On June 21, 1863, Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart’s troopers under Gen. Wade Hampton, retreating from Rector’s Crossroads (Atoka), crossed Goose Creek Bridge and took a strong position on the steep ridge behind it. From there, Confederate artillery unleashed heavy fire on Union soldiers assembling across the swollen creek, and Federal artillery unlimbered on the opposing bluffs as the guns dueled for an hour. A company of the 4th New York Cavalry charged the bridge but was driven back by shot and shell. Colonel Strong Vincent’s infantry then made a second attempt, with 83rd Pennsylvania skirmishers plunging into the creek and 16th Michigan men rushing over the bridge. Charging up the slope, the Union infantry forced the Confederates to withdraw. Stuart’s goal was to shield the movements of the main Confederate army rather than hold the bridge, and later that day he delayed the Federals again at Upperville. The fighting here came on the fifth day of sustained combat in Virginia, and eleven days later the armies met again at Gettysburg. Having gained crucial confidence here, Vincent’s men, including the famed 20th Maine Infantry, held Little Round Top while the Union cavalry continued to challenge Stuart’s troopers.