Louisa in Louisa County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Louisa Court House

Raiders Intercepted

— The Battle of Trevilian Station —

Louisa Court House Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, June 11, 2026

1. Louisa Court House Marker

Inscription.

Louisa Court House. Raiders Intercepted. Welcome to historic downtown Louisa, known as Louisa Court House during the Civil War, your starting point for a driving tour of the pivotal Battle of Trevilian Station., In June 1864, the Virginia Central Railroad, which passed through Louisa, was a vital supply line for the Confederate war effort. On June 7, Union commander Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, who was facing Gen. Robert E. Lee's army outside Richmond, sent Gen. Philip H. Sheridan west with two cavalry divisions totaling 9,400 men to cripple that supply line. Sheridan was ordered to destroy the tracks, then unite with Gen. David Hunter's army at Charlottesville and return east, "leaving every rail on the road destroyed.", Two days later, Lee sent two of his own cavalry divisions totaling 6,400 men under Gen. Wade Hampton to intercept the raiders. By taking a shorter route, Hampton arrived here on June 10, 1864, ahead of the Union troopers. That night, as the Confederates camped around the Court House here and along the railroad tracks, they could hear "the drums of the enemy" nearby., Over the next two days, June 11-12, 1864, the opposing forces would clash in the Battle of Trevilian Station, the largest and costliest all-cavalry battle of the war., "The Battle of Trevilian was the most important cavalry fight that occurred during the war." , - Confederate Gen. Thomas Rosser, Photo Caption: , Illustration of the battle by James E. Taylor. , From Campfire and Battlefield by Rossiter Johnson ,

List of stops: , 1 Louisa Court House , 2 First Contact , 3 Sheridan's Camp at Clayton's Store , 4 First Shots Fired at Bibb's Crossroads , 5 Netherland Tavern , 6 Custer's First Last Stand and Custer Rescued , 7 Ogg Farm (Bloody Angle Fight) , 8 Oakland Cemetery and Decisive Confederate Victory

, Snap a photo of this map and follow the battle turn by turn. A Civil War Trails sign awaits at each stop. Create some history of your own and post it with #civilwartrails.

Welcome to historic downtown Louisa, known as Louisa Court House during the Civil War, your starting point for a driving tour of the pivotal Battle of Trevilian Station.

In June 1864, the Virginia Central Railroad, which passed through Louisa, was a vital supply line for the Confederate war effort. On June 7, Union commander Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, who was facing Gen. Robert E. Lee's army outside Richmond, sent Gen. Philip H. Sheridan west with two cavalry divisions totaling 9,400 men to cripple that supply line. Sheridan was ordered to destroy the tracks, then unite with Gen. David Hunter's army at Charlottesville and return east, "leaving every rail on the road destroyed."

Two days later, Lee sent two of his own cavalry divisions totaling 6,400 men under Gen. Wade Hampton to intercept the raiders. By taking a shorter route, Hampton arrived here on June 10, 1864, ahead of the Union troopers. That night, as the Confederates camped around the Court House here and along the railroad tracks, they could hear "the drums of the enemy" nearby.

Over the next two days, June 11-12, 1864, the opposing forces would clash in the Battle

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of Trevilian Station, the largest and costliest all-cavalry battle of the war.

"The Battle of Trevilian was the most important cavalry fight that occurred during the war."
- Confederate Gen. Thomas Rosser

Photo Caption:
Illustration of the battle by James E. Taylor.
From Campfire and Battlefield by Rossiter Johnson

List of stops:
1 Louisa Court House
2 First Contact
3 Sheridan's Camp at Clayton's Store
4 First Shots Fired at Bibb's Crossroads
5 Netherland Tavern
6 Custer's First Last Stand and Custer Rescued
7 Ogg Farm (Bloody Angle Fight)
8 Oakland Cemetery and Decisive Confederate Victory

Snap a photo of this map and follow the battle turn by turn. A Civil War Trails sign awaits at each stop. Create some history of your own and post it with #civilwartrails.

Erected by Virginia Civil War Trails.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Railroads & Streetcars • War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is June 10, 1864.

Location. 38° 1.493′ N, 78° 0.205′ W. Marker is in Louisa, Virginia, in Louisa County. It is at the intersection of West Main Street (U.S. 33) and Elm Avenue,

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, June 11, 2026

2. Louisa Court House Marker

The courthouse that stood during the Civil War was just beyond the tree shown. The stone threshold for that courthouse is still on the lawn and has its own marker. The courthouse that replaced it, built in 1905-6, is across the lawn in the background.

on the left when traveling west on West Main Street. Marker is in front of the R. Earl Ogg Memorial Building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 102 W Main Street, Louisa VA 23093, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Piedmont

and in Central Virginia.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Second Louisa County Courthouse Threshold (here, next to this marker); Patrick Henry's Home (a few steps from this marker); Confederate Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); In Memory of All Veterans (within shouting distance of this marker); John Mercer Langston Birthplace (within shouting distance of this marker); Bicentennial Monument (within

Louisa Court House Threshold image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, June 11, 2026

3. Louisa Court House Threshold

The marker is in the background behind the tree. This view shows the stone threshold for the 1818 courthouse, marking where the entrance to that building once was. The road is Main Street.

shouting distance of this marker); Louisa United Methodist Church (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Historic Louisa (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Louisa.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Louisa Court House (was a few steps from this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

More about this marker. This is one of several markers interpreting the Battle of Trevilian Station, June 11-12, 1864. See the Battle of Trevilian Station Virtual Tour by Markers linked below for additional related markers. Note this marker re-numbers the Civil War Trails driving stop tours, shortening the route to eight stops instead of the original nine shown on older markers. This is because the Poindexter House property, still in private hands, never received its intended marker. However, if the visitor follows the driving tour as on the map, the visitor will notice that most of the markers still include the Poindexter House as Stop 5 even with recent replacements. There is a trailhead for the Trevilian Station Battlefield across the road from the Poindexter House, worth

Close Up of the Drawing of the Old Courthouse image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Swain, January 12, 2008

4. Close Up of the Drawing of the Old Courthouse

This image was on the previous iteration of this Civil War Trails marker and shows the Civil War-era building. Note the worn threshold in this illustration, immediately beneath the door, and compare it to the stone threshold shown in the previous image.

stopping at for its importance in the battle during Hampton's Charge, and the Trevilian Station Battlefield Foundation's website contains text relevant to that stop despite there being no signage on-site other than a battle map.

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. This marker has replaced the linked marker in the same location.

Also see . . .
1. American Battlefield Trust - Trevilian Station. An authoritative source for information on the battle and battlefield preservation. (Submitted on August 15, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia.)

2. Trevilian Station Battlefield Foundation. The TSBF has worked to preserve core areas of the Trevilian Station Battlefield, including the C.G. Trevilian House, which is open for tours seasonally, and a replica of the Netherland Tavern where an annual dinner is hosted. The website includes information about the battle, their efforts, and the Trevilian Station Driving Tour, as well as how to find information about hiking and horseback trails through the battlefield. (Submitted on August 15, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia.)

3. Battle of Trevilian Station Virtual Tour by Markers.

'Modern' Louisa Court House image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, June 11, 2026

5. 'Modern' Louisa Court House

The 1905-6 Courthouse. The Confederate memorial at left was erected in 1905. The Jail left of the Courthouse was built in 1868. The clerk's office, just to the right of the Courthouse and largely obscured by bushes, was originally constructed in 1830 (though doubled by an addition in 1895) and is the only remaining structure from the antebellum Courthouse complex.

A set of markers that document the Battle of Trevilian Station, June 11-12, 1864. The order of appearance is generally aligned to the Trevilian Station Battlefield Foundation driving tour, with accommodations made for convenience both in the town of Louisa at the beginning of the tour, and on the eastbound side of Route 33 headed back towards the cemetery. Because the C.G. Trevilian House at the 'modern' station does not have its own marker, reviewing this database for accompanying information when reading about the railroad tracks there is recommended for added interpretive value. (Submitted on August 15, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia.)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 15, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 15, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 9 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 15, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. 4. submitted on January 19, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 5. submitted on August 15, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia.