The Battle of Brandy Station
Rooney Lee's Fighting Retreat
The Federal forces of Brig. Gen. John Buford, Brig. Gen. David Gregg, and Col. Thomas Devin (whose command held the area around St. James Church) had almost encircled the Confederates, though none of the Union commanders had planned it so. Unknown to the Federals another prize was also available: Gen. Robert E. Lee was visiting the Barbour House (called Beauregard) to scan the fighting on Fleetwood Hill. His capture would have been a devastating blow to the Confederacy.
By late morning, Confederate Brig. Gen. W.H.F. "Rooney" Lee pulled his forces out of the fight with Brig. Gen. John Buford's troops over the stone wall that separated the Cunningham and Green farms. Lee's forces fell back in a fighting retreat to Yew Ridge and northern Fleetwood Hill.
Battlefield terrain played a crucial role in the progress of the battle. The steep, rolling topography exhausted the mounts of the pursuing Federals. Towards the end of the afternoon, Buford calculated his men and their mounts were just too worn out to continue the fight. Fresh Confederates - the tardy brigade of Col. Thomas Munford - menaced Buford's retreat route across Beverly Ford. The Federal general decided to pull back to the ford, yielding the field to the Confederate horsemen.
Help Preserve Battlefields • call CWPT at 1-888-606-1400 • www.civilwar.org •
The Hallowell Foundation generously contributed toward the interpretation of this site in memory of Carrington Williams.
This material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Any opinion, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior.
Marker can be reached from Beverly Ford Road (Route 676), on the right when traveling north.
Courtesy hmdb.org
