The Battle of Brandy Station: North America's Largest Cavalry Battle

by Eric J Wittenberg

Overview

This Civil War history and guide examines a major turning point in cavalry combat and includes a GPS guided tour of the battlefield.
 
Just before dawn on June 9, 1863, Union soldiers materialized from a thick fog near the banks of Virginia's Rappahannock River to ambush sleeping Confederates. The ensuing struggle, which lasted throughout the day, was to be known as the Battle of Brandy Station—the largest cavalry battle ever fought on North American soil. These events marked a major turning point in the Civil War: the waning era of Confederate cavalry dominance in the East gave way to a confident and powerful Union mounted arm.
 
Historian Eric J. Wittenberg meticulously captures the drama and significance of these events in this fascinating volume. The GPS guided tour of the battlefield is supplemented with illustrations and maps by master cartographer Steven Stanley.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781614230298
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	05/10/2022
Series:	Civil War Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	243
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

An attorney in Columbus, Ohio, Eric J. Wittenberg has long been a student of Civil War cavalry operations. Wittenberg has published fourteen books on Civil War history, most of them centering on Virginia. Additionally, his articles have appeared in Gettysburg Magazine, North & South, Blue & Gray, Hallowed Ground, America's Civil War and Civil War Times Illustrated. He is very active in battlefield preservation and is affiliated with the Civil War Preservation Trust and the Brandy Station Foundation. He has worked extensively with the trust on the preservation of the Trevilian Station battlefield in Louisa County, Virginia, and is a member of the advisory board of the Trevilian Station Battlefield Foundation. He has also fought for the preservation of the Buffington Island battlefield in Meigs County, Ohio; Brandy Station in Culpeper, Virginia; and for various sites associated with the Battle of Gettysburg.

Table of Contents

Foreword O. James Lighthizer 9

Preface 13

Chapter 1 Opening Moves 15

Chapter 2 Alfred Pleasonton and the Union Cavalry 29

Chapter 3 Jeb Stuart and His Confederate Cavaliers 49

Chapter 4 The Confederate Grand Reviews 61

Chapter 5 Pleasonton's Pan 71

Chapter 6 Buford's Assault and the Death of Grimes Davis 75

Chapter 7 The Fight for the Guns at St. James Church 93

Chapter 8 The Action Shifts 105

Chapter 9 Gregg's Command Arrives 113

Chapter 10 The Fight for Fleetwood Hill 121

Chapter 11 The Duel on Yew Ridge 147

Chapter 12 Dufflé at Stevensburg 165

Chapter 13 The Great Battle Ends 183

Chapter 14 An Analysis of the Battle of Brandy Station 189

Epilogue. A Tale of Two Soldiers 203

Appendix A Order of Battle 209

Appendix B A Walking and Driving Tour of the Battle of Brandy Station 215

Notes 227

Bibliography 257

About the Author 272