With momentum firmly in hand after his stunning victory at Chancellorsville, General Robert E. Lee decided to launch a second Northern invasion. New and Noteworthy---The Battle of Brandy Station, Virginia The Battle of Brandy Station: North America's Largest Cavalry Battle, Eric J. Wittenberg, Steven Stanley [maps], History Press, 272 pp., 57 illustrations and photographs, 12 maps, notes, bibliography, guided tour, order of battle… The Battle of Brandy Station was fought June 9, 1863, during the American Civil War (1861-1865). Fought on June 9, 1863, the Battle of Brandy Station, Virginia was the largest predominantly cavalry engagement of the American Civil War. Many Civil War enthusiasts regard the battle as solely a cavalry fight but there were eleven Union regiments engaged. 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. 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.
American Battlefield Trust's map of the Battle of Brandy Station At the outset of the Gettysburg Campaign, Robert E. Lee sought to keep his advance hidden from the Union army. 87 likes. Surprised, Stuart nevertheless led a spirited defense and by nightfall Union forces retreated.
The Battle of Brandy Station was fought on June 9, 1863. Of the 20,000 soldiers involved, about 17,000 were cavalry. 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. In June of 1863 Alfred Pleasonton and the cavalry of the Army of the Potomac would face J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry of the Army of Northern Virginia near Culpepper Virginia in what would be the largest cavalry battle in North America. Fought in the second week of June, 1863, Brandy Station was the largest cavalry battle ever fought in North America. 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 to take place ever on American soil.
The battle spread over a wide area north and east of Brandy Station, Virginia, a stop on the Orange & Alexandria railroad just west of … The Battle of Brandy Station was the largest cavalry battle ever fought on the North American continent. It was was the largest cavalry battle of the Civil War and the first fight of the Gettysburg Campaign. Brandy Station was also the first battle of the Gettysburg Campaign.
Stuart to launch a diversionary cavalry raid on June 9, 1863. Much of the Brandy Station battlefield is in private hands, but several large tracts of land – over 1,800 acres – have been preserved by the Civil War Trust and feature walking trails with interpretive wayside markers.
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