Battle of Yellow Tavern

Overview

The Battle of Yellow Tavern was fought on May 11, 1864, as part of the Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. Union cavalry under Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan was detached from Grant's Army of the Potomac to conduct a raid on Richmond, Virginia, and challenged Confederate cavalry commander Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart. The Confederates were outnumbered, and Stuart was mortally wounded.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Yellow Tavern was fought on May 11, 1864, during the Overland Campaign, when Union cavalry under Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan was detached from Grant's Army of the Potomac to raid Richmond. The engagement pitted Sheridan's 12,000 cavalry against Confederate forces under Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart numbering roughly 5,000. The Confederates were badly outnumbered, and Stuart suffered a mortal wound during the fighting. Stuart's death removed the Army of Northern Virginia's most prominent cavalry commander at a critical phase of the Overland Campaign, a loss that degraded Confederate reconnaissance and screening capabilities at the very moment Grant was pressing Lee relentlessly southward.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (3)