Late afternoon on June 27, 1863, Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart began assembling his cavalry brigades at Dranesville. To avoid the Union Army of the Potomac, then crossing the Potomac upstream at Edwards Ferry, Stuart ordered Hampton's brigade to Rowser's Ford, while Chambliss's brigade remained at Dranesville awaiting "Fitz" Lee. A local citizen informed Hampton that the half-mile-wide Potomac was two feet higher than normal but still fordable. Early in the evening, Hampton's brigade slowly crossed the rock-strewn ford and reported to Stuart that fording artillery and ammunition would be utterly impossible. About sunset, Fitz Lee's brigade arrived at Dranesville and followed Chambliss's to Rowser's. Nearing the ford, the column slowed markedly, and Stuart felt compelled to look for another crossing. After a dangerous search in the moonlight, Capt. Richard Kennon found another ford downstream but reported it impracticable because of quicksand, rocks, and rugged banks. Stuart therefore determined that his entire command would cross at Rowser's. Around midnight, as the moon descended and the night grew darker, each cavalryman was given a shell or powder bag to carry while crossing the swollen river. The wheeled vehicles and cannon were dragged across, often submerged. One horse artillerist recalled, "You could hardley see your horse's ears," as horse followed horse with water rushing over the saddles, and when the line bent downstream in the strong current, bold riders advanced from the opposite shore to correct the alignment. By pure determination, the entire command was safely on Maryland soil around 3 a.m. on the 28th; miraculously, not a man was lost and the ammunition was dry. Maj. H.B. McClellan called it, "No more difficult achievement was accomplished by the cavalry during the war."