Christiansville

Christiansville. Confederate Grain. In June 1864, to deny Gen. Robert E. Lee the use of the South Side Rail Road and the Richmond and Danville Rail Road, Gen. U1ysses S. Grant sent Gen. James H. Wilson and Gen. August V. Kautz south of Petersburg on a cavalry raid to destroy track and rolling stock. After being repulsed at Staunton River Bridge on June 25, the raiders reached Christiansville (present-day Chase City) about noon on June 26. Parties of Federals, now fatigued, disorganized, and low on discipline, took farm animals and personal property from area homes. Near here about 300 of C.S. Gen. Rufus Barringer’s cavalry brigade, tasked to harass the Federals, struck Wilson’s rear guard., “We found a large quantity of grain … belonging to the Confederate Government; of course we took whatever we needed for our horses.” - Quartermaster Sgt. Roger Hannaford, 2nd Ohio Cavalry, “The rear of my brigade were attacked by small parties of rebels about 5 P.M. But were successfully repulsed.” - Col. Samuel Spear, Commander, 2nd Brigade, Kautz's Division, (sidebar) , After the Civil War, emigrants from the North and elsewhere poured into the South, and many Ohioans and Englishmen came to Christiansville. As the town grew, the aldermen decided to change its name to Chase City, honoring the prominent Ohioan Salmon P. Chase (Jan. 13, 1808-May 7, 1873), chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. When Chase visited Richmond in 1873, on April 10 a town delegation called on him and he graciously approved the change. The new name pleased both the old residents, who had always referred to the town as “The City,” and the new arrivals, for honoring Chase.