Battle of Savage's Station

PA-143

Defeated at Gaines's Mill on 27 June 1862, Union Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan’s Army of the Potomac withdrew southward to establish a base on the James River. Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee ordered Brig. Gen. John B. Magruder to pursue and attack. On the afternoon of 29 June, Magruder struck McClellan’s rear guard just south of here, near Savage’s Station on the Richmond and York River Railroad. The Confederates made the first known use of specially designed railway artillery for offensive purposes, but Union forces under Brig. Gen. Edwin V. Sumner held their ground. The battle ended in a stalemate, and the Federals left 2,500 men behind as they continued their withdrawal toward the James.

Department of Historic Resources, 2017

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References/Bibliographic Citation:

Lt. Col. H.W. Miller, “A Report on the Characteristics, Scope of Utility, etc. of Railway Artillery,” Ordnance Department Document No. 2034, vol. 1 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1921). “Battle of Savage’s Station,” Encyclopedia Virginia (http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/savage_s_station_battle_of) John Salmon, The Official Virginia Civil War Battlefield Guide (Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2001). “Savage’s Station,” CWSAC Battle Summary (https://www.nps.gov/ABPP/BATTLES/va019.htm) Correspondence with Bob Krick (of NPS) and Craig Swain