The Battle of Brandy Station

Both Union and Confederate armies used horse artillery to assist cavalry. When firing erupted at Beverly Ford on the morning of June 9, 1863, Major Robert F. Beckham's battalion of Confederate horse artillery, with 16 guns and some 500 men, was encamped in woods here. Confederate cannoneers frantically harnessed their teams and prepared their guns for attack as Union skirmishers came in sight. Beckham ordered a gun of the Washington Artillery of South Carolina out on the road and told the crew to cover the battalion's withdrawal. He withdrew 600 yards without losing a gun. As the gunners fell back, horsemen of the 6th and 7th Virginia Cavalry Regiments raced down the ford road to delay the enemy. In the rush some Confederates rode bareback and some were barefooted. All were determined to buy time for the other Confederate brigades to form a line of battle to the rear. At this spot, the Virginians clashed with troopers from the 8th New York and 8th Illinois cavalries. In the melee, Col. Benjamin "Grimes" Davis, commander of the Union advance, was killed. Brig. Gen. John Buford spent several hours getting his Federals across the river, untangling the confusion caused by Davis' death, and deploying his troops. By 6:45 a.m. Buford was ready to test the Confederate soldiers ready for him near St. James Church.

Virginia · United States