Another Piece of the Preservation Puzzle at Trevilian Station

James E. Taylor’s 1891 painting “The Charge of the Confederate Calvary at Trevilian Station, Virginia

New York Public Library

Recipient: Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation

Award Amount: $91,842.50
Acreage: 2.83

Following the 1864 Battle of Cold Harbor, Union General Ulysses S. Grant set his sights on the rail hub of Petersburg, Virginia, in hopes of cutting off Confederate supply lines and forcing them to evacuate Richmond.

To accomplish this, Grant needed to cross the James River unmolested. In support, the Union calvary under Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan conceived of a secret raid to destroy stretches of the Virginia Central Railroad and divert the Confederate calvary away from Grant. The raid launched by Sheridan would unfold as the Battle of Trevilian Station, the largest all-cavalry battle of the American Civil War.

Part of Grant’s Overland Campaign, the Battle of Trevilian Station took place June 11-12, 1864. Members of Confederate Gen. Thomas Rosser's Brigade charged from their camps and ran into Union scouts under Gen. George Custer. Rosser's charge led to the capture of Union wagons and horses, and trapped Custer in a "living triangle" as he fought to save his command. On June 12, the Federals made several unsuccessful assaults against the Confederate line, ultimately withdrawing. Sheridan’s diversion succeeded but failed to interrupt supply lines and resulted in a Confederate victory.

With the support of a Battlefield Land Acquisition Grant from the American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP), the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, with the American Battlefield Trust, will preserve an additional 2.83 acres of the Trevilian Station Battlefield. This acquisition builds on almost 100 acres of land protected through previous awards from ABPP.

Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants empower preservation partners nationwide to acquire and preserve threatened Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and Civil War battlefields. In addition, the program administers three other grants: Preservation Planning Grants, which are open to all sites of armed conflict on American soil, the newly authorized Battlefield Restoration and Battlefield Interpretation grant programs. This financial assistance generates community-driven stewardship of historic resources at the state, tribal and local levels.

Get Your Project Funded

Check out the American Battlefield Protection Program's website for more information about various grant offerings and eligibility.

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