Key Facts
- Dates
- April 6–7, 1865
- Union force captured (Apr 6)
- ~800 men captured entire surviving force
- Union casualties (Apr 6)
- 42 killed and wounded, plus ~800 captured
- Confederate casualties (Apr 6)
- ~100
- Location
- ~4 miles northeast of Farmville, Virginia
- Campaign
- Appomattox Campaign, American Civil War
Strategic Narrative Overview
On April 6, Confederate cavalry under Major General Thomas L. Rosser repulsed the Union raiders, capturing the entire surviving force and inflicting heavy officer casualties on both sides. On April 7, Confederate rear-guard troops under Lieutenant General James Longstreet attempted to burn the now-contested bridges. Union II Corps troops intervened, allowing part of the railroad bridge to burn but successfully saving the wagon bridge.
01 / The Origins
By early April 1865, General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia was retreating westward, desperately trying to outpace Union forces. Control of the South Side Railroad's High Bridge and an adjacent wagon bridge over the Appomattox River near Farmville was critical. The Union sent a raiding party of roughly 800 men to destroy the bridges and cut off the Confederate line of retreat across the river.
03 / The Outcome
Preservation of the wagon bridge enabled the Union II Corps to cross the Appomattox River and continue pursuit northward. Union forces caught up with Lee's army at Cumberland Church, just 3 miles north of Farmville, tightening the encirclement that culminated in Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865, ending the war in the Eastern Theater.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Theodore Read (Col., Brevet Brig. Gen., killed), Francis Washburn (Col., mortally wounded).
Side B
1 belligerent
Thomas L. Rosser (Maj. Gen.), James Longstreet (Lt. Gen.), Reuben B. Boston (Col., killed), James Dearing (Col./Brig. Gen., mortally wounded).
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.