Battle of Meadow Bridge The Battle of Meadow Bridge ( also known as Meadow Bridges and the Battle of Richmond Heights ) was an engagement on May 12 , 1864 , in Henrico County , Virginia , during Lt . Gen . Ulysses S . Grant ' s Overland Campaign of the American Civil War . Following their victory at the Battle of Yellow Tavern on May 11 , Union cavalry under Maj . Gen . Philip H . Sheridan advanced in the direction of the Confederate capital of Richmond . Caught in the narrow area between the fortifications of Richmond and the rain - swollen Chickahominy River , the Union troopers were subjected to fire from the artillery of Confederate Maj . Gen . Fitzhugh Lee . Michigan cavalry under Brig . Gen . George A . Custer forced a crossing of a damaged railroad bridge , which was quickly rebuilt by engineers , allowing the troopers to escape to safety and continue their raid . Background . On May 11 , 1864 , Sheridan and his Union cavalry force , on the second day of a daring raid against Richmond , defeated Maj . Gen . J . E . B . Stuart at the Battle of Yellow Tavern , mortally wounding the storied Confederate cavalier . Sheridan led his troops southward towards Richmond , carefully feeling his way through the abandoned outer defensive works . As darkness fell , a severe thunderstorm drenched the column , but Sheridan kept up his movement down the Brook Pike , not realizing that he was boxing himself into a potential trap . Confederates had left torpedoes ( land mine s ) in the road — many exploded during the passage , killing several horses but not delaying the column further . As dawn broke and the storm subsided , Sheridan found himself only two and half miles from his objective . However , to his dismay , the intermediate defenses in his front swarmed with enemy troops . His left flank was against the swollen Chickahominy , and Confederate cavalry threatened his rear , hoping to capture the Union force . Battle . Sheridan decided to force a crossing of the river at Meadow Bridge , where the Virginia Central Railroad crossed the river . Confederates had earlier dismantled the flooring on the road part of the bridge , rendering it temporarily useless , although the rest of the bridge was intact . Sheridan assigned the Michigan brigade of Brig . Gen . George A . Custer , part of Brig . Gen . Wesley Merritt ' s division , to seize the span and the high bluffs beyond . The rest of Sheridan ' s command had to hold the Confederates at bay while Custer executed his orders . The other two brigades in Merritt ' s division , commanded by Colonels Thomas C . Devin and Alfred Gibbs , guarded the center of the Union line to protect against Confederate advances out of the Richmond fortifications . On the western end of the Union line , near Brook Church , the division of Brig . Gen . David McM . Gregg had to resist the advance of Brig . Gen . James B . Gordon ' s brigade . On the eastern and , Brig . Gen . James H . Wilson was to oppose any Confederate advances along Meadow Bridge road and Mechanicsville Pike . The rearguard of the Gregg ' s division was assailed on three sides as soon as it was light enough for a brigade of Confederate infantry to sally forth from the fortifications and attack . Soon , other Confederates , including Richmond citizens hastily pressed into military service , joined in the efforts to break through the rear lines . According to the regimental historian of the veteran 1st Pennsylvania Cavalry , Wilson ' s men were initially pushed back in some confusion , but Gregg had concealed a heavy line of skirmishers armed with repeating carbines in a brushy ravine . His men poured forth a destructive fire , halting the final Confederate advances , assisted by some of Wilson ' s men who turned the flank of the attacking column . Federal horse artillery made sure that the Confederate infantry no longer was a threat , and three mounted cavalry regiments skirmished with approaching enemy cavalry , turning them aside and protecting the rear . Brig . Gen . Gordon was mortally wounded in the fighting and died on May 18 . In the meantime , Custer ' s 5th Michigan Cavalry used snipers to suppress Confederate rifle fire while several daring dismounted troopers crossed the damaged railroad bridge , hopping from railroad tie to tie while menaced by persistent enemy artillery fire . Followed by the 6th Michigan , they succeeded in the early afternoon in clearing the north bank of the Chickahominy and gaining a foothold on the Confederate side of the river . Custer ' s men pinned down the remaining threatening enemy units and captured two artillery pieces , while pioneers energetically planked the bridge to provide safe passage for large numbers of men and horses . By mid - afternoon , Merritt ' s entire division had crossed and engaged the hastily - built Confederate works on Richmond Heights , driving the defenders back to Gaines ' s Mill . By 4 p . m . , the rest of Sheridan ' s cavalry had crossed the river . Sheridan destroyed the Virginia Central Bridge in his wake to prevent further pursuit . For the balance of the day , Sheridan ' s men collected their wounded , buried their dead , grazed their horses in the pastures , and eagerly read Richmond newspapers , which two enterprising small boys had brought across the lines and sold to the Union soldiers . Aftermath . After his men had rested , Sheridan brushed aside the remaining Confederate resistance in the area and marched his column to Mechanicsville , out of harm ' s way . They bivouacked that night at Gaines ' s Mill , which was burned the following morning by some of the stragglers ; Sheridan ordered a bucket brigade to douse the flames . Upon reaching Bottom ' s Bridge over the Chickahominy , they found it had also been damaged and rested there for the night while it was repaired . By this time , Sheridan ' s men were suffering from hunger and it was becoming urgent that they reach Union lines . On May 14 , he led his men to Haxall ' s Landing on the James River , ending his raid . Sheridan reported 170 casualties for the Meadow Bridges , Mechanicsville , Strawberry Hill , Brook Church ( or Richmond Fortifications ) , engagements , May 12 , 1864 . Confederate losses are not recorded . Sheridan ' s raid was an overall tactical success , having killed Jeb Stuart at Yellow Tavern and beaten Fitzhugh Lee at Meadow Bridge , all with relatively minimal casualties — about 625 men for the entire raid , compared to 800 Confederate . From a strategic standpoint , however , the raid deprived General Grant of the cavalry resources that would have been helpful during the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House and his subsequent advance to the North Anna River , and there are lingering questions about whether Sheridan should have attempted to assault the city of Richmond . In the latter case , Sheridan believed it would not have been worth the risk in casualties and he recognized that the chances of holding the city for more than a brief time would be minimal ; any advantages would primarily result from damage to Confederate morale .