Smoky Ordinary
“Rebel cavalry”
In June 1864, to deny Gen. Robert E. Lee the use of the South Side R.R. and the Richmond and Danville R.R., Gen. Ulysses S. Grant sent Gen. James H. Wilson and Gen. August V. Kautz south of Petersburg on a cavalry raid to destroy track and rolling stock. Wilson’s raiders camped here on their retreat to the Union lines at Petersburg after their repulse at Staunton River Bridge on June 25. Participant recollections indicate the pursuing Confederates struck the Federals morning, noon, and night on June 27. Soon the retreat turned into a race for safety.
“Here it is my birthday, 20 years old today and I am watching the Rebs there...and about 80 showed themselves and were watching while our column is passing along. We are making tracks as fast as we can for our lines which is about 51 miles from here.” - Trooper Henry Carr, 8th New York Cavalry, June 27, 1864
“Toward evening, the rear-guard were attacked by some rebel cava1ry, but...they were easily repulsed, and did not harm.” - Quartermaster Sgt Roger Hannaford, 2nd Ohio Cavalry
(sidebar)
The ordinary that stood one-quarter mile north catered to travelers on the north-south stage road as early as 1750. During the Civil War the inn and post office were spared when a Union officer recognized the inn’s owner, Dr. George M. Raney, as being a former classmate at the University of Pennsylvania.
(sidebar)
In July 1781 during the Revolutionary War, British Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton burned local warehouses while leading a cavalry foray through southside Virginia. Legend says it was from that occurrence that the ordinary derived its name.
“As the head of the column moved out after crossing the Meherrin River on the morning of the 27th the enemy was encountered in small force.” - Gen. August V. Kautz
“Although we had easily repulsed every attack of the Confederate cavalry, the skirmishing had been continuous, and the fighting, sometimes severe; our ambulance train was filled with wounded and disabled soldiers while a vast number of vehicles of every description, and contrabands to the number of several thousands, crowded the roads and hindered the column.” - Col. Edmund Pope, 8th New York Cavalry
Marker is at the intersection of Liberty Road and Old Stage Road, on the left when traveling east on Liberty Road.
Courtesy hmdb.org
