Battle of Dranesville The Battle of Dranesville was a small battle during the American Civil War that took place between Confederate forces under General J . E . B . Stuart and Union forces under General Edward O . C . Ord on December 20 , 1861 , in Fairfax County , Virginia , as part of Maj . Gen . George B . McClellan ' s operations in northern Virginia . The two forces on similar winter - time patrols encountered and engaged one another in the crossroads village of Dranesville . The battle resulted in a Union victory . Background . Following the Battle of Ball ' s Bluff on October 21 , major offensive action was halted in the eastern theater , as both armies went into winter quarters . Small detachments were still occasionally sent out to probe the enemy ' s position and to obtain forage . Such was the case early on the morning of December 20 when General Stuart , with a mixed brigade of infantry comprising the regiments of the 6th South Carolina , 1st Kentucky , 10th Alabama , and 11th Virginia , 150 of his cavalry troopers and Allen S . Cutts ' s 4 gun Georgia battery , set out north from their position near Centreville to escort the army ' s wagons trains on a foraging expedition into Loudoun County . Meanwhile , General Ord , leading the 10 , 000 strong 3rd Brigade of Pennsylvania Reserves set out west from Langley to clear the south bank of the Potomac River of Confederate pickets and partisans in Fairfax and Loudoun . At Colvin Run Mill , Ord left half his force to protect his rear and prevent his force from being cut off from their base at Langley . Opposing forces . Confederate . Commander : Brig . Gen . J . E . B . Stuart < br > Regiments 11th Virginia Volunteers : Col Samuel Garland , Jr < br > 6th South Carolina Volunteers : Lt Col Secrest < br > 10th Alabama Volunteers : Col J . H . Forney < br > 1st Kentucky Volunteers : Col Thomas A Taylor < br > Sumter Flying Artillery ( Georgia ) : Capt Allen S . Cutts < br > 1st North Carolina Cavalry ( 100 man detachment ) : Major James B . Gordon < br > 2nd Virginia Cavalry , Company ' C ' ( 50 man detachment ) : Capt Andrew L . Pitzer Union . Commander : Brig . Gen . Edward O . C . Ord < br > Regiments 6th Infantry , Pennsylvania Reserves ( a . k . a . 35th Pennsylvania Volunteers ) : Lt Col William M . Penrose < br > 9th Infantry , Pennsylvania Reserves ( a . k . a . 38th Pennsylvania Volunteers ) : Col Conrad Feger Jackson < br > 10th Infantry , Pennsylvania Reserves ( a . k . a . 39th Pennsylvania Volunteers ) : Col John S . McCalmont < br > 12th Infantry , Pennsylvania Reserves ( a . k . a . 40th Pennsylvania Volunteers ) : Col John H . Taggart < br > Kane ' s 1st Pennsylvania Rifle Regiment ( a . k . a . 42nd Pennsylvania Volunteers ) : Lt Col Thomas L . Kane < br > 1st Pennsylvania Reserve Cavalry ( a . k . a . 44th Pennsylvania Volunteers ) : Lt Col Jacob C . Higgins < br > Battery A , 1st Pennsylvania Reserve Artillery ( a . k . a . 43rd Pennsylvania Volunteers ) : Capt Hezakiah Easton The battle . At about noon , Ord arrived at the intersection of the Georgetown Pike and Leesburg Pike in the village of Dranesville , where he encountered Stuart ' s advance cavalry pickets , which were quickly driven off by the Union force . Ord then began to lead his command west , down the Leesburg Pike . At around 1 p . m . Stuart , with the main body of his force approached Dranesville from the south , whereupon he encountered the rear of the Union detachment . Ord halted his infantry and wheeled it around to meet the Confederate threat , forming a line on the north side of the Leesburg Pike . He then deployed his artillery on an eminence near the intersection . Stuart deployed his infantry on the south side of the pike and his artillery 300 yards south of the federal position . While the Confederate infantry was deploying , the 6th South Carolina mistook the 1st Kentucky for Union troops and opened fire , which was quickly returned by the Kentuckians . Hearing the sound of gunfire , the 9th Pennsylvania charged across the turnpike but were quickly driven back . The artillery then began to duel , but owing to the strength of the Union position , the Confederate guns were quickly knocked out . Ord deployed his infantry in a skirmish line and sent it across the Pike at Stuart and the two sides squared off for nearly 2 hours . At 3 p . m . , with his wagons safely away and secure from capture , Stuart ordered a withdrawal . Ord pursued for a half mile , ensuring his line of retreat was safe , before breaking off the attack and returning to Langley . The following day Stuart returned with reinforcements , but found no Federals to engage . Results . Though the battle was small , of no strategic importance and resulted in only light casualties , it marked the first time in the east that a Union force had bested their Confederate enemy , inflicting 230 casualties while suffering only 71 , and were able to drive them from the field .