The
Battle of Brandy Station, also called the
Battle of Fleetwood Hill, was the largest predominantly
cavalryCavalry were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback in combat. Cavalry were historically the second oldest and most mobile of the combat arms...
engagement of the
American Civil WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
, as well as the largest to take place ever on American soil. It was fought at the beginning of the
Gettysburg CampaignThe Gettysburg Campaign was a series of battles fought in June and July 1863, during the American Civil War. After his victory in the Battle of Chancellorsville, Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia moved north for offensive operations in Maryland and Pennsylvania. The...
by the
UnionThe Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
cavalry under
Maj. Gen.In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general. Major general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the...
Alfred PleasontonAlfred Pleasonton was a United States Army officer and General of Union cavalry during the American Civil War. He commanded the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac during the Gettysburg Campaign, including the largest predominantly cavalry battle of the war, Brandy Station...
against Maj. Gen.
J.E.B. StuartJames Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart was a U.S. Army officer from Virginia and a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was known to his friends as "Jeb", from the initials of his given names. Stuart was a cavalry commander known for his mastery of reconnaissance and the use...
's
ConfederateThe Confederate States of America was a separatist political entity existing between 1861 to 1865, established by eleven southern slave states of the United States of America, each of which had previously declared their secession from the United States...
cavalry on June 9, 1863.
Pleasonton launched a surprise dawn attack on Stuart's cavalry at
Brandy Station, VirginiaBrandy Station is an unincorporated community in Culpeper County, Virginia, United States. Its original name was Brandy. The name Brandy Station comes from the Orange and Alexandria Railroad station that was constructed in the 19th century....
. After an all-day fight in which fortunes changed repeatedly, the Federals retired without discovering Gen.
Robert E. LeeRobert Edward Lee was a career United States Army officer, an engineer, and among the most celebrated generals in American history. Lee was the son of Major General Henry Lee III "Light Horse Harry" , Governor of Virginia, and his second wife, Anne Hill Carter...
's infantry camped near
CulpeperCulpeper is an incorporated town in Culpeper County, Virginia, United States. The population was 9,664 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Culpeper County. Culpeper is part of the Culpeper Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Culpeper County...
. This battle marked the end of the Confederate cavalry's lopsided dominance in the
EastThis article presents an overview of major military and naval operations in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.- Theater of operations :...
. From this point in the war, the Federal cavalry gained strength and confidence.
Background
The Confederate
Army of Northern VirginiaThe Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was most often arrayed against the Union Army of the Potomac. Three districts were created under the Department of Northern Virginia:*Aquia...
streamed into
Culpeper County, VirginiaCulpeper County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 34,262. Its county seat is Culpeper.- History :...
, after its victory at
ChancellorsvilleThe Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, fought from April 30 to May 6, 1863, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, near the village of Chancellorsville and the area from there to the east at Fredericksburg. The battle pitted Union Army Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker's Army...
in May 1863. Under the leadership of Gen.
Robert E. LeeRobert Edward Lee was a career United States Army officer, an engineer, and among the most celebrated generals in American history. Lee was the son of Major General Henry Lee III "Light Horse Harry" , Governor of Virginia, and his second wife, Anne Hill Carter...
, the troops massed around Culpeper preparing to carry the war north into
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a state located in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States...
. The constant enemies of hunger and poor equipment were showing their effects. Lee was determined to strike north to capture horses, equipment, and food for his men. His army could also threaten
PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia is the largest city in Pennsylvania and the sixth-most-populous city in the United States.In 2008, the population of the city proper was estimated to be over 1.4 million, while the metropolitan area's population of 5.8 million made it the country's fifth-largest...
,
BaltimoreBaltimore is an independent city and the largest city in the state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore City in order to distinguish it from surrounding...
, and
WashingtonWashington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790...
, and encourage the growing peace movement in the North. By June 5, two
infantryInfantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of the Combat Arms they are the backbone of armies...
corps under Lt. Gens.
James LongstreetJames Longstreet was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Horse." He served under Lee as a corps commander for many of the famous battles fought by the Army of Northern Virginia in the...
and
Richard S. EwellRichard Stoddert Ewell was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate general during the American Civil War. He achieved fame as a senior commander under Stonewall Jackson and Robert E...
were camped in and around Culpeper. Six miles northeast of Culpeper, holding the line of the
Rappahannock RiverThe Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately 184 miles in length. It traverses the entire northern part of the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west, across the Piedmont, to Chesapeake Bay, south of the Potomac River.An important river in...
, Stuart bivouacked his cavalry troopers, screening the Confederate Army against surprise by the enemy.
Most of the Southern cavalry was camped near Brandy Station. Stuart, befitting his reputation as a "dashing cavalier" or
beau sabreur, requested a full field review of his troops by Gen. Lee. This grand review on June 5 included nearly 9,000 mounted troopers and 4 batteries of horse artillery, charging in simulated battle at Inlet Station, about two miles (3 km) southwest of Brandy Station. (The review field currently remains much as it was in 1863, except that a Virginia police station occupies part of it.)
Gen. Lee was not able to attend the review, however, so it was repeated in his presence on June 8, although the repeated performance was limited to a simple parade without battle simulations. Despite the lower level of activity, some of the cavalrymen and the newspaper reporters at the scene complained that all Stuart was doing was feeding his ego and exhausting the horses. Lee ordered Stuart to cross the
Rappahannock RiverThe Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately 184 miles in length. It traverses the entire northern part of the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west, across the Piedmont, to Chesapeake Bay, south of the Potomac River.An important river in...
the next day and raid Union forward positions, screening the Confederate Army from observation or interference as it moved north. Anticipating this imminent offensive action, Stuart ordered his tired troopers back into bivouac around Brandy Station.
Opposing forces and Pleasonton's plan
Around Brandy Station, Stuart's force of about 9,500 men consisted of five cavalry brigades, commanded by Brig. Gens.
Wade HamptonWade Hampton III was a Confederate cavalry leader during the American Civil War and afterwards a politician from South Carolina, serving as its governor and as a U.S...
,
W.H.F. "Rooney" LeeWilliam Henry Fitzhugh Lee , known as Rooney Lee or W.H.F. Lee, was the second son of Robert E. Lee and Mary Anna Randolph Custis. He was a planter, a Confederate cavalry General in the American Civil War, and later a member of the U.S. Congress.-Early life:Lee was born at Arlington House in...
, Beverly H. Robertson, and
William E. "Grumble" JonesWilliam Edmondson Jones, known as Grumble Jones, was a planter, a career United States Army officer, and a Confederate cavalry general, killed in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
, and
ColonelColonel is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country in the world. It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Thomas T. MunfordThomas Taylor Munford was an American farmer and Confederate brigadier general during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
(commanding Brig. Gen.
Fitzhugh LeeFitzhugh Lee , nephew of Robert E. Lee, was a Confederate cavalry general in the American Civil War, Governor of Virginia, diplomat, and United States Army general in the Spanish-American War.-Early life:...
's brigade while Lee was stricken with a bout of rheumatism), plus the six-battery Stuart Horse Artillery, commanded by
MajorIn many European languages, the term Major is a military rank, implying seniority at one of usually various levels of rank. For example:*"General-Major" or "Major-General", denoting a senior ranking general officer....
Robert F. Beckham.
Unknown to the Confederates, 11,000 Union men had massed on the other side of the Rappahannock River. Maj. Gen.
Alfred PleasontonAlfred Pleasonton was a United States Army officer and General of Union cavalry during the American Civil War. He commanded the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac during the Gettysburg Campaign, including the largest predominantly cavalry battle of the war, Brandy Station...
, commanding the Cavalry Corps of the
Army of the PotomacThe Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
, had organized his
combined-armedCombined arms is an approach to warfare which seeks to integrate different arms of a military to achieve mutually complementary effects. Combined arms doctrine contrasts with segregated arms where each military unit is composed of only one type of soldier or weapon system...
forces into two "wings," under Brig. Gens.
John BufordJohn Buford, Jr. was a Union cavalry officer during the American Civil War, with a prominent role at the start of the Battle of Gettysburg.-Early years:...
and
David McMurtrie GreggDavid McMurtrie Gregg was a farmer, diplomat, and a Union cavalry General in the American Civil War.-Early life and career:...
, augmented by infantry brigades from the
V CorpsThe V Corps was a unit of the Union Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War.-1862:The corps was first organized briefly under Nathaniel P. Banks, but then permanently on May 18, 1862, designated as the "V Corps Provisional"...
. Buford's wing, accompanied by Pleasonton, consisted of his own 1st Cavalry Division, a Reserve Brigade led by Major Charles J. Whiting, and an infantry brigade of 3,000 men under Brig. Gen.
Adelbert AmesAdelbert Ames was an American sailor, soldier, and politician. He served with distinction as a Union Army general during the American Civil War, was a politician in Reconstruction-era Mississippi, and then served as a United States Army general during the Spanish-American War.Ames is also noted as...
. Gregg's wing was the 2nd Cavalry Division, led by Col.
Alfred N. DuffiéAlfred Napoléon Alexander Duffié was a French-American soldier and diplomat who served in the Crimean War and the American Civil War.- Early life and career :Duffié was born in Paris on May 18, 1833...
, the 3rd Cavalry Division, led by Gregg, and an infantry brigade under Brig. Gen.
David A. RussellDavid Allen Russell was a career United States Army officer who served in the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War. He was killed in action as a brigadier general in the Union Army.-Early life:...
.
The commander of the Army of the Potomac, Maj. Gen.
Joseph HookerJoseph Hooker was a career United States Army officer, fought in the Mexican-American War, and was a major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War....
, interpreted the enemy's cavalry presence around Culpeper to be indicative of preparations for a raid of his army's supply lines. In reaction to this, he ordered Pleasonton's force on a "spoiling raid," to "disperse and destroy" the Confederates. Pleasonton's attack plan called for a two-pronged thrust at the enemy. Buford's wing would cross the river at Beverly's Ford, two miles (3 km) northeast of Brandy Station; at the same time, Gregg's would cross at Kelly's Ford, six miles (10 km) downstream to the southeast. Pleasonton anticipated that the Southern cavalry would be caught in a double envelopment, surprised, outnumbered, and beaten. He was, however, unaware of the precise disposition of the enemy and he incorrectly assumed that his force was substantially larger than the Confederates he faced.
Battle
About 4:30 a.m. on June 9, Buford's column crossed the Rappahannock River in a dense fog, pushing aside the Confederate pickets at Beverly's Ford. Pleasonton's force had achieved its first major surprise of the day. Jones's brigade, awakened by the sound of nearby gunfire, rode to the scene partially dressed and often riding bareback. They struck Buford's leading brigade, commanded by Col.
Benjamin F. DavisBenjamin Franklin Grimy Davis was an American military officer who served in Indian wars, then led Union cavalry in the American Civil War before dying in combat.-Biography:...
, near a bend in the Beverly's Ford Road and temporarily checked its progress, and Davis was killed in the ensuing fighting. Davis's brigade had been stopped just short of where Stuart's Horse Artillery was camped and was vulnerable to capture. Cannoneers swung one or two guns into position and fired down the road at Buford's men, enabling the other pieces to escape and establish the foundation for the subsequent Confederate line. The artillery unlimbered on two knolls on either side of the Beverly's Ford Road. Most of Jones's command rallied to the left of this Confederate artillery line, while Hampton's brigade formed to the right. The 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry unsuccessfully charged the guns at St. James Church, suffering the greatest casualties of any regiment in the battle. Several Confederates later described the 6th's charge as the most "brilliant and glorious" cavalry charge of the war. (In many Civil War battles, cavalrymen typically dismounted once they reached an engagement and fought essentially as infantry. But in this battle, the surprise and chaos led to a mostly mounted fight.)
Buford tried to turn the Confederate left and dislodge the artillery that was blocking the direct route to Brandy Station. However, Rooney Lee's brigade stood in his way, with some troops on Yew Ridge and some dismounted troopers positioned along a stone wall in front. After sustaining heavy losses, the Federals displaced the Confederates from the stone wall. Then, to the amazement of Buford's men, the Confederates began pulling back. They were reacting to the arrival of Gregg's Union cavalry division of about 2,800 men, which was the second major surprise of the day. Gregg had intended to cross at Kelly's Ford at dawn, in concert with Buford's crossing at Beverly's, but assembling the men from dispersed locations and Duffié's division getting lost on the way cost them two hours. They had intended to proceed on roads leading directly into Brandy Station, but discovered the way blocked by Robertson's brigade. Gregg found a more circuitous route that was completely unguarded and, following these roads, his lead brigade under Col. Percy Wyndham arrived in Brandy Station about 11 a.m. Between Gregg and the St. James battle was a prominent ridge called Fleetwood Hill, which had been Stuart's headquarters the previous night. Stuart and most of his staff had departed for the front by this time and the only force on Fleetwood when Gregg arrived was a 6-pounder howitzer, left in the rear because of inadequate ammunition. Major Henry B. McClellan, Stuart's adjutant, called Lt. John W. Carter and his gun crew (of Captain Robert P. Chew's battery) to ascend to the crest of the hill and go into action with the few shells available, as he sent an urgent request to Stuart for reinforcements. Carter's few shots delayed the Union advance as they sent out skirmishers and returned cannon fire. When Wyndham's men charged up the western slope of Fleetwood and neared the crest, the lead elements of Jones's brigade, which had just withdrawn from St. James Church, rode over the crown.
Gregg's next brigade, led by Col. Judson Kilpatrick, swung around east of Brandy Station and attacked up the southern end and the eastern slope of Fleetwood Hill, only to discover that their appearance coincided with the arrival of Hampton's brigade. A series of confusing charges and countercharges swept back and forth across the hill. The Confederates cleared the hill for the final time, capturing three guns and inflicting 30 casualties among the 36 men of the 6th New York Light Artillery, which had attempted to give close-range support to the Federal cavalry. Col. Duffié's small 1,200-man division was delayed by two Confederate regiments in the vicinity of Stevensburg and arrived on the field too late to affect the action.
While Jones and Hampton withdrew from their initial positions to fight at Fleetwood Hill, Rooney Lee continued to confront Buford, falling back to the northern end of the hill. Reinforced by Fitzhugh Lee's brigade, Rooney Lee launched a counterattack against Buford at the same time as Pleasonton had called for a general withdrawal near sunset, and the ten-hour battle was over.
Aftermath
Union casualties were 907 (69 killed, 352 wounded, and 486 missing, primarily captured); Confederate losses totaled 523. Some 20,500 men were engaged in this, the largest predominantly cavalry battle to take place during the war. Among the casualties was Robert E. Lee's son, Rooney, who was seriously wounded in the thigh. He was sent to Hickory Hill, an estate near Hanover Court House, where he was captured on June 26.
Stuart argued that the battle was a Confederate victory since he held the field at the end of the day and had repelled Pleasonton's attack. The Southern press was generally negative about the outcome. The
Richmond Enquirer wrote that "Gen. Stuart has suffered no little in public estimation by the late enterprises of the enemy." The
Richmond Examiner described Stuart's command as "puffed up cavalry," that suffered the "consequences of negligence and bad management."
Subordinate officers criticized Pleasonton for not aggressively defeating Stuart at Brandy Station. Maj. Gen. Hooker had ordered Pleasonton to "disperse and destroy" the Confederate cavalry near Culpeper, but Pleasonton claimed that he had only been ordered to make a "reconnaissance in force toward Culpeper," thus rationalizing his actions.
For the first time in the Civil War, Union cavalry matched the Confederate horsemen in skill and determination. And Stuart's humiliation as the victim of two surprise attacks, the very thing cavalry is supposed to ensure does not happen, foreshadowed other embarrassments ahead for him in the Gettysburg campaign.
Preservation efforts
The Brandy Station Foundation (BSF) was formed to protect the Brandy Station Battlefield from development. According to Clark B. Hall, "a small group of citizens came together over coffee in a little home situated just south of the
Rappahannock RiverThe Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately 184 miles in length. It traverses the entire northern part of the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west, across the Piedmont, to Chesapeake Bay, south of the Potomac River.An important river in...
in eastern
Culpeper County, VirginiaCulpeper County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 34,262. Its county seat is Culpeper.- History :...
". Over time the organization grew to over 400 members and has been the cornerstone of efforts to save the battlefield from attempts to turn it into an office park, and a racetrack, as well as preserving the historic building known as
Graffiti HouseThe Graffiti House was built in 1858 in the village of Brandy Station and is one of few pre-Civil War dwellings to survive intact to this day...
. In 1990, the
National Park ServiceThe National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
completed mapping of historic resources at Brandy Station and recommended preservation of 1,262 acres (5.1 km²) at four separate engagement areas.
In 2008, the
Civil War Preservation TrustThe Civil War Preservation Trust is a charitable organization whose primary focus is in the preservation of American Civil War battlefields...
(CWPT) began work on a preservation campaign atop Fleetwood Hill at the Brandy Station battlefield.. Later in 2008 the CWPT acquired a second tract of on Fleetwood Hill. The CWPT has worked to save at the Brandy Station battlefield since its inception.
Further reading
- Starr, Stephen Z., The Union Cavalry in the Civil War, Volume II: The War in the East from Gettysburg to Appomattox 1863–1865, Louisiana State University Press, 1981, ISBN 978-0-8071-3292-0.
External links