"This battle made the Federal Cavalry. The fact is that up to June 9th, 1863, the Confederate cavalry did have its own way and the record of their success becomes almost monotonous, but after that time we held our ground only by hard fighting."
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The Battle of Brandy Station, also called the Battle of Fleetwood Hill, has long been feted as the greatest cavalry engagement of the American Civil War. Interestingly, Captain Myles Keogh (pictured left wearing Papal medals, circa 1863), who was at the heart of the battle as one of General Buford aides, called the encounter "Beverly Ford" when he wrote Buford's service record (Etatde Service). This title is probably a truer reflection of the location where Buford's men were in combat throughout that day.
Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton, the new commander of the Cavalry Corps, was ordered by Hooker to disperse the concentration of enemy horsemen and instructed his mounted force to make a reconnaissance in force toward the Rebel cavalry. Pleasonton’s plan was sound—Buford, commanding the right wing of the Cavalry Corps, would take his division, several batteries of horse artillery, and a brigade of infantry (1,500), cross the Rappahannock River at Beverly Ford, and approach the Confederates from the north;
Statement showing strength of Brigadier-General Pleasonton's command in engagement near Beverly Ford, Rappahannock River, June 9, 1863.
BRIGADIER-GENERAL BUFORD'S COMMAND, RIGHT WING.
Brig. Gen. David M. Gregg, commanding the left wing, would take his Second Division and Col. Alfred Duffie’s Third Division, cross the Rappahannock at Kelly’s Ford to the south, advance through the town of Stevensburg, and merge with Buford’s troopers at Culpeper.
Unsure of the strength of the enemy’s position, Buford rode atop a knoll that crowned Cunningham's Ridge around 8.00 a.m. to survey the situation. In an effort to outflank the Confederates, Buford ordered the 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry to charge the Rebel guns at St. James Church. Brave as it was, the charge was unsuccessful and the 'Lancers' suffered the greatest casualties of any regiment in the battle. Several Confederates later described the 6th's actions as the most "brilliant and glorious" cavalry charge of the war.
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The Lancers charged into the teeth of the Confederate artillery - a row of 16 cannons at Saint James church and a battery from the Gee house - sending shot into the advance but some of the Union cavalry made it to the church and engaged in a vicious sabre fight amid the enemy guns. Flashing across an 800-yard field under heavy fire, the charging Lancers were a handsome sight. Maj. Robert Morris, Jr., the regimental commander, was captured during this charge when his horse fell while trying to leap over a ditch. Maj. Henry C. Whelan, who took command of the regiment when Morris went down, left a stirring account of this charge:
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Major Henry McClellan, Aide to Major General J.E.B Stuart, CSA
The Battle of Brandy Station, also called the Battle of Fleetwood Hill, has long been feted as the greatest cavalry engagement of the American Civil War. Interestingly, Captain Myles Keogh (pictured left wearing Papal medals, circa 1863), who was at the heart of the battle as one of General Buford aides, called the encounter "Beverly Ford" when he wrote Buford's service record (Etatde Service). This title is probably a truer reflection of the location where Buford's men were in combat throughout that day.What was widely recorded by the participants is a description of cavalry charges across open pastures, the clash of sabres and the mangled remains of horse and soldiers strewn across the Virginia countryside. Maj. Henry C. Whelan of Buford's Sixth Pennsylvania later wrote -
By June 5th, two infantry corps under Longstreet and Ewell were camped in and around Culpeper. Six miles north of town, holding the line of the Rappahannock River, Gen. J.E.B. Stuart bivouacked his cavalry troopers, screening the Confederate Army against surprise by the enemy.
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When the review was over, the troops tended to their mounts and packed to get ready for the march to the north in the morning. It was a full day's activity which took its toll, tiring the men towards the end of the day. Lee and Stuart discussed details of the morning march while Stuart's staff and slaves packed his headquarters' baggage and wagoned them to Culpeper. Stuart slept that night under a tent-fly on Fleetwood Hill. General Lee returned to his new headquarters near Culpeper.
By June 4th, 1863, the Union army commander, Joe Hooker, suspected that General Lee was considering an invasion, or at the very least, a raid into the North. He ordered Buford to conduct reconnaissance in the direction of Culpepper, Virginia, to determine the number of the enemy cavalry. The next day, Buford reported back that all of Stuart's cavalry was in and around Culpepper, and that he believed that the Rebels were about to conduct a raid northward."We dashed at them, squadron front with drawn sabres, and as we flew along—our men yelling like demons—grape and canister were poured into our left flank and a storm of rifle bullets on our front. We had to leap three wide deep ditches, and many of our horses and men piled up in a writhing mass in those ditches and were ridden over."In the lead up to this battle, the victorious Confederate Army of Northern Virginia had been streaming into Culpeper County, Virginia after its victory at Fredericksburg. Under the leadership of General Robert E. Lee, the troops seemed invincible and massed around Culpeper preparing to carry the war north into Pennsylvania. These men had defeated armies twice their size at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, but the constant enemies of hunger and poor equipment were showing their effects - Lee was determined to strike north to provide for these needs
By June 5th, two infantry corps under Longstreet and Ewell were camped in and around Culpeper. Six miles north of town, holding the line of the Rappahannock River, Gen. J.E.B. Stuart bivouacked his cavalry troopers, screening the Confederate Army against surprise by the enemy.
Brandy Station Review - painting by Don Troiani
Most of the Southern cavalry was camped near an obscure stop on the Orange & Alexandria Railroad called Brandy Station. Stuart, the "dashing cavalier", requested a full field review of his troops by Gen. Lee. His request was granted on June 8th and on an open plain near Brandy Station, Robert E. Lee, J.E.B. Stuart and Lee's party reached the reviewing ground. They spurred their horses forward at a full run and thundered down a three mile long line of troops as 9,000 glittering sabres were upraised.When the review was over, the troops tended to their mounts and packed to get ready for the march to the north in the morning. It was a full day's activity which took its toll, tiring the men towards the end of the day. Lee and Stuart discussed details of the morning march while Stuart's staff and slaves packed his headquarters' baggage and wagoned them to Culpeper. Stuart slept that night under a tent-fly on Fleetwood Hill. General Lee returned to his new headquarters near Culpeper.
Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton, the new commander of the Cavalry Corps, was ordered by Hooker to disperse the concentration of enemy horsemen and instructed his mounted force to make a reconnaissance in force toward the Rebel cavalry. Pleasonton’s plan was sound—Buford, commanding the right wing of the Cavalry Corps, would take his division, several batteries of horse artillery, and a brigade of infantry (1,500), cross the Rappahannock River at Beverly Ford, and approach the Confederates from the north;
Statement showing strength of Brigadier-General Pleasonton's command in engagement near Beverly Ford, Rappahannock River, June 9, 1863.
BRIGADIER-GENERAL BUFORD'S COMMAND, RIGHT WING.
| Reserve Brigade (regulars and Sixth Pennsylvania Cavalry) | 1,857 |
| First Cavalry Division | 2,061 |
| Brigadier-General Ames' detachment of infantry | 1,500 |
| 5,418 |
The plan was sound, but for one thing—it was based on faulty intelligence. It assumed that the Confederates were about five miles from the river, when JEB Stuart's cavalry were actually just across the Rappahannock, picketing Beverly Ford in force.
On the evening of June 8th, Buford's men prepared themselves for their biggest cavalry manoeuvre to date. One trooper recalled that "we marched that night to within a mile or two of the fords, and awaited the approach of dawn." Another remembered that "the men stood to horse with instructions to make no noise or even light a match." Although the night passed in tension and silence, General Buford was observed passing calmly among his men;
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Buford’s column had almost 4,000 cavalry, 16 guns and an ad hoc brigade of 1,500 infantry under Maj. General Ames. This was Pleasonton's right wing and Buford's 8th New York Cavalry were first across the Rappahannock River at Beverly Ford through the morning fog at 4:00 a.m. on June 9, 1863, where they immediately ran into a Confederate picket post. As the New Yorkers mounted the steep bank on the far side, followed by the 8th Illinois, the day long battle began. 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. ![]()
The New Yorkers and the 8th Illinois cavalry were led by Colonel Benjamin Franklin "Grimes" Davis (right) who was legendary as one of the most aggressive and skilled cavalry commanders of the war. Davis' Brigade led the way and quickly overran the Rebel pickets. The surprised Confederates somehow managed to counter attack, and in the hand to hand fighting that followed, Colonel 'Grimes' Davis died while rallying his regiment near Beverly Ford Road. Alone and out in front of his regiment, Colonel Davis was shot from his horse by Lieutenant Owen Allen of the 6th Virginia Cavalry and killed instantly. Enraged by his death, troopers of the regiment charged and killed Sergeant John Stone of the 6th Virginia Cavalry, mistaking him for the killer of Davis. His head was split with a sabre blow.
Pleasonton reported to Hooker;
On the evening of June 8th, Buford's men prepared themselves for their biggest cavalry manoeuvre to date. One trooper recalled that "we marched that night to within a mile or two of the fords, and awaited the approach of dawn." Another remembered that "the men stood to horse with instructions to make no noise or even light a match." Although the night passed in tension and silence, General Buford was observed passing calmly among his men;
"He (Buford) rode a gray horse at a slow walk and smoked a pipe. It was always reassuring to see him in the saddle when there was any chance of a fight."
Buford’s column had almost 4,000 cavalry, 16 guns and an ad hoc brigade of 1,500 infantry under Maj. General Ames. This was Pleasonton's right wing and Buford's 8th New York Cavalry were first across the Rappahannock River at Beverly Ford through the morning fog at 4:00 a.m. on June 9, 1863, where they immediately ran into a Confederate picket post. As the New Yorkers mounted the steep bank on the far side, followed by the 8th Illinois, the day long battle began. 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. 
The New Yorkers and the 8th Illinois cavalry were led by Colonel Benjamin Franklin "Grimes" Davis (right) who was legendary as one of the most aggressive and skilled cavalry commanders of the war. Davis' Brigade led the way and quickly overran the Rebel pickets. The surprised Confederates somehow managed to counter attack, and in the hand to hand fighting that followed, Colonel 'Grimes' Davis died while rallying his regiment near Beverly Ford Road. Alone and out in front of his regiment, Colonel Davis was shot from his horse by Lieutenant Owen Allen of the 6th Virginia Cavalry and killed instantly. Enraged by his death, troopers of the regiment charged and killed Sergeant John Stone of the 6th Virginia Cavalry, mistaking him for the killer of Davis. His head was split with a sabre blow.Pleasonton reported to Hooker;
HEADQUARTER CAVALRY CORPS,Beverly Ford, July 9, 1863-6 a. m.Davis's brigade had been stopped just short of where Stuart's Horse Artillery was camped and was vulnerable to capture. The startled 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. Nonetheless, Davis' and Devin's brigades had severely mauled a Rebel brigade led by Buford's old classmate, William 'Grumble' Jones. Reeling from the blow, Jones now fell back to a low ridge near the St. James country church, where there was supporting horse artillery, and where Wade Hampton soon arrived with a fresh Rebel brigade. Despite their complete tactical surprise, Stuart's men had somehow managed to establish a solid defensive line near the church.Enemy has opened with artillery, and shows some force of cavalry. Had a sharp skirmish. Colonel Davis, commanding Second Brigade, First Division, led his column across, and is badly wounded.A. PLEASONTON,
Brigadier-General.
Unsure of the strength of the enemy’s position, Buford rode atop a knoll that crowned Cunningham's Ridge around 8.00 a.m. to survey the situation. In an effort to outflank the Confederates, Buford ordered the 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry to charge the Rebel guns at St. James Church. Brave as it was, the charge was unsuccessful and the 'Lancers' suffered the greatest casualties of any regiment in the battle. Several Confederates later described the 6th's actions as the most "brilliant and glorious" cavalry charge of the war.
The Lancers charged into the teeth of the Confederate artillery - a row of 16 cannons at Saint James church and a battery from the Gee house - sending shot into the advance but some of the Union cavalry made it to the church and engaged in a vicious sabre fight amid the enemy guns. Flashing across an 800-yard field under heavy fire, the charging Lancers were a handsome sight. Maj. Robert Morris, Jr., the regimental commander, was captured during this charge when his horse fell while trying to leap over a ditch. Maj. Henry C. Whelan, who took command of the regiment when Morris went down, left a stirring account of this charge:
"We dashed at them, squadron front with drawn sabres, and as we flew along—our men yelling like demons—grape and canister were poured into our left flank and a storm of rifle bullets on our front. We had to leap three wide deep ditches, and many of our horses and men piled up in a writhing mass in those ditches and were ridden over. It was here that Maj. Morris’s horse fell badly with him, and broke away from him when he got up, this leaving him dismounted and bruised by the fall. I didn’t know that Morris was not with us, and we dashed on, driving the Rebels into and through the woods, our men fighting with the sabre alone, whilst they used principally pistols. Our brave fellows cut them out of the saddle and fought like tigers, until I discovered they were on both flanks, pouring a cross fire of carbines and pistols on us, and then tried to rally my men and make them return the fire with their carbines."
The blue and gray troopers merged into a wild melee among the guns. Gunner George M. Neese of Capt. Roger P. Chew’s battery of Confederate horse artillery recalled -
To this point, Myles Keogh had participated in many battles both in Italy and on American soil but had, so far, been on the defeated side. As he stood atop the knoll beside Buford that morning and observed what was required to carry this day, he must have wondered if the Federal cavalry had the strength and guile to defeat their more illustrious cavalry opponents under Stuart's leadership. As he was to soon discover, this was the day that the Union cavalry came of age...
"…the warlike scene was fascinatingly grand beyond description, and such as can be produced and acted only by an actual and real combat. Hundreds of glittering sabres instantly leaped from their scabbards, gleamed and flashed in the morning sun, then clashed with metallic ring, searching for human blood, while hundreds of little puffs of white smoke gracefully rose through the balmy June air from discharging firearms all over the field in front of our batteries…the artillerymen stood in silent awe gazing on the struggling mass in our immediate front."Another survivor remembered“a mingled mass fighting and struggling with pistol and sabre like maddened savages.”
To this point, Myles Keogh had participated in many battles both in Italy and on American soil but had, so far, been on the defeated side. As he stood atop the knoll beside Buford that morning and observed what was required to carry this day, he must have wondered if the Federal cavalry had the strength and guile to defeat their more illustrious cavalry opponents under Stuart's leadership. As he was to soon discover, this was the day that the Union cavalry came of age...