Today from Rappahannock Bridge: October 16, 1863

A dispatch posted October 14 has made the Richmond Daily Dispatch. The story provides and update on the advances of Lee's army into Fauquier County.  The O&A bridge was burned by the retreating Federals on October 13 (as was the depot in Bealeton). The firing that was heard was probably the early morning fight at Auburn, Va (known as the Battle of Coffee Hill). The dead horses are from the fighting on the 13th and John Minor Botts was being John Minor Botts, again.


From Northern Virginia.
Rappahannock Bridge, Oct.14.

--The bridge at this point was badly burned by the enemy in his retreat, and the ruins are still smoking.

Alfred Waud's drawing of the buring of the Rappahannock Station Bridge on October 13, 1863

Rapid firing was heard during to-day in the direction of Warrenton. There was a cavalry skirmish at Catlett's station on Tuesday. The enemy are still fleeing.

Our cavalry surrounded a body of Yankee dismounted cavalry, acting as sharpshooters, at Jeffersontown, on Tuesday, and, after wounding several of them, took over three hundred prisoners.--More prisoners are coming in.

The country from Culpeper C. H. to this point is completely desolated. Negroes, stock, and everything, have been carried off. Most of the houses left untenanted were pulled to pieces, and Yankee huts built of their material.

The battle-field about Brandy Station is literally covered with dead horses.

John Minor Botts has again been paroled, to appear in Richmond.

Confused Reports of this Fight

Today at Brandy Station: August 3, 1863

From the Richmond Dispatch:

Information received from Culpeper county by the train last evening furnishes us an account of a pretty severe cavalry fight in Culpeper county, in the immediate neighborhood of the old battlefield of Brandy Station, on Saturday last.

We could only obtain confused reports of this fight, but from these we gather that the enemy, in a force consisting of some three brigades of cavalry, advanced on our line of pickets in the early part of the day. The picket force was composed of the 12th Virginia regiment, Gen. Mahone's brigade. This force resisted the enemy until Hampton's cavalry came up, when the battle was joined between our cavalry and that of the enemy. During some portions of the engagement the fighting is represented to have been very severe. In the early part of the fight Capt. E. W. Branch, commanding the Grays, from this city, was killed, and his body brought to the city by the Central train last evening.

Hampton's Legion sustained the greater part of the loss inflicted upon us. Col. Black was shot through the hand with a Minnie ball; Col. Baker's arm was shattered, and Col. Young received a severe wound in the breast. The Legion is now commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel. Our cavalry fought them a distance of six miles, gradually falling back upon our infantry supports.

The enemy, however, did not afford these supports an opportunity to engage in the fight, but retired as soon as they came up. Our loss was some fifteen killed and from sixty to seventy wounded. The loss of the enemy was not known by any one with whom we conversed. It is not improbable that this light is the immediate forerunner of an engagement on a much larger scale.

A funeral notice was also printed in today's Dispatch:
The funeral services of Capt E. W Branch, Richmond Grays 12th regiment Va volunteers; who was killed in a skirmish near Brandy Station August 1st, will take place this afternoon at 6 o'clock at the Monumental Church.

A Day Late

Today at Brandy Station (sort of): June 24, 1863

As it appeared in the July 23 issue of the Richmond Daily Dispatch

--A correspondent who participated in the late cavalry fight at Brandy Station, writes us an account of Col. White's 35th Va. battalion in that engagement. It captured a battery, 100 prisoners, and four stand of colors, in which it was aided by a company of the 6th Va. We should publish the letter, but it is written at so late a day that the particulars given have been pretty generally published. We should feel obliged to soldiers for letters descriptive of engagements, if they can be sent to us directly after the engagements occur.

I have always liked this little news clip. The Daily Dispatch is gently reminding those who send letters from soldiers describing events to get them to the paper DIRECTLY after the engagement -- not a couple of weeks later.

So, in honor of this unknown participant from the 35th Virginia Battalion -- whom by the way participated in a great way: 8 killed, 39 wounded and 66 missing for a total of 113 -- by far the largest unit loss in the fight. I decided to post a day late.