Trevilian Station Battlefield Foundation

06/11/2026

Jacob Lyman Greene Two years ago I wrote a detailed analysis of the letter written by Maria Dobyns of Oakley plantation in Spotsy...

06/11/2026

06/11/2026

Amidst the roar of battle at Trevilian Station, Va., on June 11, 1864, 1st Lt. Noble Delance Preston lay in a plowed field bleeding profusely. Only seconds earlier, he and his comrades in the 10th New York Cavalry, dismounted, had scaled a rail fence, and charged well-entrenched Confederates on the far side of the field. The rebels responded with a murderous fire into the ranks of the New Yorkers. Suddenly a minié bullet ripped into Preston’s right hip. Comrades carried him back, and laid him beneath the shade of some trees.

A surgeon examined him, determined the wound mortal, and decided to leave him behind to die. The doctor told Preston that he could not survive.

Preston, a former sergeant major who had been promoted to lieutenant and commissary duties, considered his predicament. He responded, “I had rather die with the boys than live with the rebs.” Noble remained there until the evening, accompanied only by a servant named Aaron. After nightfall, he was brought to the room of an old house with other wounded Union and Confederate soldiers.

Preston received good news when he learned that the assault was a complete success. He also received bad news after being again informed that he would be left behind. “I insisted that I would not voluntarily surrender myself to a lingering death in rebel prisons. If I were to die, I was determined it should be in an attempt to get away.”

The next morning, the surgeon relented. Preston was hastily loaded into an ambulance and survived the journey over rough roads to a hospital. A few months later he was discharged for disability with the rank of captain.

Preston received the Medal of Honor for his actions in 1889. Three years later his History of the Tenth Regiment of Cavalry New York State Volunteers was published. He lived until 1917.

Rick Carlile Collection.

More! https://www.militaryimagesmagazine-digital.com/2015/09/03/the-honored-few-autumn-2015/

06/11/2026

06/11/2026

One of the bloodiest cavalry battles of the Civil War took place in 1864. The Battle of Trevilian Station in Virginia pitted Union commander Philip Sheridan against Confederate generals Wade Hampton and Fitzhugh Lee. The battle was a Confederate victory, and one Union general was almost killed—General George Armstrong Custer. While leading a charge of his brigade, including the famous 7th Michigan Cavalry, Custer and his men were surrounded. When the color bearer was wounded, Custer saved his regimental flag by ripping it off the pole and stuffing it in his jacket. Custer and his men were rescued when Sheridan charged in and repulsed the Confederates. After his 1876 defeat and death at the Battle of Little Bighorn, the Battle of Trevilian Station would be known as “Custer’s First Last Stand.”

Image: Brigadier General George Armstrong Custer (Mathew Brady photo)

03/13/2026

We are officially full for our Night at the Tavern. If you missed out this time, stay tuned, hopefully we will do another one in the fall.

03/09/2026

Our dinner reservations are filling up! We have about 36 people registered so far, and we can accommodate 44 max! Give us a call to reserve your place.

03/02/2026

We are half way full for our Night at the Tavern! If you want to enjoy a unique tavern experience, come join us!