Battle of Rio Hill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Rio Hill |
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| Part of the American Civil War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States |
 Confederate States |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| George A. Custer |
Marcellus N. Moorman |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 1,500 cavalrymen, 2 cannons | 200 artillerymen, 16 cannons | ||||||
The Battle of Rio Hill was a small fight, called a skirmish, during the American Civil War. In this battle, Union cavalry (soldiers on horseback) attacked a Confederate camp in Albemarle County, Virginia.
On February 28, 1864, Union Brig. Gen. George A. Custer led about 1,500 Union soldiers. They moved towards Charlottesville. This attack was a trick by the Union army. It was meant to draw attention away from Richmond. At the same time, another Union group tried to free prisoners of war held in Richmond.
Custer's main goal was to destroy a railroad bridge over the Rivanna River. The only Confederate soldiers in his way were from Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart's "Horse Company." They were camped near the Rivanna River at Carrsbrook. Custer's men attacked the camp while under fire from Confederate forces. These forces were led by Capt. R. Preston Chew and Captain Marcellus N. Moorman.
The Union soldiers took things from the camp and then set it on fire. They also captured two Confederate soldiers. During the attack, a Confederate caisson (an ammunition wagon) exploded. Custer got confused, thinking it was enemy cannons firing again. His own men accidentally shot at each other and then ran away from the camp. The Confederate troops quickly got back together and chased Custer out of Albemarle.
Custer and Philip Sheridan came back to Charlottesville in 1865. They stayed in the town from March 3 to March 7. This was about a month before the main Confederate army, the Army of Northern Virginia, gave up at Appomattox.
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Why Did the Battle of Rio Hill Happen?
After the Mine Run Campaign, Robert E. Lee's Confederate army settled down for winter. They were in Orange County. Four groups of Major General J.E.B. Stuart's horse artillery (cannons pulled by horses) set up camp nearby. They built winter huts in Albemarle County. This was about 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Charlottesville. The soldiers had been through tough fighting in 1863. They were resting easily in their camp in early 1864.
Meanwhile, Union leaders were planning a big attack on Richmond, the Confederate capital. Judson Kilpatrick led the main raid on Richmond. Brigadier General George A. Custer was given a different job. His mission was to create a distraction in Albemarle County. Charlottesville was a key target for the Union. Custer had two main goals:
- Destroy Confederate supplies stored in Charlottesville.
- Destroy the Virginia Central Railroad bridge over the Rivanna River. This railroad brought supplies from the Shenandoah Valley to Lee's army.
Custer gathered several groups of soldiers from different divisions. He set out with his mixed force from Mount Pony at 2:00 PM on February 28.
Who Fought at Rio Hill?
Union Forces
Custer's force had about 1,500 men. These were cavalry (horseback soldiers) from at least two divisions of the Army of the Potomac's Cavalry Corps. They also had two Parrott rifles (cannons) from Battery E, 1st U.S. Artillery. These cannons were there to help with artillery support.
Confederate Forces
The only organized Confederate soldiers nearby were the four groups of Stuart's horse artillery. They were camped on Rio Hill, right in Custer's path. Each group had four cannons. They were led by Captain Marcellus Newton Moorman, Captain Roger Preston Chew, Captain James Breathed, and Captain William Morrell McGregory. Moorman was the highest-ranking officer, so he was in charge of all 16 cannons. About 200 Confederate artillerymen operated these cannons.
How the Battle Began
Custer's men left Mount Pony at 2:00 PM on February 28. They reached Madison Court House around 6:00 PM that evening. Custer let his men rest for the night. At 2:00 AM the next morning, they continued towards Stanardsville. Soon after starting, Custer's men chased away Confederate pickets (guards) along the road. In Stanardsville, they drove off more Confederate vedettes (mounted sentries). Custer's men kept going towards Earlysville. Along the way, they captured some Confederate soldiers. These prisoners told them that Fitzhugh Lee's cavalry division was camped near Charlottesville. This was not true, but it made the Confederates seem stronger.
Captain Moorman and his men did not know the Union soldiers were coming until about 12:30 PM. A lieutenant from the 1st Virginia Cavalry reported that enemy cavalry was 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Stanardsville. They were moving towards Moorman's camp. Moorman sent pickets to guard the bridge over the Rivanna at Rio Mills. But the pickets found that the fast-moving Union soldiers had already taken the bridge. It seems Moorman might not have believed the warning at first. Or he was slow to get ready. Custer's men didn't reach the bridge until 3:00 PM. Moorman's pickets only had 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to travel to the bridge.
The Battle of Rio Hill
One of Custer's officers remembered hearing four trains arrive in Charlottesville as they crossed the bridge. They thought this meant Confederate reinforcements were arriving. Custer quickly sent Captain Joseph P. Ash with sixty men. They were from the 5th U.S. Cavalry. Their job was to cross the river about a mile downstream at Cook's Ford. They would attack the Confederate camp from the east and south. Custer's main force would attack from the north and west.
Even with the warning, Moorman's men were still not ready to defend their camp. To gain time, Moorman ordered some cannons to fire at Custer's main force. This force was coming down the Earlysville Road. The rest of his cannons were quickly prepared and moved to safety. After half of his cannons were moved, the others were also hitched up and pulled out of the camp. This happened just as Custer's main group reached the edge of the camp. At the same time, Captain Ash's soldiers arrived from the east.
Moorman needed more time. He ordered four cannons to be set up on a ridge south of the camp. These four guns fired into their own camp, which was now full of Union cavalry. A line of skirmishers (soldiers fighting in a loose formation) was sent to support the cannons. These soldiers, armed only with pistols, had to guard the guns. They needed to hold the line until Moorman could gather more forces against Custer's horsemen.
Moorman knew the situation was serious. He told his artillerymen to get on their horses and form a line. He split these "fake" cavalrymen into two groups. One was led by Captain Chew, the other by Captain Breathed. Moorman ordered his men to pretend they were cavalry reinforcements. They had pistols and sticks they picked up. These mounted artillerymen rode around the four cannons that were still firing at the Union soldiers in the camp.
Amazingly, the trick worked! Custer's men stopped when they saw what looked like a large enemy cavalry force. As they moved through the camp, Custer's main force ran into Captain Ash's group. Ash's men were just riding into the camp from the east. Surprised and confused, the two Union groups started shooting at each other. Just then, a Confederate caisson (ammunition wagon) that had been left behind exploded.
In the growing confusion, Custer's men completely left the camp. Custer saw the line of Confederate horsemen arriving. He thought he was outnumbered and ordered a retreat back across the Rivanna. As his soldiers pulled back in confusion into Rio Mills, they burned the bridge behind them. This was to slow down any Confederate counterattack. After burning the mill in the small town, Custer's men went back the way they came towards Stanardsville. The whole fight, from when the Union soldiers reached the bridge to when they burned it, lasted barely an hour.
What Happened After the Battle?
At 9:00 PM, still 8 miles (12.9 km) south of Stanardsville, Custer's men rested in a bivouac for about an hour and a half. About 500 men mistakenly kept retreating through the night. This left Custer with only 1,000 men. The next morning, March 1, Custer's men fought Confederate forces again. This fight became known as the Battle of Stanardsville. After that battle, Custer's men went back to where they started before the raid. They arrived there by dusk that evening.
Custer reported that his men "marched upwards of 150 miles (241.4 km)." He said they destroyed the bridge over the Rivanna River. They also burned three large mills full of grain and flour. They captured six caissons and two forges (places for metalwork). They also captured one flag, over 50 prisoners, and about 500 horses. Plus, they brought away over 100 freed enslaved people. A large enemy camp near Charlottesville was also captured and destroyed. Amazingly, Custer only had one soldier slightly wounded during the entire raid and the fight at Rio Hill.
Confederate Captain Moorman listed his losses:
- Moorman's battery: 2 men and 2 horses captured.
- Chew's battery: 10 sets of horse harness, 1 limber (part of a cannon carriage) with canteens, 1 forge, 6 tents, 5 tent-flies, 4 tarpaulins, 60 pounds of axle grease, 15 curry-combs and brushes, 3 public horses, 40 government bags.
- Breathed's battery: 9 tents, 2 horses, 3.5 sets of harness.
- McGregor's battery: 6 sets of harness, 3 tent-flies, 12 bridles, 6 saddles and blankets, 4 halters, 2 mules, 4 skillets, 2 camp-kettles, 4 water-buckets.
Moorman also said his soldiers lost many personal items, especially in Chew's and Breathed's batteries. The damaged Confederate camp was quickly fixed.
So, the only people hurt in the battle were one Union soldier slightly wounded and two Confederate soldiers captured.
What is the Legacy of Rio Hill?
People in the area remember the Battle of Rio Hill with some local pride. It was the only important Civil War fight in Albemarle County. However, no special effort was made to protect the battleground. Archaeologists did some digging and research. But this was limited, often done by local people with metal detectors.
In 1988, a shopping center was built exactly where the Confederate camp was. Later building projects covered almost the entire battlefield. In 1989, a Virginia Highway Marker was placed in the shopping center. It is called "Skirmish at Rio Hill" and tells about the event. A display case nearby, set up by the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society, gives more information. The shopping center helped put it there. The display was updated in February 2014 for the 150th anniversary of the battle.
On March 1, 2014, the 150-year anniversary, reenactors from the 7th Virginia Infantry, Company F, and the 19th Virginia Infantry, Company B, set up a living history display. This was in the shopping center parking lot. The event included showing the updated display case.
Images for kids
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"Burning a bridge on the Rivanna, Feb. 1864" by Alfred R. Waud. Waud, a famous newspaper artist, was with Custer. He drew this picture of Custer's men burning the bridge over the Rivanna River at Rio Mills.
