The Wilson–Kautz Raid was a cavalry operation in south central Virginia in late June 1864, during the American Civil War. Occurring early in the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign, the raid was conducted by Union cavalry under Brigadier Generals James H. Wilson and August Kautz, who were ordered to cut railroads between Lynchburg, Virginia, and the vital Confederate rail supply center at Petersburg. While the raid had the intended effect of disrupting Confederate rail communications for several weeks, the raiding force lost much of its artillery, all of its supply train, and almost a third of the original force, mostly to Confederate capture.
Background
Immediately following the Overland Campaign, Union Army commander Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant proposed to encircle both the Confederate capitol at Richmond and its strategic supply center ten miles south at Petersburg. While infantry began the entrenchment activities of investment, Grant determined to take advantage of new positions to launch light operations with the objective of disrupting rail activity.
On June 22, 5,000 Union cavalry and 16 artillery pieces were pulled from the siege of Petersburg and sent, under the command of Brig. Gens. James H. Wilson and August V. Kautz, to destroy the lines of supply.
Aftermath
Along with the arguable Union loss at the Jerusalem Plank Road, the raid's partial failure (resulting in only moderate damage to Confederate infrastructure but with high casualties) added to frustrations for Grant, Lincoln, and the Northern populace. In spite of pinning Lee into a defensive position at Petersburg, Jubal Early's raid on Washington two weeks later suggested that Lee still retained some freedom of maneuver. Nevertheless, some argue that Grant still considered the raid an overall success. He later commented that “The damage to the enemy in the expedition more than compensated for the losses we sustained.”