Cavalries clash in Brandy Station to commemorate pivotal, historic battle

The sun beat down on a crowd of spectators as clouds of smoke from Confederate cannons dissipated over the grassy farmland. Mounted Union soldiers stood watching on a ridge across the field. Just then the bugle sounded and the charge began.

To commemorate its 160th anniversary, a 3-day event held last weekend (June 9 to 11) remembered the Battle of Brandy Station in Culpeper. Activities ranged from battlefield tours, historical talks, reenactments and the first church service in 49 years at the Historic Fleetwood Church.

According to The American Battlefield Trust, the Battle of Brandy Station was the largest cavalry battle ever fought in North America during the Civil War on June 9, 1863. It was the opening battle of the Gettysburg campaign. Both the Union and Confederate cavalries – mounted soldiers – were unaware of each other’s locations and happened to come across each other near the Rappahannock River. 

The morning of June 9, Union Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton sent soldiers over the river. Following the crossing, Union soldiers struck the Confederate camp, which was manned by Confederate Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart. After some movement, the Union cavalry split up: one headed for Brandy Station and the other to Stevensburg. Union and Confederate cavalries clashed on a low ridge called Fleetwood Hill in Brandy Station. After 14 hours of fighting, Pleasonton and his men abandoned the field. Historically, the battle result is inconclusive.

However, the one who remains on the field after the battle can usually safely call themselves the victors, said local historian Clark “Bud” Hall.

There were 20,500 forces engaged – 11,000 Union and 9,500 Confederate, according to ABT. There were 1,299 estimated casualties – 866 Union and 433 Confederate.

Hall explained the Confederacy lost irreplaceable men and horses during the battle of which they would not recover. Confederate soldiers privately owned their own horses while the Union could easily replace horses that were U.S. government property.

“I look upon the Battle of Brandy Station as the beginning of the end of the war,” Hall said. 

Reliving the battle

The reenactment on June 10 took place at the actual location of the battle, the Charging of the Confederate Guns at St. James Church.

“This is the first large re-enactment that I’ve been involved in,” said Susan Ralston, one of the founders of Culpeper Battlefield Tours, adding a small one was held for the 159th anniversary. “A reenactor said that it may have been 9 years since that many cavalry were on that field.”

The weekend’s events were the inaugural year for Culpeper Battlefield Tours, which was formed in the fall 2021.

“We had the idea of creating CBT in 2019, but were delayed because of COVID,” Ralston explained. 

There were about 250 reenactors from both Union and Confederate sides, which included mounted cavalry, dismounted cavalry, infantry and artillery. Reenactors hailed from as far away as Iowa, Ohio, Michigan, New York and Maine.  

Cavalries brought their own horses or borrowed ones, Ralston said. All reenactors and their horses – even those that lived locally – camped in primitive tents on the grounds on picket lines just like they did in the Civil War.

In terms of preparation, re-enactors practice together regularly and participate in reenactments around the country, especially this year which marks the 160th anniversary of all 1863 battles, Ralston said. Most of the cavalry who participated in Brandy Station’s reenactment will not participate in the Gettysburg’s reenactment in July because it will be too difficult on the horses to do both, she continued.

“What made this re-enactment so unique and special to the re-enactors was the opportunity to hear from Bud Hall what happened and where on the Battlefield, and then to re-enact a particular action exactly as it occurred 160 years ago,” Ralston said. “It was incredibly special and moving. I’m not aware of that ever happening before, and in talking to other reenactors about other battlefield reenactments, this kind of interpretation is unique.”

“We don’t often see reenactments where the reenactors are deploying, fighting in other words, each other on actual battlefield land,” Hall said.

“One of the reasons why the battlefield is so sacred, is that the men who died on this land are buried here,” Ralston said. “They were buried where they fell.”

‘Not bad for a couple of Yankees’

During the reenactment depicting the action at the Cunningham Farm, specifically at Buford’s Knoll and the Stone Wall on June 11, spectators stood behind a line of era-accurate cannons, belonging to the Confederate cavalry. The cannons shot off blanks into the distance as a line of mounted Union reenactors could be seen at the distant tree line.

After many clashes and retreats between sides, a brown horse with just a saddle ran up the ridge towards the stationed cannons and onlookers. The horse ran past the crowd and down St. James Church Road.

A ceasefire was called as two Union reenactors and their horses galloped up the hill to attempt to catch the horse. Before entering St. James Church Road, one of the mounted men indicated to safety personnel that someone on the battlefield needed medical attention.

Medical personnel on site entered the field and attended to the rogue horse’s former rider. He was taken back to the spectator side of the field where he was evaluated and later transported by ambulance. He was conscious and did not appear to be seriously injured.

Ralston explained the rider got tangled up in his gear and did not pass out as onlookers had hypothesized.

The two riders who chased after the horse reappeared minutes after the ceasefire after collecting the horse.

“Not bad for a couple of Yankees,” one of the mounted soldiers yelled to the crowd. 

The weekend events began with a 5:30 a.m. tour, of which 50 people attended.

“It was Jasan Hileman’s (a Culpeper Battlefield Tours guide) idea to do the real-time tours, and I was skeptical that anyone would show up at 5:30 a.m., but he said it didn’t matter,” Ralston said. “It was important to him to be at the Beverly Ford Road, exactly when and where the Union cavalry engaged the Confederate pickets 160 years ago, and if no one showed up, he’d still enjoy the moment.”

“Imagine my surprise when 50 people came down that road in the dark,” she continued, adding that between 30-50 people attended each stop of the real-time tours. An estimated 500-600 people attended Saturday’s events and 600-700 on Sunday.

“This weekend’s event really inspired us to consider more special events in the future that will showcase Culpeper’s historic treasures,” Ralston said. “Clearly there is a demand and appreciation for it.”