Stuart's Ride

Stuart's Ride (HM1615)

Location: Mechanicsville, VA 23111 Hanover County
Buy Virginia State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 37° 38.59', W 77° 12.93'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 727 views
Inscription

Old Church

— 1862 Peninsula Campaign —

In May 1862, Union Gen. George B. McClellan led the Army of the Potomac up the Peninsula to the gates of Richmond. Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee assumed command of the Army of Northern Virginia in June and began planning a counterattack. On June 12, Gen. J.E.B. Stuart led 1,200 cavalrymen on a daring 3-day reconnaissance and discovered that the Union right was unsecured. Stuart's "Ride around McClellan" gave Lee the vital information he needed to launch the offensive known as the Seven Days' Battles on June 26.

To your left is Immanuel Episcopal Church. On June 13, 1862, after running clashes with Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart's cavalrymen between Haw's Shop and Linney's Corner, the 5th U.S. Cavalry retreated here to Old Church, where it had camped. Stuart was close on its heels. Confederate Col. Fitzhugh Lee, who had served in the regiment before the war, commanded the 1st Virginia Cavalry. When he learned that his former unit was here, he asked Stuart for the privilege of leading the attack. Lee quickly drove off the 5th and captured the wrecked camp with its abundant supplies and a few stragglers. Lee joked with the prisoners, many of whom recognized their former comrade. One observer noted that "It was difficult to believe that the Union prisoners and the dashing young colonel represented opposing armies mustered to slaughter each other."

As Stuart and the rest of the column arrived at Old Church, residents emerged from their houses with food and drink for the grateful troopers. Stuart decided to continue east rather than retrace his steps back toward Hanover Court House, assuming that Federal reinforcements probably blocked that route. Just seven miles ahead was also the tempting target of Tunstall's Station astride Union Gen. George B. McClellan's supply line to White House Landing. Behind Stuart, his father-in-law, Union cavalry commander Gen. Philip St. George Cooke, was left literally in the dust as his forces pursued the Confederates.

(sidebar)
The house across the street, somewhat altered from its appearance in this 1912 photograph, was called Wicker's Hotel and Tavern during the war. Owners Bentley and Elizabeth Wicker lost two sons in the conflict, and Bentley Wicker drowned himself in despair in May 1865.

Immanuel Episcopal Church was founded on the Pamunkey River in 1684. A new building constructed here in 1853 replaced the "old church" (ca. 1718) for which the community is named. The new church was remodeled in 1881 in the Gothic Revival style.

(sidebar)
Gen. Philip St. George Cooke was a West Point graduate and Stuart's commanding officer on the frontier in pre-war Kansas. It was there that Stuart met and married Cooke's daughter Flora. Stuart much admired his father-in-law, and the young couple named their first-born son Phillip in his honor. When Cooke, a native Virginian, remained loyal to the Union against the wishes of the rest of the family, Stuart in disgust changed his son's name to J.E.B. Stuart, Jr.
Details
HM NumberHM1615
Series This marker is part of the Virginia Civil War Trails series
Tags
Year Placed2012
Placed ByVirginia Civil War Trails
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Friday, October 10th, 2014 at 8:53pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 304533 N 4168533
Decimal Degrees37.64316667, -77.21550000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 37° 38.59', W 77° 12.93'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds37° 38' 35.40" N, 77° 12' 55.80" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)804
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 8483-8499 Immanuel Trail, Mechanicsville VA 23111, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Nearby Markersshow on map
Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. What historical period does the marker represent?
  2. What historical place does the marker represent?
  3. What type of marker is it?
  4. What class is the marker?
  5. What style is the marker?
  6. Does the marker have a number?
  7. This marker needs at least one picture.
  8. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  9. Is the marker in the median?