On 10 October 1863 Confederate cavalry commanded by Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart engaged Union cavalry and infantry under Brig. Gen. H. Judson Kilpatrick and Maj. Gen. William H. French at James City, present-day Leon. The two forces confronted each other atop the ridges on either side of the village, and an artillery duel ensued that virtually erased James City in smoke. A Confederate detachment captured the Union signal station on Thorofare Mountain, a mile to the south. Late in the day Stuart repulsed a Union cavalry charge, and during the night the Union force withdrew toward Culpeper. This was the only instance during the war when Stuart led a force without a Virginia regiment.