Near Blackstone in Nottoway County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Battle of Nottoway
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, April 26, 2007
1. Battle of Nottoway
At this railroad cut on June 23, 1864, 3,500 Union cavalrymen commanded by Gen. James H. Wilson fought a Confederate cavalry force of 2,000 under Gen. W.H. Fitzhugh Lee. The savage, 9-hour battle was the first major engagement of the Wilson-Kautz Raid, a Union cavalry expedition intended to destroy railroads supplying Confederate forces besieged at Petersburg.
1) 11:12:a.m. – Union Col. George Chapman’s Brigade unexpectedly encounters Confederate Gen. James Dearing’s Brigade near this railroad cut. The Confederates dismount and attack, forcing the Federals into a defensive position in the cut. Additional forces, including artillery, arrive and the fighting see-saws as both sides charge and countercharge. The heaviest fighting is on the left where the 62nd Georgia Cavalry forms the Confederate.
2) 1-2:p.m. – Union troops (8th New York and 1st Vermont) drive back the North Carolina companies of the Dearing Brigade and momentarily capture McGregor’s guns. Moments later, Gen. Rufus Barringer’s Brigade (1st, 2nd and
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3) About 7 p.m. – In a final effort, mounted Confederate cavalry attempts to flank the Union position but are driven off by troopers of the 1st Connecticut Cavalry. Sniping and skirmishing continue until about midnight.
4) About 3 a.m., June 24 – Gen. Wilson withdraws from the field along present day Rts. 603 and 626, to reunite his division with that of Gen. Kautz near Meherrin, Virginia. The Confederates claim victory, but the Union force will continue its mission to disrupt and destroy the Confederate railroads.
Casualties, including killed, wounded and missing:
Confederate – between 60 and 100.
Union – about 75.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is June 23, 1864.
Location. This marker has been replaced by another marker nearby. It was located near 37° 6.395′ N, 78° 2.315′ W. Marker was near Blackstone, Virginia, in Nottoway County. It was on Old Nottoway Road (U.S. 460) near The Grove
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, April 26, 2007
2. Battle of Nottoway Markers
The Battle of Nottoway is on the route of Lee's Retreat.
Regionally, this marker was in Virginia’s Piedmont, in Southside Virginia, and specifically in Central Virginia. It was also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it was in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it found 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 3 miles of this location, measured as the crow flies: Mt. Nebo Church (approx. half a mile away); Blackstone College (approx. 2.6 miles away); a different marker also named Blackstone Female Institute (approx. 2.7 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 2.7 miles away); Nottoway Confederate Soldiers Monument (approx. 2.7 miles away); Jamestown Oaks (approx. 2.8 miles away); Dodge Brothers Dealership (approx. 2.9 miles away); The Blackstone Hotel
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, April 26, 2007
3. Battle Map of Battle of Nottoway
The numbers on this map refer to actions listed on the marker.
Other markers no longer nearby. Battle of Nottoway (was here, next to this marker but has been confirmed missing); Mount Nebo Church (was approx. half a mile away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Blackstone Female Institute (was approx. 2.7 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Nottoway Court House (was approx. 2.7 miles away but has been permanently removed).
More about this marker. At the upper right of the marker is a picture with the caption "At early light we were on the move again, engaged in the work of destruction." Civil War artist A.R. Waud’s sketch shows the efficiency with which the Federals worked; about 60 miles of railroad were destroyed.
The lower right of the marker contains a map, with the caption This present-day map will help you orient the battle action to the landscape you see today.
The left side of the marker features a battle map showing the action of the Battle of Nottoway.
Also see . . .
1. Wilson-Kautz Raid. Civil War Traveler. (Submitted on March 23, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)
2. Lee's Retreat.
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, April 26, 2007
4. Battle of Nottoway on Lee's Retreat
June 23, 1864 - This was the first of a series of raids from Petersburg led by Union Generals James Wilson and August Kautz. The purpose of the raid was to destroy portions of the South Side and Richmond & Danville Railroads and curtail the use of these supply lines by Lee's army.
3. Civil War Traveler - Southside Virginia & Lee's Retreat. Lee's Retreat: Radio Message Scripts. Stop 26: Battle of Nottoway. (Submitted on May 18, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.)
Additional commentary.
1. Site of Ancestor’s wounds from which he died the next day
I recently found where my great-great grandfather was killed. He was with the 62nd Ga Cavalry. I knew there had been a regrouping June 19, 1864, but most accounts said the change did not take place until July. In June the 62nd was assigned to Dearing. I started down the list of Ga Cavalry and there he was, 8th Ga. Cavalry: A. H. Shepherd (Asa Holt), “Killed in action. Died of wounds received in battle June 23.” “Killed in action June 23 1864. Entitled to bounty.”
His wife and five children and his mother-in-law lived in Jefferson County, Ga. Family lore tells of the visit by Sherman’s bummers. The family must have received word of As’'s death because it is recorded in the family Bible. My mother always told me that his mother had sent her grandfather, a boy about 12 years old, to the woods behind the house to bury money. I would ask, “Where would she have gotten the money?” Now I believe she had also received the $50 bounty. The family left Georgia with an ox and cart and made their way back of Monticello, Florida, where they had lived and where his wife’s family lived. Descendents still live there.
— Submitted January 10, 2012, by AnnLee Alley (Earnshaw) of Jacksonville Beach,, Florida.
2. Marker is missing
Visited 06/20/26 - A Civil War Trails Marker is nearby.
— Submitted June 20, 2026, by Thomas Corwin of Fairfax, Virginia.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 22, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 23, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 4,598 times since then and 146 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 23, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. The civil war trails marker nearby • Can you help?
