Battle of Brandy Station The Battle of Brandy Station , also called the Battle of Fleetwood Hill , was the largest predominantly cavalry engagement of the American Civil War , as well as the largest ever to take place on American soil . It was fought at the beginning of the Gettysburg Campaign by the Union cavalry under Maj . Gen . Alfred Pleasonton against Maj . Gen . J . E . B . Stuart ' s Confederate cavalry on June 9 , 1863 . Pleasonton launched a surprise dawn attack on Stuart ' s cavalry at Brandy Station , Virginia . After an all - day fight in which fortunes changed repeatedly , the Federals retired without discovering Gen . Robert E . Lee ' s infantry camped near Culpeper . This battle marked the end of the Confederate cavalry ' s lopsided dominance in the East . From this point in the war , the Federal cavalry gained strength and confidence . Background . The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia streamed into Culpeper County , Virginia , after its victory at Chancellorsville in May 1863 . Under the leadership of Gen . Robert E . Lee , the troops massed around Culpeper preparing to carry the war north into Pennsylvania . The Confederate army was suffering from hunger and their equipment was poor . Lee was determined to strike north to capture horses , equipment , and food for his men . His army could also threaten Philadelphia , Baltimore , and Washington , and encourage the growing peace movement in the North . By June 5 , two infantry corps under Lt . Gens . James Longstreet and Richard S . Ewell were camped in and around Culpeper . Six miles northeast of Culpeper , holding the line of the Rappahannock River , 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 River 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 Hampton , W . H . F . " Rooney " Lee , Beverly H . Robertson , and William E . " Grumble " Jones , and Colonel Thomas T . Munford ( commanding Brig . Gen . Fitzhugh Lee ' s brigade while Lee was stricken with a bout of rheumatism ) , plus the six - battery Stuart Horse Artillery , commanded by Major Robert F . Beckham . Unknown to the Confederates , 11 , 000 Union men had massed on the other side of the Rappahannock River . Maj . Gen . Alfred Pleasonton , commanding the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac , had organized his combined - armed forces into two " wings , " under Brig . Gens . John Buford and David McMurtrie Gregg , augmented by infantry brigades from the V Corps . 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 Ames . Gregg ' s wing was the 2nd Cavalry Division , led by Col . Alfred N . Duffié , the 3rd Cavalry Division , led by Gregg , and an infantry brigade under Brig . Gen . David A . Russell . The commander of the Army of the Potomac , Maj . Gen . Joseph Hooker , 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 . Davis , 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 ( led by Major Robert Morris , Jr . ) 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 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 . Battlefield preservation . The National Park Service has sustained minimal involvement with preservation efforts at Brandy Station . They commissioned a map - based study of the battlefield to assist preservationists in 1990 and recommend a driving tour sponsored by Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park , but contribute no park unit , staff , or resources directly . Two organizations have taken up responsibility for the site ’ s preservation . The Brandy Station Foundation ( BSF ) was founded in 1988 with the express purpose of “ preserving the natural and historic resources of the Brandy Station area of Culpeper County , Virginia . ” They operate tours of the battlefield and have restored the Graffiti House , the building which served as a makeshift Union hospital during the Brandy Station engagement in 1863 . Their efforts have been supplemented by the Civil War Trust , which has cooperated with the BSF to save 1 , 798 acres at the former battle site . In 2003 , this led to the opening of Brandy Station Battlefield Park , which interprets the history of the site . This work has prevented a number of commercial enterprises from infringing on the battleground , including a proposed Formula One racetrack in the late 1990s . In 2012 , the two organizations achieved another preservation success by purchasing a 61 - acre tract at Fleetwood Hill , site of a number of significant cavalry charges during the battle .