Petersburg, Virginia, was the supply center for the Confederate capital of
Richmond, and was under siege by Union forces under the command of
Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. Petersburg was supplied by rail along three remaining lines, the
Richmond and Petersburg Railroad; the
South Side Railroad, which reached to
Lynchburg in the west; and the
Weldon Railroad, also called the Petersburg and Weldon Railroad, which led to
Weldon, North Carolina, and the Confederacy's only remaining major port,
Wilmington, North Carolina. On June 22, Grant dispatched a 3,300 strong
cavalry unit under the command of
Brig. Gens. James H. Wilson and
August V. Kautz to cut the rail lines. This led to a series of raids that destroyed of rail track and culminated in the
Battle of Staunton River Bridge on June 25, where the raiders were defeated and began a retreat back to Union positions. Since the outset of the raid, the Union force had been pursued by Confederate
Maj. Gen. W.H.F. "Rooney" Lee. Lee's forces had finally been able to catch up to the Union cavalry at Staunton Bridge, and had attacked them in the rear and then continued to pursue them as they retired to Union lines. ==Battle==