TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog

Rappahannock Station and Kelly’s Ford Following the wild chase at Buckland Mills the Bristoe Campaign was essentially finished. By October 22nd the Confederate cavalry had retired behind the Rappahannock River. This would have been the final act but for one more seemingly poor decision by the Confederate command. General Lee, determined to leave offensive options […]

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The Reversing Tide On the morning of October 15th Lee met with his Corps commanders and several other key leaders to talk about the fortunes of the campaign. Exactly what was discussed was not recorded but Lee shortly thereafter determined that it was time to discontinue operations against the Union army.* The following morning he […]

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Bristoe Station III – Those Poor Men At the Confederate line BG Cooke received a messenger from MG Heth ordering an attack by his brigade and Kirkland’s. He sent the courier back with word that his right flank was exposed to the troops at the railroad embankment and before he could advance his flank had […]

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Bristoe Station I – The Chase While Ewell’s Corps was moving to Stuart’s rescue LTG A.P. Hill pushed his corps eastward in the desperate race to cut the Federal army off from the entrenchments at Centerville. Once established there Lee knew that there would be little hope of his inferior force bringing them to battle […]

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Auburn After several clashes with the Union cavalry Stuart continued to pursue the retreating Union forces nipping at the rear guard as opportunity presented itself. On the 11th his force was reunited as he joined Funsten’s Brigade and communication with Fitzhugh Lee’s division was reestablished. On the morning of the 13th he dispatched BG Lomax’s […]

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Along the Rapidan The first significant action of the campaign occurred at the Rapidan River as Meade attempted to gauge the strength and disposition of Lee’s forces. On the morning of 10 October Buford moved his men to Germanna Ford. The enemies pickets there, comprised of 110 men from the 1st Maryland Battalion stretched from […]

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The Bristoe Campaign – Introduction On the night of July 14th, 1863 as the last of Robert E. Lee’s rain soaked troops scrambled over MAJ John Harman’s improvised bridge across the Potomac ending the Gettysburg Campaign the war in the east entered a new phase. Gone, at least for the immediate future, was any hope […]

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