Fighting At Reams Station

Fighting At Reams Station. Struggles for the Railroad. Welcome to the Reams Station battlefield! In the summer of 1864, two battles of the significant Petersburg Campaign raged across this ground for control of the Petersburg (Weldon) Railroad. Gen. Robert E. Lee's Confederates defended Petersburg and its railroad connections to ensure the flow of vital supplies to his army. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Union forces sought to destroy those supply lines. The first battle, fought here on June 29, 1864, as Confederates attempted to intercept Federal cavalry returning to the Union lines, ended in a Southern victory., Grant then ordered Gen. Winfield S. Hancock's 2nd Corps to destroy the railroad around the Reams Station depot. On August 25, 1864, Confederates under Gen. A.P. Hill's command attacked Hancock's troops. The Confederates emerged victorious once again, and limited supplies continued to reach Lee's army., "This was one of the most important engagements of that eventful year, 1864. If Hancock had effected a lodgment and fortified at Reams Station, thereby blocking communication by the Petersburg and Weldon Railroad, the chances are that General Lee would have been compelled to extend his already thin, attenuated lines and possibly abandon his lines in front of Petersburg." , , Pvt. Ulysses R. Brooks, CSA, (caption) During and after the August 25, 1864, battle at Reams Station, the Oak Grove United Methodist Church was used as a field hospital. - American Civil War Museum, Please enjoy this walking trail and preserved ground. Follow the trail to four interpretive signs detailing the Second Battle of Reams Station. Allow an hour to walk it and stay on the trail to avoid ticks and snakes. Please pack out any trash. Metal detecting is not permitted., Post a #signselfies #civilwartrails @discoverdinwiddie.