Caught in the narrow area between the fortifications of Richmond and the rain-swollen Chickahominy River, the Union troopers were subjected to fire from the artillery of Confederate Maj. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee.

Gen. George A. Custer forced a crossing of a damaged railroad bridge, which was quickly rebuilt by engineers, allowing the troopers to escape to safety and continue their raid.

As darkness fell, a severe thunderstorm drenched the column, but Sheridan kept up his movement down the Brook Pike, not realizing that he was boxing himself into a potential trap.

The other two brigades in Merritt's division, commanded by Colonels Thomas C. Devin and Alfred Gibbs, guarded the center of the Union line to protect against Confederate advances out of the Richmond fortifications.

According to the regimental historian of the veteran 1st Pennsylvania Cavalry, Every effort was made by the enemy to break the lines of our division and push us back into the river and swamp.

By mid-afternoon, Merritt's entire division had crossed and engaged the hastily built Confederate works on Richmond Heights, driving the defenders back to Gaines's Mill.

For the balance of the day, Sheridan's men collected their wounded, buried their dead, grazed their horses in the pastures, and eagerly read Richmond newspapers, which two enterprising small boys had brought across the lines and sold to the Union soldiers.

[9] Sheridan reported 170 casualties for the Meadow Bridges, Mechanicsville, Strawberry Hill, Brook Church (or Richmond Fortifications), engagements, May 12, 1864.

From a strategic standpoint, however, the raid deprived General Grant of the cavalry resources that would have been helpful during the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House and his subsequent advance to the North Anna River, and there are lingering questions about whether Sheridan should have attempted to assault the city of Richmond.

In the latter case, Sheridan believed it would not have been worth the risk in casualties and he recognized that the chances of holding the city for more than a brief time would be minimal; any advantages would primarily result from damage to Confederate morale.