Battle of Brandy Station

Fleetwood, the manor house of prominent Revolutionary War gun manufacturer John Strode, was built in the late 1700s and stood on the hill that took its name. Strode was a friend of President Thomas Jefferson, who often stayed there while traveling between Monticello and Washington, D.C. The mansion was greatly damaged during the war and finally collapsed in the late 1800s. Fleetwood Hill, known as a "Famous Plateau," served several times as a headquarters platform because of its commanding position overlooking the Rappahannock River. Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston first exploited that position in March 1862. Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart established his headquarters there in May 1863 before the Battle of Brandy Station began on June 9. The following month, Gen. Robert E. Lee crossed the hill, leaving his cavalry as rear guard atop Fleetwood. That fall, Union Gen. George E. Meade briefly placed his headquarters there before Lee returned and camped on the hill. During the Union winter camp of 1863-1864, the headquarters of the Army of the Potomac and the Third Corps were located on Fleetwood Hill, a key military position in the fighting around Brandy Station.

Virginia · United States