The Battle of Brandy Station was
the result of Union Army's need
for intelligence about 
Confederate movements.

The Union had been hearing of 
the movement of large numbers 
of Confederate troops in 
Pennsylvania, and desperately 
needed confirmation of their 
numbers and direction of 
march.  Union General Pleasonton
was dispatched on June 8, 1863 
with Hooker's cavalry corps, 
two brigades of infantry, and 
six horse batteries tasked with 
gathering this intelligence.

Pleasonton struck off toward 
Culpeper, Virginia, moving along
the Rappahannock River.  The 
army crossed the Rappahannock 
at 4 a.m. on the 9th at Beverly 
Ford - where they stumbled into 
the picquets of Jones' 
Confederate brigade.  
Overwhelmed, the Confederates 
quickly withdrew to Brandy 
Station, four miles downstream.

The Confederate's General 
Stuart,  hearing of the Union 
advance, quickly sent his 
12th Virginia Cavalry forward 
to support Jones.  The 12th 
Virginia ran full tilt into the 
Union cavalry upon their arrival 
The result was a classic cavalry
fight; charge upon charge and
countercharge between sabre 
wielding horsemen with horse 
artillery roaring in the 
background.

The battle was a Confederate 
victory.  General Pleasonton saw
the dust cloud of the advancing 
Confederate infantry and ordered
a Union withdrawal yielding the 
field to Stuart.  

The real winner of Brandy 
Station was the Union cavalry.  
For the first time in the war, 
they held their own against the 
better trained Confederate 
cavalry and Jeb Stuart.  As one 
Confederate soldier said, 
Brandy Station "made the Federal
cavalry." 