Battle of Vaughan Road facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Vaughan's Road
Part of Petersburg Campaign, American Civil War
Date October 1, 1864 Location Dinwiddie County, near Petersburg, Virginia Result Union victory
Belligerents
United States	Confederacy
Commanders and leaders
David McMurtrie Gregg Henry E. Davies	Wade Hampton John Dunovant  † Pierce M. B. Young Matthew C. Butler
Strength
unknown	unknown
Casualties and losses
90	130

The Battle of Vaughan Road, sometimes called "Vaughn Road," was a fight during the American Civil War. It happened on October 1, 1864. This battle involved cavalry (soldiers on horseback) from both the Confederate States Army and the Union Army.

The Union cavalry's job was to protect the side of a larger Union attack. This main attack was happening at the Battle of Peebles's Farm, which was part of the long Siege of Petersburg. The Union forces successfully pushed back Confederate attacks. They held onto land they had just captured, including an important road crossing at Vaughan Road and Wyatt Road.

The Confederates lost about 130 soldiers, while the Union lost about 90. Sadly, Confederate General John Dunovant was killed during the battle. Union Sergeant James T. Clancy was later given the Medal of Honor for firing the shot that killed him.

Overall, in the battles from September 29 to October 2, 1864, the Union Army had more casualties. However, both sides lost a similar percentage of their total forces. The Union gained important positions. This forced the Confederates to stretch their already thin defense lines around Petersburg and Richmond, Virginia. The Union didn't achieve all their goals, like cutting the vital Boydton Plank Road supply line.

Why the Battle Happened

During the Siege of Petersburg, in late September 1864, Union General Ulysses S. Grant planned a big attack. This attack, called the "Fifth Offensive," aimed to hit Confederate defenses around Petersburg, Virginia, and Richmond, Virginia.

On September 30, Union forces had some success. They captured part of the Confederate defense line, including areas around Peebles' Farm. But they couldn't reach their main goal: cutting the Boydton Plank Road, which was a key supply route for the Confederates.

Union generals wanted to protect their new gains and maybe attack again. However, Confederate generals, including Robert E. Lee's officers, planned a counterattack. They thought the right side of the Union attack was weak. Union commanders were ready for such a move, remembering a similar Confederate counterattack before.

Meanwhile, Union General Andrew A. Humphreys moved Union cavalry under General David McMurtrie Gregg to important crossings on the Vaughan Road. This was to protect the rear of the Union infantry (foot soldiers) from any Confederate attacks coming up that road.

On the night of September 30, Union General Henry Eugene Davies's cavalry continued to operate. They took some ground that the Confederates had left. Confederate General John Dunovant then tried to get this land back. He moved directly toward the Union cavalry in the dark.

Dunovant didn't think there was any danger at night. He even led his troops himself. As Dunovant's and Davies's groups got close to Armstrong's house, they were surprised to find other soldiers. The Union troops started to get ready to fight. But Dunovant thought he had found Confederate guards and tried to push through them. He even sent an aide to convince them to let his force pass. The Union soldiers realized the aide was a Confederate and captured him. Now the Union cavalry knew Confederates were right in front of them. There was some confused fighting in the dark, but not many were hurt. Dunovant's men pulled back, and he was upset about being surprised. Davies also suspected he was outnumbered and pulled back to General Gregg's position.

General Gregg was still planning to move forward the next day. Around 6 a.m., he moved most of his troops away from the Wyatt and Vaughan Roads. He thought they would continue the advance around Peebles' Farm. However, the Union infantry leaders weren't eager to keep attacking. Their defensive stance meant the Confederates, led by General A. P. Hill, took the lead the next day.

The Battle Begins

In the morning, Confederate cavalry under General Pierce M. B. Young moved toward the areas General Gregg had left. They threatened to take the Vaughan Road–Wyatt Road crossing. This important spot was only guarded by the 1st Maine Volunteer Cavalry Regiment as a rear guard. Confederate General Matthew C. Butler regained the Vaughan Road positions as the 1st Maine Cavalry retreated. Butler decided to build defenses in the nearby McDowell's Farm area instead of chasing the Union cavalry.

General Gregg soon heard about the Confederate cavalry's advance. He decided to retake the positions. This was because the main infantry battle at Peebles' Farm was going well for the Union. The Union forces had pushed back the Confederate attack and held Peebles' Farm. So, Gregg returned to the McDowell's Farm area. Around 10:45 a.m., he easily drove off the surprised Confederate soldiers.

Heavy Fighting at McDowell's Farm

After this, heavy fighting continued for much of the day. It took place at McDowell's Farm, Wilkinson's Farm, and the crossing of Vaughan Road and Wyatt Road. The Confederates attacked the Union forces that had retaken the area with more strength. General Davies arrived and sent his men to push the Confederates back.

General Young was very angry about how things were going. He told General Butler to attack the Union right side. Butler gave this job to General Dunovant's group. Dunovant advanced with the 4th South Carolina Cavalry and the 5th South Carolina Cavalry. But a gap appeared in Butler's line. The 6th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry Regiment tried to use this gap to get behind Dunovant's men. However, the 6th South Carolina Cavalry warned of the Union movement. Also, being pushed by the 1st Massachusetts Cavalry, Dunovant retreated back to Wilkinson's Farm. The Union forces couldn't advance further under heavy fire. A standstill lasted for several hours. Gregg decided that getting the road crossing back was his main goal. He only needed to hold his current position. It wasn't until 5 p.m. that Gregg could talk to his senior commanders. He then returned to his men's position to plan an attack, but the situation then made it impossible.

Confederate Reinforcements and Dunovant's Last Charge

Confederate cavalry commander Wade Hampton saw a chance to drive the Union cavalry away. He personally led the 9th Virginia Volunteer Cavalry and 13th Virginia Volunteer Cavalry forward as reinforcements. But heavy rain slowed them down. They arrived at Wilkinson's Farm around 3 p.m. They found that the Union right side was still lightly guarded, as reported.

General Hampton planned to attack the Union right. He ordered General Butler to attack from the front. This was meant to trap the Union soldiers. However, their plans were ruined when the two Confederate groups accidentally ran into each other. They almost started firing on their own men. Confederate Colonel James Lucius Davis did get in front of some Union forces with the Virginia regiments and captured 46 prisoners.

Butler hesitated to launch a direct attack against Davies's new, stronger line. But he wondered if they could go around the line. Major Henry Farley, who commanded soldiers without horses, convinced Butler that Davies's position could be outflanked (attacked from the side). General Dunovant strongly urged that the direct attack be renewed. We don't know if Dunovant pushed for this because he wanted to make up for giving up the position easily the night before, or if he just thought it was the best plan. But it was a risky plan, and Butler only agreed unwillingly.

General Davies was ready for the attack. General John Dunovant was hit in the chest by a bullet and killed while leading the charge against the Union position. Butler's men, who were also in the charge, saw Dunovant fall. They became discouraged and pulled back. Hampton sent his doctor, John B. Fontaine, to try to help Dunovant. But Fontaine was also killed by a shell on his way to the general. Dunovant's men suffered many casualties in the charge. They soon fell back in good order. Union Sergeant James T. Clancy of the 1st New Jersey Volunteer Cavalry Regiment was given credit for firing the shot that killed General Dunovant. Dunovant's death caused confusion among the Confederates. This helped the Union win this fight. But the Confederates weren't quite finished trying to drive off the Union cavalry.

Final Confederate Attacks

The Confederates regrouped for another attack. But Hampton waited almost an hour for more troops. Then, he attacked without them around 5 p.m. Forces under Colonel Davis and Colonel William Stokes (who took command after Dunovant) attacked the Union position three times. But they were pushed back by heavy Union fire, including three cannons.

Just before nightfall, Hampton sent General Pierce Young's men to attack Davies's from the other side. Young's first push cut off Company C of the 1st New Jersey Volunteer Cavalry Regiment. Lieutenant William Hughes, who led them, decided to fight his way back to the main Union force. He did this by attacking Young's men from behind. The Confederates were surprised and retreated. They thought it must be a larger force. General Young, who was scouting ahead of his men, was almost captured. When Young regrouped and attacked again, he faced a force that Davies had moved to higher ground near the McDowell house. Union General Gregg had made the position stronger with more cavalry and cannons. This force easily turned back Young's men. They had lost the element of surprise against a weaker part of the Union line, which had been pulled back and strengthened during the delay.

What Happened Next

Overall, during the battles at the end of September and beginning of October 1864, the Union forces lost almost twice as many men as the Confederates. But both sides lost about the same percentage of their total forces. The Union forces had stretched their lines. However, they had not achieved all their goals. They had pushed the Confederate lines back toward Richmond and Petersburg. But they hadn't pushed them as far as planned and hadn't cut the Boydton Plank Road.

Despite this limited success, the Union forces had made some important gains. In the western attack, they broke through the Confederate Squirrel Level Line of defense. They also secured another section of the line as they moved their siege and trench lines westward.

At the Battle of Vaughan Road specifically, the Union cavalry had protected the Union force's left rear near the Poplar Spring Church. They also kept the Union infantry safe from Confederate cavalry attacks. The Union lost about 90 men, with at least 46 captured. The Confederates suffered about 130 casualties in the Vaughan Road and McDowell's Farm part of this larger battle.

After the fighting on October 1, Confederate General A. P. Hill focused on stopping the Union from extending their lines further toward the Boydton Plank Road. He didn't try to get back the land they had lost. After more fighting on October 2, 1864, the armies settled into a quieter period. The Union siege of Petersburg continued. General Grant's forces kept stretching and wearing down the smaller number of Confederate defenders. The Union now had positions from which they could launch future attacks with safer access to their supply lines.

Even with their limited success in this "Fifth Offensive," the Union forces still needed six more months to break the Confederate defense. This eventually led the Confederate forces to Appomattox Court House. General Lee saw the big danger. He wrote a letter to Wade Hampton two days after the Battle of Peebles' Farm. He said that if the Union Army couldn't be stopped from extending its left side, they would reach the Appomattox River. This would cut off Confederate forces from the south completely. This is exactly what happened later, just as Lee feared.

President Andrew Johnson awarded the Medal of Honor to Sergeant Clancy on July 3, 1865, for his bravery.