To halt the flow of supplies to Union forces on the Orange & Alexandria R.R., Maj. John S. Mosby, C.S.A., destroyed a train near Catlett’s Station on 30 May 1863. After removing a rail to stop the train, Mosby’s Rangers disabled the engine with a recently acquired howitzer described as “too big to fit in a holster, but too small to be a cannon.” Alerted by the firing, nearby Union troops from N.Y., Mich., and Vt., commanded by Col. William D. Mann, attempted to capture the Confederates. Mosby set fire to the railcars and withdrew, fighting a delaying action with his single artillery piece.
