Trevilians Station – Battles

I saw a billboard for this event coming home from the Spring OVPR.  I checked out the web site, discovered it was a cavalry only event, and promptly put it on my calendar.  Horses, horses not by the tens but by the hundreds.  Cavalry battles as the main event.   How could I not go? 

So on a warm steamy June Saturday that promised to get warmer & steamier off I went to a farm in Louisa county.  The farm is available for events as well as raise beef cattle & heritage seeds.  So there was plenty of open fields for the event.  And there were horses everywhere.  Hundreds of horses.  Cavalry heaven.

Union Cavalry Unit

 Another Union Unit

There were Union re-enactors  from New England, New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland based on the license plates in the Federal parking area. 

  Two Ranks of Union Cavalry

 Union Color Guard

Riding Into Battle

Typical Union Cavalry Soldier

The Union army favored smallish horses and bought a great many Morgans and Canadians.  In fact they bought so many Morgans and Canadian horses (a breed originally from France) that it was decades before the breeds numbers recovered 1860 levels.

The Battle of Trevilians Station occurred after JEB Stuart’s death.  The Union forces were well supplied with breech loading carbines and revolvers although sabers were still carried. 

Confederate Cavalry Line Advancing

The Confederates advanced across the field in two groups of two ranks each.  Teaching horses to advance like that in straight ranks takes more than a bit of practice.  The Union cavalry outnumbered the Rebel cavalry at the Battle of Trevilians Station .  Here at the reenactment the reverse was true, but then we are in Virginia.

Typical Rebel Cavalry Soldier

This man has a revolver and a muzzle loading carbine slung on his right side.  He’s riding a gaited horse which he had to purchase with his own funds.  My daughter pointed out that even in the re-enacting world the 2 sides were riding noticeably different horse breeds.  This different would have been more pronounced during the Civil War at least here in Virginia.  Out along the Mississippi River states the Rebels had fewer gaited horses and more stock working ponies from west of the river.

Dismounted Cavalry

Cavalry usually fought dismounted with one man in four holding the horses.  The other 3 men would deploy in an open skirmish line.  Troopers would mount up & redeploy as the needed.

Dismounted Cavalry Skirmish Line

Safety is important.  No one wants any man or horse injured.  The event organizers used hay bales to indicate where dismounted men should be.  Men on horseback had “lanes of travel” to ride around the “man” areas.

Rebel Horse Artillery

Both sides had horse artillery units.  These cannons are much smaller and lighter than the usual Napoleon and Parrot cannons used by the regular artillery. ( The Union canon weren’t positioned where I could get there picture.)

The Rebel Commander Wade Hamilton

The main battle started before noon.  Later there was a dismounted only battle which began when two skirmish lines bumped into each other. 

 Federal Skirmish Line Deploying

Rebel Skirmish Line Advancing

 Rebel Color Guard

Federal Horse Artillery Firing

This event is held on alternate years.  The viewing area is shaded and runs along the whole length of the field.  The event is very well set up with the horses’ well being the number one priority.  Water troughs were everywhere and refilled throughout the day.  Horse trailer parking was right along side the unit camps and there were both horse vets and EMTs on site.