The Battle of Brandy Station

By 7 a.m. on June 9, Brig. Gen. John Buford had Union troops in position near Beverly Ford Road, with Brig. Gen. Adelbert Ames' infantry brigade astride the road, the 1st Cavalry Division under Col. Thomas Devin on Ames' left, the Reserve Cavalry Brigade on his right, and artillery in support. Buford moved to test the Confederate position near St. James Church by sending forward regiments of his Reserve Brigade, including the 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry and the 6th U.S. Cavalry, after the 2nd U.S. Cavalry was diverted to another mission. As the 6th Pennsylvania charged across open ground toward 16 Confederate fieldpieces, Confederate artillery and carbine fire tore into its ranks while Confederate cavalry waited behind the guns. The Pennsylvanians broke through the gun line but were driven back by the waiting cavalry, then retired in good order to their original position. The action showed that the Union cavalry had developed the skill and discipline to match its Southern opponents. Concluding that the Confederates at St. James Church were strongly posted, Buford left four cavalry and two infantry regiments to hold Beverly Ford against attack and protect the crossing, then turned his remaining force northward to work around the Confederate left flank toward the fields of the Cunningham and Green Farms.

Virginia · United States