Brandy Station

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THE BATTLE OF

BRANDY STATION 1863

THE BATTLE OF

BRANDY STATION, 1863The Fight at Fleetwood Hill. By Neil Smith

February 22nd, 1863 was a bad day for Fightin Joe Hooker,

commanding the Army of the Potomac. Despite reorganizing the

Union cavalry into a single corps under the command of Major-

General George Stoneman, Hookers cavalry could not seemingly

contend with 400 Virginia troopers under Brigadier-General

Fitzhugh Lee, the nephew of Robert E. Lee, who strolled across

Kellys Ford and through the snow to within a few miles of

Hookers headquarters before strolling back again with the Union

cavalry tangled up in knots trying to stop him. Hooker ordered a

response; so, on St. Patricks Day a division of 4,000 Union

cavalrymen under General William Averell launched an assault

against the Rebels, resulting in the engagement at Kellys Ford

(see WI249). The Union cavalry did well enough to hold back

Lees counter-charges, but Averell did not press matters whenvictory was clearly in sight. The opening moves of the 1863

cavalry war had been a draw, but Hooker was determined to

make his new cavalry work.

Hooker got another chance to see what

his cavalry could do in April. He had

drawn up imaginative plans to cross the

Rappahannock and Rapidan rivers to hit

Robert E. Lees Army of Northern

Virginia in the flank, and he would send

Stoneman with 8,000 troopers behind

Lee to cause chaos. Stoneman carried out

his orders well, perhaps too well because

while he was sending his units in all

directions, including to the gates of

Richmond itself, and causing the required

headaches to the Confederates, Hookers

army was being out-foxed by Lee and

Stonewall Jackson in Virginias

wilderness around Chancellorsville. The

Army of the Potomac was soundly, if not

decisively, beaten and limped back across

the Rappahannock to lick its wounds.

Hooker was not of a mind to forgive

Stoneman for not attacking Lee in the

rear or coming to help his army in any

way, and replaced him with the self-aggrandizing Brigadier-General Alfred

Pleasonton. By June, the Army of the

Potomac was ready to fight again, or so

thought Hooker. It was also time to find

Lees army that had moved out of its

positions to prepare for an invasion of

Pennsylvania, but to do so Pleasonton

would have to penetrate JEB Stuarts

Confederate cavalry screen. That would

prove easier said than done.

Major-General James Ewell Brown

Stuart, on the other hand, was enjoying

himself immeasurably in the grassy fieldsaround Culpeper, Virginia. With the loss

of Stonewall Jackson to friendly fire at

Chancellorsville, Stuart was arguably the

most famous warrior in the Confederacy.

Why wouldnt he be? Stuart was the

epitome of the valiant Confederate

cavalier who had risen to instant acclaim

by riding completely around the Army of

the Potomac the previous year, and his

exploits were becoming the stuff of

legend. He had his approximately 10,000

troopers stationed at Culpeper Court

House in June 1863 to take advantage of

the grazing and to shield Lees

movements to the north. However bold

Stuart might be, though, he was no fool.

After Kellys Ford in March and

Stonemans Raid, Stuart made a tactical

change so that at least one regiment was

mounted before dawn every morning in

case the Yankees came calling. He also

set a tripwire defense along the

Rappahannock Fords to alert the army of

any danger. In the meantime, his horses

grazed and his men relaxed at Culpeper,

though not without putting on three grand

reviews from June 5 - 8 for the highcommand and the ladies of the town. If

Stuart expected the events of 9 June,

however, it did not show as he bedded

down on the eve of what would be his

greatest test to date.

PLEASONTONS PLAN

Pleasontons orders from Hooker were

simple, search out Stuarts cavalry at

Culpeper and destroy them. His first task

was to get his troopers with some infantry

and artillery support, numbering around

8,000 in two wings, across theRappahannock. He designated Brigadier-

General David Gregg to take his division

out to the left and cross at Kellys Ford,

while he, with Brigadier-General John

Bufords division, would cross at Beverly

Ford. Buford would head straight for the

small village of Brandy Station, while

Gregg took the more circuitous route to

Stevensburg, then north to join the

command. Once combined at Brandy

Station, the Union force would push

forward down the line of the Orange &

Alexandria railroad to Culpeper Court

House and defeat Stuart. What Pleasonton

could not know was the disposition of the

Confederate forces who were not at

Culpeper but spread around the gulleys

and high ground mostly between the fords

and Brandy Station. In the wee hours of 9

June, Pleasontons force crept forward,

maintaining almost complete silence,

down to the fords and across the river.

Perry MiniaturesConfederate cavalry


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MaptakenfromOspreyPublishingBrandyStation1863-Campaign201ww

w.ospreypublishing.com

BUFORDS CROSSING

Stuart had no pickets on the north bank

of the Rappahannock, but he had twomen on the south bank who heard the

Union cavalry coming. They discharged

their revolvers and skeedadled back to

the picket reserve of about thirty 6th

Virginia troopers of Brigadier-General

William Grumble Joness command.

The small band of rebels spread out and

fired on the 8th New York cavalrymen

emerging from the woods by the ford.

Another alarm was sent down the line to

Joness brigade camped on the groundbetween the Gee House and St. James

Church, and to Stuarts command post

further back towards Brandy Station.

The Union cavalrymen deployed in

column on either side of the Beverly Ford

Road and began to advance.

The first significant unit the Union

troopers met was the much vaunted

Confederate horse artillery of Major

Robert F. Beckham, inexplicably campedabout one-mile-and-a-half from Beverly

Ford with nothing between them and the

advancing Union troopers. Fortunately

for the sleeping artillerymen, the Union

troopers did not grasp what they were

looking at from 300 yards, so, assuming

the men to their front were more than

Below: Confederate twelve-pounder Napoleon cannon atop Fleetwood Hill and Major McClellan standing next to it

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dozy and unsupported cannoneers, the

troopers opened fire. The carbine alarm-

clock worked wonders for the

artillerymen who burst into a frenzy of

activity, harnessing horses and limbering

cannons to get out, while one cannon

opened fire with canister. Help arrived in

the nick of time in the shape of

contingents from the 6th and 7th Virginia

cavalry, many of them only half dressedfor the occasion. In the ensuing melee,

the commander of the Union 1st Brigade,

Colonel Benjamin Grimes Davis was

killed, forcing Colonel Thomas Davis to

take command and disorganizing

temporarily the Union cavalry. That gave

time for the Confederates to withdraw to

a ridge line 1000 yards to the rear.

The Confederates took up positions on a

low-lying ridge anchored by the Gee

House and St. James Church. The gun

line along the ridge had excellent fields

of fire across open ground and covering

the two roads leading to Brandy Station.When the Union cavalry arrived through

the woods onto the St. James plateau,

artillery fire brought them up short; then

the rebel cavalry hit them from two sides.

The resulting melee was a tumult of

flashing sabres peppered with smoke

from discharged small weapons before

the Confederates broke off to deploy

alongside their guns. The 6th

Pennsylvania and 6th US Cavalry may

have thought that the battle was almost

over and launched a textbook charge

across the open ground into the teeth of

the Confederate artillery. They came backacross the field badly chewed and the

reformed rebel cavalry helped them on

their way. The situation at the St. James

plateau was stalemated with neither side

able to exert a decisive influence across

the no-mans-land between them. Buford

and his 2nd Brigade commander, Colonel

Thomas Devin, met to discuss the

situation and it was agreed that Buford

would try and force the Confederate

position with an attack around the rebels

left flank, but both wondered what had

become of Greggs Division, crossing at

Kellys Ford.

GREGGS CROSSING

If everything had gone according to

Pleasontons plan, Greggs Division

would have crossed Kellys Ford,

brushed aside any opposition, and hit the

Confederates in the rear, relieving the

pressure to his front and trapping Stuarts

cavalry in a vice if everything went to

plan that is

Initially, there seemed to be littledifficulty for Gregg. His men had

captured the ford by dawn and his

troopers were crossing with no

opposition. The plan then called for

Gregg to send a detachment down to

Stevensburg to secure his flank while he

cut north up the Fredericksburg Plank

Road short of the village to link up to the

right wing at Brandy Station. Greggs

detachment would turn out to be ColonelAlfred Duffies entire 2nd Division. But,

they had yet to come up, and by the time

his division started their advance to

Stevensburg, the left wing was three

hours behind schedule and an

increasingly anxious Gregg could hear

the battle being fought by the right wing

a few miles to the north.

Duffies column plodded along towards

Stevensburg while advanced elements

under Major Benjamin Stanhope rode off

to secure the town and access to the Old

Carolina Road leading north towards

Brandy Station. Stanhope met no

opposition in town, but as he pushed

north he could see a column of

Confederate cavalry coming south to

meet him. Stanhope retreated quickly

back into town where he received orders

to hold at all costs. The Confederates had

been sent down by Stuart to monitor the

situation and hold up any Union advance.

They were hopelessly outnumbered,

however, and after a brief but vicious

fight near Stevensburg they scattered to

the winds and out of the fight. Duffieturned north on the Old Carolina Road.

One-hundred-and-ninety South

Carolinians under Colonel Matthew

Butler dismounted across the road on the

Hansbrough ridge to square off against

Duffies 1,500 Union cavalrymen. Their

Enfield rifles outranged the Union

carbines and the Union advance was

stalled, but they could not hold and after

Butler lost his foot to an artillery round

his subordinate Major Lipscomb took

charge and withdrew the hard-pressed

regiment. The road to Brandy Station wasopen. At just that moment, a courier from

Gregg ordered Duffie to retrace his steps

to the Kellys Ford Road and follow

Gregg to Brandy Station. Duffie set off

on this looping march with no more

alacrity than he had getting to

Stevensburg. By this time, the fighting

north of Brandy Station had intensified.

BUFORDS FLANK ATTACK

Bufords flank attack was not going

according to plan either. His idea was to

take his division down Yew Ridge around

the Confederate left, but problems set in

almost immediately. After their exertions

in the morning charge, the 6th

Pennsylvania had been assigned to

protect the rear of the Union right wing,

and they took up positions along a stone

wall on the Cunningham Farm about a

mile from Beverly Ford. Unfortunately,

the 10th and 13th Virginia cavalry

regiments also wanted that wall and their

intense fire persuaded the Pennsylvanians

to relinquish possession. Buford would

now have to overcome an obstacle that

should have been a stepping-stone. He

had also run into the brigade of

Brigadier-General William Rooney Lee

who had been camped out on that flank

overnight, and was advancing to the ford

and to the sound of the guns just as

Buford was massing his cavalry for his

flank attack. Now, if Buford was to

succeed, he would have to go throughover 2,000 veteran Confederate

cavalrymen occupying terrain that

favoured the defence, including that

pesky stone wall. By 10am, Buford was

stalled and had to call up infantry support

to push the rebels away from the wall.

They did so through stealth and surprise,

but Lee had already set up a defensive

line on the ridge to the rear of the wall.

Before Buford could organize an

effective assault, however, he was

surprised to see Lees men mounting up

and retiring to the rear. The hard-pressed

Devin saw the same thing to his front.

Buford advanced cautiously for the next

four hours against the Confederate

rearguard who held him at bay, then

Perry Miniatures Union cavalry

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received a shock when Lees Brigade

launched a surprise counter-attack,

leading to a prolonged melee and forcing

the Union men back in some disorder

Lee was badly wounded in the fighting,

his successor was killed, and the counter-

attack faltered. Buford fell back to

Cunningham Ridge where a second

shock awaited; an order to fall back to

Beverly Ford from Pleasonton: the battlewas over and the Union cavalry corps

was re-crossing the Rappahannock.

Bufords heavy moustache must have

bristled when he found out why.

THE FIGHT AT FLEETWOOD HILL

Fleetwood Hill sits like a shallow

overturned soup bowl immediately to

the northwest of Brandy Station. A

small creek, Flat Run, flows between

the hill and the town; the Old Carolina

Road exits the town and runs over the

crest of the hill past the Miller House

that marks the summit. The Orange &

Alexandria railroad delineates the

southern edge of the hill and heavy

woods lie to the south of the railroad

(see map below). Whoever controlled

Fleetwood Hill would control the town

of Brandy Station and its environs.

At the beginning of the battle, Stuart had

moved out of positions around Fleetwood

Hill to the northwestern Gee House - St.

James Church line. Rooney Lee was off

to the north, preventing Union access

from that direction, and to the south

Stuart had sent out a few units to monitor

the situation there and to prevent any

Union force coming up into his rear. All

that remained on the hill was a small

signal station contingent, a single

artillery piece, and Stuarts adjutant-

general Major Henry B. McClellan, first

cousin to George B. McClellan a former

commander of the Army of the Potomac -

an ample illustration of how insular this

civil war could be.

At 10:30am, a breathless rider reported to

McClellan that Union troops were on theway from the south with nothing between

them and Fleetwood Hill. McClellan

could soon see for himself a blue-coated

column emerging from the nearby woods.

He reacted quickly, sending a courier to

Stuart to inform him of this new peril just

a mile to the rear of Stuarts position, and

pulling the cannon to the crest of the hill

adjacent to the Miller House. The twelve-

pounder Napoleon quickly opened fire on

the Union column.

10

1

9

11

2

MILLER HOUSE

6

3

4

12

8

7

A

B

C

G

D

H

E

F

5

FLEETWOOD HILL

FLAT RUN

ORANGE & ALEXANDRIA

RAILROADCARRICOS MILL ROAD

BRANDY STATION

OLD CAROLINA ROAD

BARBOUR HOUSE

N

UNION FORCES

Wyndhams 2nd Brigade:A 1 st Maryland Cavalry RegimentB 1st New Jersey Cavalry RegimentC 1 st Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment

Kilpatrick's 1st Brigade:D 10th New York Cavalry RegimentE 2nd New York Cavalry RegimentF 1st Maine Cavalry Regiment

Martin's Battery, 6th New York Independent Battery

G Sections 1 and 2H Section 3

CONFEDERATE FORCES

Elements of Jones'Brigade:1 12th Virginia Cavalry Regiment2 35th Virginia Cavalry Battalion3 6th Virginia Cavalry Regiment4 11th Virginia Cavalry Regiment

Elements of Hampton's Brigade:5 Cobb's Legion, Georgia Cavalry Regiment6 1 st South Carolina Cavalry Regiment7 1 st North Carolina Cavalry Regiment8 Jeff Davis Legion, Mississippi Cavalry

Regiment

Elements of Beckham's Battalion of Horse

Artillery (the Stuart Horse Artillery)9 Chew's Virginia Battery (The Ashby Artillery)10 McGregor's Virginia Battery (2nd Stuart

Horse Artillery)11 Moorman's Virginia Battery (The Lynchburg

Artillery or Beauregard Rifles)

12 Hart's South Carolina Battery (TheWashington Artillery)

Below: Union Cavalry dismount and

take cover. Perry Miniatures

Map taken from Osprey Publishing Brandy Station 1863 -Campaign 201 www.ospreypublishing.com

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SCENARIO:

THE FIGHT AT FLEETWOOD HILL

You will command either the Confederate

or Union forces fighting for control over

Fleetwood Hill. Your mission is to be in

possession of the hill at the end of the

days fighting. The map on the previous

page depicts the terrain over which you

will fight.

The scenario begins with one

Confederate twelve-pounder Napoleon

cannon atop Fleetwood Hill and Major

McClellan standing next to it. All other

forces begin the game off-table.

Forces (assume all are cavalry unless

otherwise noted):

Union:

Only the divisional strength of the Union

forces is available, but it appears that

both Wyndham and Kilpatrick had

approximately equivalent forces

available to them. The artillery section

usually consisted of two cannons,

probably of 3'' Rifles.

3rd Cavalry Division:

Brigadier-General David GreggStrength 2,170

1st Brigade, 3rd Division: Colonel Hugh

Judson Kilpatrick (1,000 approx)

10th NY - 333

2nd NY - 333

1st Maine - 333

2nd Brigade, 3rd Division: Colonel Percy

Wyndham (1,000 approx)

1st Maryland - 333

1st New Jersey - 333

1st Pennsylvania - 333

Artillery:

6th NY Independent Battery, 3 sections

(6x3'' Rifles)

Confederate:

Similar problems exist for ascertaining

the size of individual Confederate units,

but some numbers do exist. Assume,

then, Hamptons Brigade is distributed

equally with 400 men in each regiment,

and that each horse-artillery battery has

4 x 6 pounder cannons.

Jones Brigade: Brigadier-General

William Grumble Jones (1,600)

12th Va - 400

35th Va - 400

6th Va - 400

11th Va - 400

Hamptons Brigade:

Brigadier-General Wade Hampton

Cobbs Legion - 4921st South Carolina - 519

2nd South Carolina - 405

Jeff Davis Legion 339

Stuarts Horse Artillery: Major Robert

Beckham (16 x 6pdr cannon)

Chews Virginia Battery

McGregors Virginia Battery

Moormans Virginia Battery

Harts South Carolina Battery

The action begins at 10:30am with

Wyndhams Brigade and supporting

horse artillery coming on to the table in

column up Carrico Mills Road

immediately to the south of BrandyStation. The Confederate cannon is

deployed ready to fire.

The Union player on receiving fire from

the cannon must roll a D6 with anything

other than a 6 requiring him to fully

deploy Wyndhams Brigade and horse

artillery before advancing. A score of 6

will allow Wyndham to continue his

progress if he so desires.

All other units roll a D6 for each brigade

racing to the battlefield. A throw of 6

allows that brigade to enter the table incolumn. A +1 modifier is added to the

roll for every subsequent turn in the game

until all units are on the table and

available to the players.

Kilpatricks Union forces (the only Union

force off-table at the beginning of the

game) must enter from the southern edge

of the table at a point of the Union

players choosing although this can be

randomized by marking the table edge

into six entry points and rolling a D6 for

the entry point to be used.

Confederate forces can deploy from

anywhere on the northern table edge or

the western edge north of the Orange &

Alexandria railroad.

On entering the field, Kilpatricks force

must make directly for the crest of the

hill and can only change orders if

Confederate forces are within 18'' of any

of Kilpatricks regiments.

Commander Ratings:

All Confederate commanders are aboveaverage, with Hampton rated as superior.

Wyndham is average and Kilpatrick is

rated as below average and reckless.

BRANDY STATION

FOUNDATION:

While researching the Battle of

Brandy Station, I had the privilege of

walking the fields where those brave

cavalrymen fought. I could do so

because of the sterling preservation

work conducted by the Brandy Station

Foundation and the Civil War

Battlefields Trust who have wrestled

away much of the battlefield from the

claws of the ever rapacious developers

who scour the north Virginia

countryside and have yet to see a

green field that cannot be despoiled. If

not for the Brandy Station Foundation,this important field would be a

Formula I race-track. Please visit their

website at:

www.brandystationfoundation.com

and help them in their continued fight

for Brandy Station.

[Editors note: Wargames Illustrated

has made a donation towards the

Brandy Station Foundation]

Below: Dismounted Union cavalry fire on the advancing Rebels. Perry Miniatures

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Other Playing Options:

This scenario can be played easily as a

solo game with units entering on a

randomized basis. Alternatively,

Fleetwood Hill might suit a multi-player

game with each player taking the role of a

brigade or even regimental commander.

The multi-player option might suit a club

game better where few members might

have all the cavalry needed, but six players

can paint up a regiment or two and roll

them out for some hard cavalry fightin.

BUFORDS ANSWER

The Union assault on Fleetwood Hill did

not go well. On receiving artillery fire

from the crest of the hill, Wyndham grew

cautious and deployed his cavalry into

line. He also waited for his supporting

artillery to come up. When all was ready,

Wyndhams troopers began their ascent

with the 1st Maryland in the vanguard.

Wyndhams delay allowed for theConfederates to bring up reinforcements.

As the Marylanders crested the ridge, the

35th and 6th Virginia ploughed into them,

causing an hour long pell-mell skirmish

that spread across the hill.

Wyndhams Brigade was on the cusp of

defeat when Kilpatrick arrived out of the

woods with his three regiments.

Kilpatrick appears to have had only one

fighting style, straightforward attack, and

he sent his regiments in echelon up the

southern slope. The 10th and 2nd NewYork were caught in the open, however, by

Cobbs Legion and the 1st South Carolina

who crashed into the Yankees flank. The

third of Kilpatricks regiments, the 1st

Maine, did better. They avoided the flank

assault and continued up the hill, scattering

the 6th Virginia when they got there. The

men from Maine next over-ran the rebel

artillery deployed on the northern edge of

Fleetwood Hill. Their job done and their

horses blown, the 1st Maine exited the hill

and began to withdraw towards Brandy

Station in the process of doing so, they

missed the chance to capture Robert E.

Lee who was in the nearby Barbour House

watching the fight unfold.

Fresh Confederates arrived in the shape of

the 11th Virginia. They careered over the

hill down the Old Carolina Road, crashing

through the Union artillery and sweeping

up the Maine stragglers. Wyndhams men

fell back to the town in the face of the

Southern fury. Also arriving on the scene

were Hamptons 1st North Carolina and

Mississippis Jeff Davis Legion. They tore

into Kilpatricks New Yorkers attempting

to reform on the southern edge of the hill.Hamptons troopers kept going to join the

assault on Brandy Station, but were

prevented from doing so by errant

Confederate artillery fire.

The Confederate cavalrymen had done

their job, however, and Fleetwood Hill,

and Stuarts rear, was secured. The

thoroughly beaten Union men had little

choice but to find their way back to

Kellys Ford. With Bufords Division

stalled and the Kelly Ford attack stifled,

Pleasonton felt he had little choice but to

try and get his men back across theRappahannock intact.

The recriminations would follow on both

sides. Pleasonton had not destroyed

Stuarts cavalry, although he later

claimed those were not his orders, and

Stuarts detractors, led by the Richmond

press corps, blamed him for being

surprised by the Union assault. Stuart, in

particular, was most peeved by the

accusations and that may have

contributed to his decision to attempt

another ride-around of the Union army in

the coming invasion of Pennsylvania,

leaving Lee blind in the process.

Maybe it could be argued, then, that the

Union attack at Brandy Station was

successful if measured by the

consequences. The more immediate

benefit to the Union cavalry seems to

have been a boost in morale and an

increase in self-belief that they could

stand toe-to-toe with the Confederate

cavalry. What is certain is that the Union

cavalry would continue to act

aggressively for the rest of the war;

Hooker, who was removed from

command not long afterwards, couldhave been proud of that if nothing else.

References:

Dan Beattie,Brandy Station 1863

(Osprey2008)

Joseph Glatthaar, General Lees Army

(Free Press, 2008)

Joseph W. McKinnney,Brandy Station, Virginia,

June 9, 1863: The Largest Cavalry Battle of the

Civil War (McFarland & Company Inc. 2006)

Stephen Sears, Gettysburg (Mariner, 2004)

Carl Smith, Gettysburg 1863 (Osprey1998)

Jeffrey D. Wert, The Sword of Lincoln(Simon & Schuster, 2006)

Thanks:

Thanks to Alan Perry for the loan of his figures

for the photos. www.perry-miniatures.com

Above: The two forces clash. Perry Miniatures plastic cavalry

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