Bristoe Campaign

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Bristoe Campaign

The Bristoe Campaign was a series of battles fought in Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia is an United States U.S. state on the East Coast of the United States of the Southern United States. The state is known as the "Old Dominion" and sometimes as "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of Lists of United States Presidents by place of birth#By state....
during October and November 1863, in the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
. Maj. Gen.

Major General

Major General or Major-General is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of Sergeant Major General. A Major General is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of Lieutenant General and senior to the ranks of Brigadier and Brigadier General....
George G. Meade, commanding the Army of the Potomac

Army of the Potomac

The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War of the American Civil War....
, unsuccessfully attempted to defeat Gen. Robert E. Lee

Robert E. Lee

Robert Edward Lee , was a career United States United States Army officer , an engineer, and among the most celebrated generals in American history....
's Army of Northern Virginia

Army of Northern Virginia

The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War of the American Civil War....
. Of all the campaigns undertaken by the Army of the Potomac, this is certainly the most obscure.

r the Battle of Gettysburg

Battle of Gettysburg

The Battle of Gettysburg , fought in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as part of the Gettysburg Campaign, was the battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War and is frequently cited as the war's Turning point of the American Civil War....
in July, Robert E.

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The Bristoe Campaign was a series of battles fought in Virginia

Virginia

American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
. Maj. Gen.

Major General

Army of the Potomac

The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War of the American Civil War....
, unsuccessfully attempted to defeat Gen. Robert E. Lee

Robert E. Lee

Robert Edward Lee , was a career United States United States Army officer , an engineer, and among the most celebrated generals in American history....
's Army of Northern Virginia

Army of Northern Virginia

Background

After the Battle of Gettysburg

Battle of Gettysburg

Potomac River

The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic Ocean coast of the United States. The river is approximately 383 statute miles long, with a Drainage basin of about 14,700 square miles ....
to Virginia and concentrated behind the Rapidan River

Rapidan River

The Rapidan River is the largest tributary of the Rappahannock River in North-central Virginia. The two rivers converge just west of the city of Fredericksburg, Virginia....
in Orange County, Virginia

Orange County, Virginia

Orange County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the United States Census, 2000, the population was 25,881. Its county seat is Orange, Virginia....
. Meade was widely criticized for failing to pursue aggressively and defeat Lee's army. He planned new offensives in Virginia that fall to correct this.

Early in September, Lee dispatched two divisions of Lt. Gen.

Lieutenant General (United States)

In the United States Army, the United States Marine Corps and the United States Air Force, lieutenant general is a 3 star rank general officer rank, with the U.S....
James Longstreet

James Longstreet

James Longstreet was one of the foremost Confederate States Army General officers of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E....
's Corps to reinforce the Confederate army in Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a U.S. state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against United Kingdom rule in the American Revolution....
. Meade knew that Lee had been weakened by the departure of Longstreet and wanted to take advantage. He advanced his army to the Rappahannock River

Rappahannock River

The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia in the United States, approximately 184 mi 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....
in August, and on September 13 he pushed strong columns forward to confront Lee along the Rapidan, occupying Culpeper, Virginia

Culpeper, Virginia

Culpeper is an incorporated town in Culpeper County, Virginia, Virginia, United States. The population was 9,664 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Culpeper County, Virginia....
, following the Battle of Culpeper Court House

Battle of Culpeper Court House

The Battle of Culpeper Court House was an American Civil War engagement fought September 13, 1863, near Culpeper, Virginia, between the cavalry of the Union Army Army of the Potomac and that of the Confederate States Army Army of Northern Virginia....
. Meade planned to use his numerical superiority in a broad turning movement, similar to the one planned by Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker

Joseph Hooker

Joseph 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....
in the Battle of Chancellorsville

Battle of Chancellorsville

The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, fought near the village of Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia, from April 30 to May 6, 1863....
that spring. However, on September 24 the Union

Union Army

The Union Army was the army that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S....
had to deplete its forces as well, sending the XI

XI Corps (ACW)

The XI Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War, best remembered for its humiliating defeats at the battles of Battle of Chancellorsville and Battle of Gettysburg in 1863....
and XII Corps

XII Corps (ACW)

The XII Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War.The corps was formed by U.S. War Department General Order of March 13, 1862, under which the corps organization of the Army of the Potomac was first created....
to Chattanooga, Tennessee

Chattanooga, Tennessee

Chattanooga, "the Scenic City", is the fourth-largest city in Tennessee , and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, in the United States....
, following the Union defeat at the Battle of Chickamauga

Battle of Chickamauga

The Battle of Chickamauga, fought September 19–20, 1863, marked the end of a Union Army offensive in south-central Tennessee and northwestern Georgia called the Chickamauga Campaign....
.

Lee learned of the departing Union corps, and early in October he began an offensive sweep around Cedar Mountain with his remaining two corps, attempting to turn Meade's right flank

Flanking maneuver

In military tactics, a flanking Maneuver warfare, also called a wiktionary:flank attack, is an attack on the sides of an opposing force....
. Meade, despite having superior numbers, ordered the Army of the Potomac to withdraw along the line of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad

Orange and Alexandria Railroad

The Orange and Alexandria Railroad was an intrastate railroad in Virginia. It extended from Alexandria, Virginia to Gordonsville, Virginia, with another section from Charlottesville, Virginia to Lynchburg, Virginia....
.

Battles

The battles fought during the Bristoe Campaign were:

First Battle of Auburn

Battle of Auburn I

The First Battle of Auburn was fought on October 13, 1863, between Union Army infantry and Confederate States Army cavalry forces in the American Civil War....
(October 13, 1863)

Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart

J.E.B. Stuart

James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart was an American soldier 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....
was on one of his typical raids to capture supply wagons and blundered into the rear guard of the Union III Corps

III Corps (ACW)

There were four formations in the Union Army designated as III Corps during the American Civil War.Three were short-lived*Army of Virginia:...
near Warrenton. Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell

Richard S. Ewell

Richard Stoddert Ewell was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate States Army General officer during the American Civil War. He achieved fame as a senior commander under Stonewall Jackson and Robert E....
's corps was sent to rescue him, but Stuart hid his troopers in a wooded ravine until the unsuspecting III Corps moved on, and the assistance was not necessary.

Second Battle of Auburn

Battle of Auburn II

The Second Battle of Auburn was fought on October 14, 1863, between Union army and Confederate States Army forces in the American Civil War. Confederate forces led by J.E.B....
(October 14)

As the Union army withdrew towards Manassas Junction, Meade was careful to protect his western flank from the kind of envelopment that had doomed Maj. Gen. John Pope

John Pope (military officer)

John Pope was a career United States Army officer and Union Army general in the American Civil War. He had a brief but successful career in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, but he is best known for his defeat at the Second Battle of Bull Run in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War....
and Hooker in previous battles in this area. Brigades from Maj. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren

Gouverneur K. Warren

Gouverneur Kemble Warren was a civil engineer and prominent General officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He is best remembered for arranging the last-minute defense of Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg and is often referred to as the "Hero of Little Round Top." His subsequent service as a corps commander an...
's II Corps

II Corps (ACW)

There were five corps in the Union Army designated as II Corps during the American Civil War.* Army of the Cumberland, II Corps commanded by Thomas L....
fought a rearguard action against Stuart's cavalry and the infantry of Brig. Gen.

Brigadier General

Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General.The rank can be traced back to the militaries of Europe where a brigadier general, or simply a brigadier, would command a brigade in the field....
Harry Hays's division near Auburn. Stuart's cavalry boldly bluffed Warren's infantry and escaped disaster. The II Corps pushed on to Catlett Station on the Orange & Alexandria Railroad.

Battle of Bristoe Station

The Battle of Bristoe Station was fought on October 14, 1863, between Union Army and Confederate States Army forces in the Bristoe Campaign of the American Civil War....
(October 14)

Lt. Gen. A.P. Hill's corps stumbled upon two corps of the retreating Union army at Bristoe Station and attacked without proper reconnaissance. Union soldiers of the II Corps, posted behind the Orange & Alexandria Railroad embankment, mauled two brigades of Maj. Gen. Henry Heth

Henry Heth

Henry "Harry" Heth was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate States Army General officer in the American Civil War. He is best-remembered for precipitating the Battle of Gettysburg, accomplished inadvertently while sending some of his troops of the Army of Northern Virginia to the small Pennsylvania village, according to his...
's division and captured a battery of artillery. Hill reinforced his line but could make little headway against the determined defenders. After this victory, the Meade continued his withdrawal to Centreville unmolested. Lee's Bristoe offensive sputtered to a premature halt. Meade was well entrenched, and Lee had outrun his supplies. After minor skirmishing near Manassas and Centreville, the Confederates retired slowly to the Rappahannock River, destroying the Orange & Alexandria Railroad as they went. Meade was under pressure from general-in-chief Maj. Gen. Henry W. Halleck to pursue Lee, but it took almost a month to re-lay the railroad track behind his army.

Battle of Buckland Mills

The Battle of Buckland Mills, also known as The Buckland Races or Chestnut Hill, was fought on October 19, 1863, between Union Army and Confederate States Army forces in the American Civil War....
(October 19)

After defeat at Bristoe Station and an aborted advance on Centreville, Stuart's cavalry shielded the withdrawal of Lee's army from the vicinity of Manassas Junction. Union cavalry under Brig. Gen. Judson Kilpatrick pursued Stuart's cavalry along the Warrenton Turnpike

U.S. Route 29

U.S. Route 29 is a north-south United States highway that runs for 1,036 miles from the western suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland, to Pensacola, Florida....
but were lured into an ambush near Chestnut Hill and routed. The Federal troopers were scattered and chased five miles (8 km) in an affair that came to be known as the "Buckland Races".

Second Battle of Rappahannock Station

Battle of Rappahannock Station II

The Second Battle of Rappahannock Station took place on November 7, 1863, near the village of Rappahannock Station , on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, between Confederate States forces under Major General Jubal Early and Union Army forces under Major general John Sedgwick as part of the Bristoe Campaign of the American Civil War....
(November 7)

Lee returned to his old position behind the Rappahannock but left a fortified bridgehead on the north bank, protecting the approach to Kelly's Ford. On November 7, Meade forced passage of the Rappahannock at two places. A surprise attack by Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick

John Sedgwick

John Sedgwick was a teacher, a career military officer, and a Union Army general in the American Civil War. His death at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House is often considered a well known tale of irony....
's VI Corps at dusk overran the Confederate bridgehead at Rappahannock Station, capturing two brigades (more than 1,600 men) of Maj. Gen. Jubal A. Early's division. Fighting at Kelly's Ford was less severe, but the Confederates retreated, allowing the Federals across in force.

Aftermath

On the verge of going into winter quarters around Culpeper, Lee's army retired instead into Orange County, south of the Rapidan. The Army of the Potomac occupied the vicinity of Brandy Station and Culpeper County. Lee and his officers were disgusted with their lack of success.

The five battles in the Bristoe Campaign resulted in 3,910 casualties on both sides, including 1,600 Confederate prisoners. The campaign was followed by the equally inconclusive Mine Run Campaign later in November.