First Battle of Ream's Station

{{Infobox military conflict |conflict=First Battle of Ream's Station |image=Wilson-Kautz Raid.pdf |image_size=290px |caption=A map of the Union raiders' route |partof=the [[American Civil War]] |date={{Start date|1864|6|29}} |place=[[Dinwiddie County, Virginia]] |result=[[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] victory |combatant1={{flagicon|USA|1863}} [[United States]] ([[Union (American Civil War)|Union]]) |combatant2={{flagicon|CSA|1863}} [[Confederate States of America|CSA (Confederacy)]] |commander1=[[James H. Wilson]]<br/>[[August Kautz]] |commander2=[[William Mahone]]<br/>[[Fitzhugh Lee]] |strength1= 4,000<ref name=cwsac/> |strength2=7,000<ref name=cwsac/> |casualties1= |casualties2= |casualties3=600<ref name=nps/> }} {{Campaignbox Richmond-Petersburg Campaign}}

The '''First Battle of Ream's Station''' was fought on June 29, 1864, during the [[Wilson–Kautz Raid]] of the [[American Civil War]]. [[Confederate States Army|Confederate]] forces under [[Major General (CSA)|Maj. Gen.]] [[William Mahone]] and [[Brigadier General (CSA)|Brig. Gen.]] [[Fitzhugh Lee]] defeated [[Union Army|Union]] cavalry raiding Confederate railroads south of [[Petersburg, Virginia]].

==Background== In June 1864, a Union division under the command of Brig. Gen. [[August V. Kautz]] moved into southern Virginia where they began destroying sections of the [[Wilmington and Weldon Railroad]] as part of the [[Richmond-Petersburg Campaign]]. On June 29 the division reached Ream's Station south of Petersburg on the Weldon Railroad, which was thought to be held by Union infantry. Instead, Kautz found the road barred by Mahone's Confederate infantry division. Wilson's division, fighting against elements of Maj. Gen. [[William Henry Fitzhugh Lee|W.H.F. "Rooney" Lee's]] cavalry, joined Kautz's near Ream's Station, where they were virtually surrounded.

==Battle== [[File:Ream's Station I Battlefield Virginia.jpg|thumb|305px|Map of Ream's Station Battlefield core and study areas by the [[American Battlefield Protection Program]].]] Around noon, Mahone led Confederate infantry against the Union front while cavalry under Fitzhugh Lee attacked the Union left flank. The fierce assault split the Union forces. Wilson and Kautz were forced to withdraw quickly, burning their supply wagons and abandoning their artillery.

Separated by the Confederate attacks, Wilson and his men cut their way through and retreated southwest on the Stage Road to cross the Nottoway River, while Kautz headed south and east cross-country, reaching Federal lines at Petersburg about dark. Wilson continued east to the [[Blackwater River (Virginia)|Blackwater River]] before turning north, eventually reaching Union lines at Light House Point on July 2.

The Wilson-Kautz raid tore up more than {{convert|60|mi|km}} of track, temporarily disrupting rail traffic into Petersburg, but at a great cost in men and mounts.

==Battlefield preservation== The [[American Battlefield Trust]] and its partners have acquired and preserved {{convert|293|acres|km2}} of the fields of battle at Ream's Station through November 2021.<ref>[https://www.battlefields.org/preserve/saved-land] [[American Battlefield Trust]] "Saved Land" webpage. Accessed November 29, 2021.</ref>

==See also== * [[Second Battle of Ream's Station]] * [[Battles of the American Civil War]] * [[Bibliography of Ulysses S. Grant]] * [[Bibliography of the American Civil War]]

==Notes== {{Reflist|refs= <ref name=nps>[http://www.cr.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/va068.htm National Park Service battle description]</ref> <ref name=cwsac>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121108214157/http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/CWSII/VirginiaBattlefieldProfiles/Reams%20Station%20I%20to%20Rutherfords%20Farm.pdf CWSAC Report Update]</ref> }}

==References== *[http://www.cr.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/va068.htm National Park Service battle description] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311113522/http://www.cr.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/va068.htm |date=2007-03-11 }} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20121108214157/http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/CWSII/VirginiaBattlefieldProfiles/Reams%20Station%20I%20to%20Rutherfords%20Farm.pdf CWSAC Report Update]

==Further reading== * Linedecker, Clifford L., ed. ''Civil War, A-Z: The Complete Handbook of America's Bloodiest Conflict''. New York: Ballantine Books, 2002. {{ISBN|0-89141-878-4}}.

{{Coord|37.0959|N|77.4226|W|type:event_region:US_scale:30000|display=title}}

[[Category:Battles of the eastern theater of the American Civil War|Ream's Station I]] [[Category:Petersburg Campaign|Ream's Station I]] [[Category:Confederate victories of the American Civil War|Ream's Station I]] [[Category:Battles of the American Civil War in Virginia|Ream's Station I]] [[Category:Dinwiddie County, Virginia, in the American Civil War|Ream's Station]] [[Category:Conflicts in 1864|Ream's Station]] [[Category:1864 in Virginia]] [[Category:June 1864 in the United States]]