Battle of Yellow Tavern

On 11 May 1864, Confederate cavalry commanded by Maj. Gen. J. E. B. Stuart chose ground just east of here to engage Union cavalry under Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan, who was advancing on Richmond by way of Mountain Road. Outnumbered three to one, Stuart's troopers stubbornly resisted until vigorous attacks spearheaded by Brig. Gen. George Armstrong Custer's Michigan brigade broke their line. As the Confederate cavalry retired east toward Telegraph Road, Sheridan's men broke through and continued toward Richmond on Brook Road (present-day U.S. Route 1). The battle received its name from Yellow Tavern, an inn located on Brook Road just south of the battlefield.