Today I encourage you to raise a glass and join our toast to the preservation of 137 acres at the site of Todd’s Tavern, which sat at the intersection of the Brock and Catharpin Roads — an important road junction connecting the Wilderness to Spotsylvania Court House. You may be asking: Why a toast? Well, it is National Drink Beer Day, and you can bet the establishment that lent its name to the May 15, 1864, battle served its fair share of the malty elixir!
The Trust recognizes that this celebratory news wouldn’t have been possible had it not been for the support of the American Battlefield Protection Program, the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Virginia Battlefield Preservation Fund and our friends at the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust. Working hand-in-hand with these entities has saved not only this versatile site — but numerous hallowed acres across Virginia.
But it’s all due to YOUR generosity — with you on the side of battlefield preservation, we can charge forward with confidence that significant places like Todd’s Tavern remain a reminder of our country’s powerful, multifaceted past.
General Lafayette, and General Cornwallis too!
After the 1781 Battle of Guilford Courthouse, British General Charles Cornwallis marched his army to Virginia but was trailed and taunted by a Continental force under General Lafayette. On the way to shield the vital logistical center of Fredericksburg from the British, Lafayette brought his command along the Brock and Catharpin Roads, on the southern and the eastern portion of the property the Trust successfully saved. It was this maneuvering of Lafayette and Cornwallis that ultimately led to Yorktown, where the British famously surrendered.
Troops at Todd’s Tavern
Following in the footsteps of the legendary Lafayette, Union Generals Ulysses S. Grant and George Gordon Meade rode south along Brock Road on the night of May 7, 1864, skirting the 137-acre tract and stopping briefly at the one-and-a-half story inn known as Todd’s Tavern. A few days later, on May 14, Confederate General Thomas Rosser’s cavalry brigade spent the night at the tavern. The following day, Rosser marched east on Catharpin Road and engaged the 2nd Ohio Cavalry and 23rd USCT. Within this encounter, Union General Philip Sheridan and Confederate General Fitzhugh “Fitz” Lee waged one of the most intense and important cavalry battles of the Overland Campaign.
While this tavern — a combination residence, tavern, post office and store — was destroyed sometime before 1884, the land alone speaks volumes to its place in American history. Without your help, this pristine acreage could have been lost to a residential subdivision or utility-scale solar farm. I thank you again for making this preservation dream into a reality.
Sincerely,
David N. Duncan, President
American Battlefield Trust
P.S. Did you know that there are a handful of beers that carry names inspired by the Civil War? For a background on beer’s presence during the conflict, take a look at this article!