally wounded here while rallying his men.

Although the road to Richmond seemed open, Sheridan chose to skirt the city and rejoin Grant’s army.

Type of site: Battlefield Admission Charged: No Charge Website: [Web Link] Address: Not listed Phone Number: Not listed Driving Directions: Not listed

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