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

Prince George Court House

"Destroy both those roads"

— Wilson – Kautz Raid —

 
 
Prince George Court House Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), May 8, 2020
1. Prince George Court House Marker
Inscription.
In June 1864, Gen. U.S. Grant began to confine Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia within the Richmond and Petersburg defenses. The South Side R.R., connecting Petersburg and Lynchburg, and the Richmond and Danville R.R. supplied Lee’s men. The two lines formed a junction in Burkesville. Seeking to deny their use to Lee, Grant directed Gen. James H. Wilson’s 3,000-man cavalry division and Gen. August V. Kautz’s division (2,500 cavalrymen) with three batteries of regular U.S. artillery to ”destroy both those roads to the greatest extent possible, continuing their destruction until driven from it by such attacks of the enemy, as you can no longer resist.” The detachment left from Mt. Sinai Church in Prince George County at 2 a.m. on June 22, in a column containing 30 to 40 supply wagons and two to four mountain howitzers in Kautz’s command. Federal II and VI Corps attempts to seize the Weldon Railroad in the Battle of Jerusalem Plank Road helped cover the raider’s departure.

”Left camp at daybreak with five days rations; had been up nearly all night making preparations…. We were informed that we must make our five days’ rations last ten days. Wagonloads of provisions had been sent out to supply the officers. Several of us clubbed together and bought enough coffee and sugar to last
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us…. A sergeant in Wilson’s command whom I met, in speaking of our proposed raid said we would have a ‘skedaddle’ before we got back…. In thinking of his remark afterward [I] thought he had been prophetic.”
- Trooper George L. Cruikshank, Co. A, 11th Pennsylvania Cavalry


Sidebar:
The present Prince George County courthouse, with its 1929 arcade, was completed in 1884 to replace the 1810 courthouse that Federal troops burned in 1864. The older building, which was restored after the war but later demolished, stood about a quarter-mile west.
 
Erected by Virginia Civil War Trails.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Notable PlacesWar, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #18 Ulysses S. Grant, and the Virginia Civil War Trails series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is June 1864.
 
Location. 37° 13.255′ N, 77° 17.237′ W. Marker is in Prince George, Virginia, in Prince George County. Marker is on Courthouse Road (Virginia Route 106), on the right when traveling west. Marker is one of two Civil War Trail markers located near the Court House. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Prince George VA 23875, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the
Markers at the Prince George Court House image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 25, 2007
2. Markers at the Prince George Court House
There are two Virginia Civil War Trails markers at this location. The Wilson–Kautz Raid marker is the one on the right.
crow flies. A different marker also named Prince George Court House (here, next to this marker); The Clerk's Office (within shouting distance of this marker); In Memoriam (within shouting distance of this marker); Confederate Soldiers of Prince George Co. (within shouting distance of this marker); Prince George County Veterans Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); History at Prince George Courthouse (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); World War II Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Jordan's Point (approx. 2.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Prince George.
 
More about this marker. The top of the marker contains a sketch of Union cavalrymen by Edwin Forbes, and photographs of Generals U.S. Grant, James H. Wilson and August V. Kautz.
 
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Take a Virtual Tour by Markers of the Wilson-Kautz Raid.
 
Also see . . .  Southside Virginia & Lee's Retreat. Wilson-Kautz Raid. Civil War Traveler website. (Submitted on December 28, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.) 
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on August 2, 2020. It was originally submitted on December 27, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 1,022 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos:   1. submitted on May 9, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.   2. submitted on December 28, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.

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Mar. 28, 2024