Culpeper Battlefields History
The Battle of Cedar Mountain
August 9, 1862
CEDAR MOUNTAIN; Aug. 9, 1862: Confederate Maj. Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson fended off Union Maj. Gen. John Pope’s newly created Army of Virginia, which had marched into Culpeper County intent on capturing the rail junction at Gordonsville. The battle shifted fighting from the Peninsula to Northern Virginia, giving Lee the initiative.
Read more about the battle of Cedar Mountain on the website of the American Battlefield Trust.
The Battles of Rappahannock Station
August 22-25, 1862 & November 7, 1863
RAPPAHANNOCK STATION I; August 22-25, 1862: Following their defeat at Cedar Moutain, Union Maj. Gen. John Pope’s troops withdrew to a new defensive line on the Rappahannock River. Meanwhile, Confederate Gen. James Longstreet’s wing of the Army of Northern Virginia joined Gen. Thomas J. Jackson’s troops in the vicinity of Gordonsville. Though they only produced a few hundred casualties, the resulting skirmishes held the Federals in place, allowing Jackson to capture Bristoe Station and destroy Union supplies at Manassas Junction.
Learn more about the first battle of Rappahannock Station on the website of the American Battlefield Trust.
RAPPAHANNOCK STATION II; November 7, 1863: On November 7, the Union army forced their way across the Rappahannock River at two places. A dusk attack overran the Confederate bridgehead at Rappahannock Station, capturing more than 1,600 men. Fighting at Kelly’s Ford was less severe, but the Confederates retreated allowing the Federals across in force. On the verge of going into winter quarters around Culpeper, the Confederates retired instead into Orange County south of the Rapidan River. The Army of the Potomac occupied the vicinity of Brandy Station and Culpeper County.
Read more about the second battle of Rappahannock Station on the website of the American Battlefield Trust.
The Battle of Kelly’s Ford
March 17, 1863
KELLY’S FORD; March 17, 1863: At the end of February, Confederate commander Fitzhugh Lee conducted a daring raid north of the Rappahannock capturing men and horses, stealing supplies, and leaving a taunting note for William Averell, an old friend from West Point who was now a Union cavalry officer. On March 16, Averell set out to “rout or destroy” Fitzhugh Lee and his command near Culpepper Courthouse and forced a crossing of the Rappahannock at Kelly’s Ford the next day. The Union cavalry beat back several of Lee’s counterattacks, but with complete victory in his grasp, Averell lost his nerve and withdrew to Union territory that evening.
Read more about the battle of Kelly’s Ford on the website of the American Battlefield Trust.
The Battle of Brandy Station
June 9, 1863
BRANDY STATION; June 9, 1863: Union Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton surprised Confederate Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart’s troopers in camp on the day Gen. Robert E. Lee was set to begin his invasion of the North. The resulting battle, a tactical Confederate victory that hindered Lee’s Gettysburg Campaign, was the largest mounted engagement on the American continent.
Read more about the battle of Brandy Station on the website of the American Battlefield Trust.
The Battle of Morton’s Ford
February 6-7, 1864
MORTON’S FORD; February 6-7, 1864: During the winter of 1864, Union Gen. Benjamin Butler devised a plan to send some troops across the Rapidan River at Morton’s Ford and attract the attention of the defending Confederates, while the main Union army advanced on the Confederate capital of Richmond. On the morning of February 6, 1864, the first Union troops successfully crossed the Rapidan with limited casualties and captured 30 of the 80 Confederate soldiers guarding the ford. Confederate General Richard Ewell’s men manned the ridge and pinned down the Union brigades between the banks of the Rapidan creating a stalemate.
Read more about the battle of Morton’s Ford on the website of the American Battlefield Trust.