Battle of Staunton River Bridge The Battle of Staunton River Bridge was an engagement on June 25 , 1864 , between Union and Confederate forces during Wilson - Kautz Raid of the American Civil War . The battle took place around the Staunton River Bridge , over the Staunton River , in Halifax and Charlotte counties , Virginia . Background . During the month of June 1864 , Confederate General Robert E . Lee was commanding the Army of Northern Virginia in the defense of Petersburg , Virginia , against the Union siege under the command of Union Lt . Gen . Ulysses S . Grant . The Confederate forces were dependent on the flow of supplies from the south and west along the South Side and Richmond and Danville Railroad lines , and Grant realized that without these supplies the Confederates would be forced to abandon Petersburg . Thus , Grant decided to dispatch Union cavalry to raid the rail lines and destroy them , thus cutting Lee off from his supplies . On June 22 , 5 , 000 Union cavalry and 16 artillery pieces were pulled from the siege of Petersburg and sent , under the command of Brig . Gens . James H . Wilson and August V . Kautz , to destroy the lines of supply . During the next three days , despite pursuit and harassment from Confederate cavalry under the command of Maj . Gen . W . H . F . " Rooney " Lee , the Union cavalry succeeded in destroying of railway . Battle . The Staunton River Bridge runs south - southwest to north - northeast over the River Staunton ( which itself runs northwest to southeast ) and along it runs the Richmond and Danville Railroad , a vital part of the supply system for the besieged Army of Northern Virginia . The bridge was defended by 296 Confederate reservists under the command of Captain Benjamin L . Farinholt , who had been warned on June 23 that Union cavalry forces were approaching his position . Heeding this warning , Farinholt dispatched couriers to the nearby areas of Halifax , Charlotte , and Mecklenburg in order to recruit additional forces , and on the morning of the battle , 642 reinforcements arrived , of whom 150 were regular soldiers and the rest volunteer fighters . Realizing that he would be under the surveillance of Union scouts , Farinholt ordered a train to run continually along the line from his position to a station further south in order to create the impression that he was receiving continual reinforcements . The illusion was further strengthened by Mrs . Nancy Mcphail , Mulberry Hill plantation owner ' s wife , who in addition to hosting Union wounded during the battle , informed the Union forces that up to 10 , 000 Confederate forces awaited them at the bridge . In reality , there were only 938 men . As well as these 938 men , Farinholt commanded two earthwork sites on the southern bank of the river , and he positioned his 6 artillery pieces accordingly , with four in the fortress on the Eastern side of the rail line , and two on the western side . He also had constructed a network of concealed rifle trenches between the earthwork defenses and the bridge itself . At 3 : 45 p . m . , according to reports by Farinholt , the Union forces arrived on the northern bank of the river " within a mile of my main redoubt . " However , Farinholt ' s opening salvo fell short . Kautz dismounted with his cavalry opposite the bridge , and advanced from both the east and the west . Colonel Robert M . West , who commanded the Union forces attacking from the western side of the rail line , attempted to quickly capture the bridge and hold it for sufficient time to set fire to it , but his attack was repulsed . Meanwhile , the Union forces reached and occupied a drainage ditch situated from the bridge , from which they organized four unsuccessful charges , all of which were repulsed by fire from Farinholt ' s concealed trench systems , which led to heavy Union casualties . Around sunset , Rooney Lee arrived on the field with the Confederate cavalry forces that had been pursuing the Union raiders . Lee attacked the Union forces in the rear , and Wilson was forced to retire by midnight . The following morning , Farinholt advanced with skirmishers onto the vacated Union positions , taking 8 prisoners and burying 42 Union dead . Casualties on the Union side amounted to 42 killed , 44 wounded , and 30 missing or captured ; Confederate losses were 10 killed and 24 wounded . Aftermath . The defense of the Staunton River Bridge ensured the survival of the Richmond & Danville rail supply line , which was a key part of the chain supplying the besieged Confederate forces in Petersburg . However , Lee was forced to abandon Petersburg in April 1865 when his supply lines were finally cut .