Cedar Mountain, Brandy Station, Yellow Tavern, Five Forks

During my travels there were several battle sites that I had a strong desire to visit. These battles, for some reason, have left an impression on me and I felt compelled to see them firsthand.  Unfortunately there was not much to see. For various reasons the sites have not been preserved, or vaguely preserved. What I had to keep reminding myself is that most all the battles occurred on someone’s farm or privately owned property and after the battle the land still belonged to that individual. Often the land would be passed down from generation to generation or sold to others. The Federal or State governments either never had the opportunity to purchase the site or felt it was not important.

The battlefield sites are Cedar Mountain, Yellow Tavern, Brandy Station, and Five Forks. I did visit each location, but there was very little to see. Some had a few interpretive signs to help understand the battle and the maneuvering of the troops, but knowing the significance of the each battle, it was very disappointing.

Cedar Mountain – This battlefield site is similar today as it was in 1862, with the exception of some roads being added or deleted from the original battle setting. It contained a couple interpretive signs but nothing else. This battle was the result of Lee sending his most trusted general, “Stonewall” Jackson, to suppress the activity of the new Army of Virginia under John Pope. As the Rebels, under General Jubal A. Early, marched toward Culpeper they encountered Union troops blocking the road. Hastily, Early formed a line perpendicular to the road and running a great distance from the Crittenden House to the base of Cedar Mountain. Shelling from the Confederate artillery began at the Crittenden House gate, the mountain, and a wooded knoll, later named “The Cedars”. Artillery fire was returned by the Federals. This duel lasted the afternoon with no conclusive results. Shortly after 5 PM, the Union infantry launched two attacks, one at the gate at the Crittenden House and the other through the cornfields toward the wooded knoll referred to as “The Cedars”. These charges broke the Confederate lines of infantry and artillery, but this success was short lived. “Stonewall” Jackson moved forward, into the line of fire, waving his sword, rusted in its scabbard, to rally his retreating troops. In addition,  A.P. Hill’s men arrived on the battlefield at this time and assisted in establishing a stronger Confederate line which was able to repel the charging Federals. As darkness took the field of battle, the Rebels were able to sweep the Union troops from the field for a victory.

From here, Jackson then reunited with Lee and next moved to Manassas Junction and what became the Second Battle of Manassas.  

Brandy Station – The significance of Brandy Station is the “coming of age” of the Union cavalry.  Up until this point in the War, the Union horsemen were considered inferior to their Southern counterparts. This is really quite understandable. The South was primarily an agricultural region built mainly with plantations and farms. The Southerners were extremely adept at riding and controlling their steeds as they spent much of their time in the saddle growing up. The North, on the other hand, was more of an industrial society. Riding horses was not something that was second nature to them, so they had the burden of learning to ride and control their mounts. This took time. During this period of learning and development, the Rebel Cavalry took advantage of their less experienced enemies and when the two cavalries met in battle, the South dominated.

Brandy Station is the site of the largest cavalry battle ever fought on the North American continent. Here, nearly 17,000 horsemen fought along with approximately 3,000 infantry.  Can you imagine that many horses with riders in combat against each other?

This conflict was the first battle in Lee’s Gettysburg campaign. Jeb Stuart’s cavalry were positioned here to shield the movement of Lee’s Army up through the Shenandoah Valley to invade the North.

 Much of the fighting of this day occurred on Fleetwood Hill, which was the location of Stuart’s headquarters. The fighting began about 4:30 AM as Union General John Buford’s cavalry of 5,500 horsemen crossed the Rappahannock River surprising the Confederate pickets. Fighting spread to Yew Ridge, the Gee House, and St. James Church on either side of Beverly’s Ford Road. The next Southern surprise happened as Union Brigadier General David Gregg’s division of 2,200 horsemen moved across the Rappahannock at Kelly’s Ford to proceed directly to Brandy Station. His approach was blocked by Rebels causing him to take an alternate unguarded road with no challenge to Brandy Station. Between Gregg and Buford lay Fleetwood Hill, unoccupied and unguarded as Stuart and his cavalry were at the battle front. As Gregg’s cavalry charged the hill, Confederates under “Grumble” Jones crested the hill and faced each other. Union Colonel Kilpatrick next charged Fleetwood Hill from the south and east, coinciding with the arrival of Brigadier General Wade Hampton’s brigade of gray. In addition to much confusion, a number of charges and countercharges occurred across the hillside.  Eventually the Confederates took the hill, but not before learning that their once superior cavalry was no longer. Their Union counterpart displayed a superb quality of horsemanship not before demonstrated.

Yellow Tavern – Cavalry General Jeb Stuart was, I believe, as important to General Lee as was General “Stonewall” Jackson. When Jackson was wounded at the Chancellorsville battle and died, Lee commented that “Jackson may have lost his left arm, but I have lost my right.” What Lee was referring to is that Jackson was his most dependable general of all he had. They thought alike and Lee had to simply tell Jackson what he wanted, knowing that Jackson would figure out the details to accomplish Lee’s request.

Jeb Stuart was Lee’s “eyes”. Being the daring and dashing cavalry general that he was, Stuart also scouted the enemy for Lee, finding their position and movement, and the number of troops that Lee would have to face. Also, Stuart and his cavalry would act as a shield to protect Lee’s troop movements. Lee never went into battle without information from General Stuart, with the exception of Gettysburg. General Lee explicitly trusted and relied on Jeb Stuart for intelligence gathering. In addition to Stuart’s reconnaissance ability, he was also a superb battlefield general.

May 10, 1864 brought about the movement of Union General Phillip “Little Phil” Sheridan. Encamped at Spotsylvania Courthouse as part of General Grant’s troops, Sheridan insisted that he could whip Confederate Cavalry General Jeb Stuart if given the chance. Grant turned him loose to give him that chance.  Heading toward Richmond with 10,000 horsemen, Sheridan’s movement was quickly detected by Stuart. Stuart dispatched General Fitzhugh Lee’s division to harass Sheridan’s rear while he took the remainder of his forces to ride quickly to get in front of Sheridan. The Confederates arrived first, on May 11, at the crossroads at Yellow Tavern on the northern outskirts of Richmond. Taking their positions to block Sheridan’s advance, they waited. Within the hour, the Union forces appeared. Battle waged between the two Cavalries with the Federals forcing a mild retreat of the Rebels. Reforming their lines, the men in gray waited for two hours for another assault.

During this lull in the action, Sheridan brought up his remaining forces that had repulsed an attack from Fitzhugh Lee and under the direction of General George Armstrong Custer, they attacked the Confederate left flank driving them back. Jeb Stuart rode forward attempting to rally his men. The charging Union horsemen rode past Stuart but were then repulsed and pushed back. As they retreated, Private John A. Huff of the 5^th Michigan Cavalry fired into a group of Rebel horsemen striking Jeb Stuart in the side. As Stuart grabbed his side and dipped his head, his plumed hat fell to the ground and he simply stated “I’ve been shot.” As he lay in an ambulance, Stuart was heard to say to his troops “Go back! Go back! Do your duty as I have done mine. I would rather die than be whipped.” The rebels temporarily rallied, but eventually retreated into the darkness.

Phillip Sheridan had taken the Yellow Tavern battle, instilled in his cavalry their abilities as excellent horsemen, and mortally wounded the Confederate leader, General J.E.B. Stuart, probably the finest Cavalry leader of the entire Civil War.

The following day, May 12, Stuart died of his wound at his brother-in-law’s home in Richmond. Multitudes had gathered outside the house on Grace Street and President Jefferson Davis has visited before Stuart slipped into delirium and death. Robert E. Lee remarked, when hearing of his death, “I can scarcely think of him without weeping.”

This entire battlefield is now non-existent. It is a subdivision of residences and a small business park. The only reminder of what happened on this day is a monument dedicated to Confederate Cavalry General J.E.B. Stuart and a single interpretive sign. This was terribly disappointing to see. There are no directional signs to get to this location. If someone didn’t have a strong desire to find this place, it would be impossible to find. It is located on a dead-end street, quite a distance from the main road. There certainly will be no accidental drive-by visitors to find of this monument.

Five Forks – The Confederates, under General George S. Pickett, were unable to defend the South Side Railroad near Five Forks and this caused the beginning of the end for the Confederacy. This was the “Waterloo of the Confederacy” as stated by Brigadier General Thomas Munford.

As the Petersburg siege continued and the Federals had cut off all rail access for the Southern troops with the exception of the Southside Railroad, Lee ordered General George Pickett to “Hold Five Forks at all hazards. Protect road to Ford’s Depot and prevent Union forces from striking the Southside Railroad….” This order was given on April 1, 1864, just eight days before Lee surrendered his beaten and battered troops at Appomattox Court House.

The Southside Railroad lay just three miles north of the five-pronged intersection and the Northern troops, under the leadership of Major General Phillip Sheridan, were moving from the south, and Sheridan was itching for a fight. Two days Previous to Lee’s strong order to hold at all hazards, Pickett struck the Union troops below Five Forks and bested Sheridan’s troops. But General Warren’s infantry forces moved around the Rebels and cut off any support he might have received from Lee. This caused Pickett to have to fall back to the Five Forks intersection and dig in.

The First of April saw General Sheridan anxious for battle. The infantry of Warren’s had attached itself to the cavalry of Sheridan and they had the numbers. Sheridan later said, “I was exceedingly anxious to attack at once, for the sun was getting low, and we had to fight or go back….” At 4:15 p.m. the attack began. The Rebel line was hit from all sides simultaneously and they melted away. The intersection was overrun by the Federals, Pickett losing nearly a third of his troops in the melee. The Southside Railroad belonged to the Union and they also turned the right flank of the Petersburg defenses. The end was at hand for the confederates.

Upon hearing this news, General Grant immediately ordered a number of assaults for the next day along the Petersburg line. The siege of Petersburg consumed 292 days, but it was about to end. Lee began to withdraw his troops through the night, moving west and south in hopes of uniting with General Joseph E. Johnston’s army in North Carolina. This action never happened as Grant’s army followed and eventually surrounded the starving, worn, and vastly outnumbered Rebels.

Unfortunately there wasn’t much to see regarding this important battle; one open field with a few interpretive signs, of which I did not take any photos.

 

 

 

Five Forks – The Confederates, under General George S. Pickett, were unable to defend the South Side Railroad near Five Forks and this caused the beginning of the end for the Confederacy. This was the “Waterloo of the Confederacy” as stated by Brigadier General Thomas Munford.

As the Petersburg siege continued and the Federals had cut off all rail access for the Southern troops with the exception of the Southside Railroad, Lee ordered General George Pickett to “Hold Five Forks at all hazards. Protect road to Ford’s Depot and prevent Union forces from striking the Southside Railroad….” This order was given on April 1, 1864, just eight days before Lee surrendered his beaten and battered troops at Appomattox Court House.

The Southside Railroad lay just three miles north of the five-pronged intersection and the Northern troops, under the leadership of Major General Phillip Sheridan, were moving from the south, and Sheridan was itching for a fight. Two days Previous to Lee’s strong order to hold at all hazards, Pickett struck the Union troops below Five Forks and bested Sheridan’s troops. But General Warren’s infantry forces moved around the Rebels and cut off any support he might have received from Lee. This caused Pickett to have to fall back to the Five Forks intersection and dig in.

The First of April saw General Sheridan anxious for battle. The infantry of Warren’s had attached itself to the cavalry of Sheridan and they had the numbers. Sheridan later said, “I was exceedingly anxious to attack at once, for the sun was getting low, and we had to fight or go back….” At 4:15 p.m. the attack began. The Rebel line was hit from all sides simultaneously and they melted away. The intersection was overrun by the Federals, Pickett losing nearly a third of his troops in the melee. The Southside Railroad belonged to the Union and they also turned the right flank of the Petersburg defenses. The end was at hand for the confederates.

Upon hearing this news, General Grant immediately ordered a number of assaults for the next day along the Petersburg line. The siege of Petersburg consumed 292 days, but it was about to end. Lee began to withdraw his troops through the night, moving west and south in hopes of uniting with General Joseph E. Johnston’s army in North Carolina. This action never happened as Grant’s army followed and eventually surrounded the starving, worn, and vastly outnumbered Rebels.

Unfortunately there wasn’t much to see regarding this important battle; one open field with a few interpretive signs, of which I did not take any photos.