Cornwallis's Route

Gen. Charles Cornwallis and his British forces left Petersburg on 24 May 1781 to attack the Marquis de Lafayette and his troops stationed in Richmond. Learning of Cornwallis's movements, Lafayette abandoned the city on 27 May and moved north through Hanover County to the North Anna River. After bivouacking at White Oak Swamp on 27 May, Cornwallis pursued Lafayette through Hanover County until 1 June, when the British troops reached the North Anna River. There Cornwallis sent his forces west in a two-pronged attack to destroy colonial storehouses and attempt to capture the governor and the General Assembly in Charlottesville.