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.

Everybody is Crossing a River

Today along the Hazel and Rappahannock Rivers: October 12, 1863

The Bristoe Campaign is now underway. After attempts by Federal cavalry to stop their Confederate counterparts along the Rapidan Fords, Stevensburg and Fleetwood Hill the day before, the Army of the Potomac is in retreat, crossing the Rappahannock River into Fauquier County.

The Army of Northern Virginia is attempting to turn the right flank of the Union forces and are trying to slip around them in Western Fauquier.  But first, before they can get into Fauquier, they must pass over the Hazel.

A sampling of units crossing the rivers, one side trying to get away, the other trying to get around.

4th Michigan: went down to the River and formed line in the Rifle Pits. Stayed about 3 hours and Started and Crossed the River on Bridge went up to the front and formed line on the Hill.

91st Pennsylvania:  Then marched to Rappahannock Station, crossed the river, and moved up to Beverly Ford.

2nd Pennsylvania Reserves: Early in the morning we crossed the river at Beverly’s Ford, and formed in line of battle and lay there until near sundown.

40th Virginia: sloshed’ through several abandoned Yankee camps near Culpeper. The camp that night was near the Hazel River.

50th Virginia: we crossed the Hazel River which was a little pill but we had to swallow. It was so deep that we had to strip off our cloths to wade it and [it was] almost freezing cold as I though

Chew's Battery: By dusk the affair had ended when the Federals withdrew toward the Rappahannock. Leaving that position, the battery retired toward the Hazel River and went into camp late at Rixeyville.

From: the diary of Henry Seage, 4th Michigan http://home.midsouth.rr.com/devinney/diary2.html;

http://freepages.military.rootsweb.com/~pa91/cc3a.html (91st PA); Our Campaigns: The Second Pennsylvania Reserve Volunteers, by Evan M. Woodard; 50^th Virginia Infantry, John D. Chapla; Chew’s Ashby, Shoemaker’s Lynchburg and the Newtown Artillery, Robert H. Moore, II.

A disservice at Brandy Station

Today at Brandy Station: October 9, 2011

Thankfully, yesterday's Culpeper Airfest caused minimal damage to the St. James Plateau property. 

I became aware of the potential for parking on the hallowed land some months ago and was in correspondence with a number of individuals representing the parties involved.  I had felt that the Civil War Trust & and Virginia Department of Historical Resources would deny the request to park on this land.

They did not.

From the CWT web site:
Our Mission: The Civil War Trust is America's largest non-profit organization (501-C3) devoted to the preservation of our nation's endangered Civil War battlefields.
From the VDHR website:
Our mission is to foster, encourage, and support the stewardship of

Virginia's significant historic architectural, archaeological, and cultural resources.

I ask the VDHR if they conducted an archaeological study of the ground to be parked on to a similar detailed level as they did on the Brandy Station battlefield in 2008 prior to a cavalry reenactment? The answer is of course no.

How can you preserve a battlefield by allowing vehicles to park on it?
 

If these organizations, whose charter is to protect our history, protect Brandy Station at this level, what are they doing elsewhere?  I have to hope it is with a greater diligence.  Brandy Station, in my opinion, has been disserviced by the CWT and VDHR.

Culpeper Airfest 2011

Today at Brandy Station: October 8, 2011

More accurately, the St. James Plateau.

The Civil War Trust, stewards of the majority of the preserved and saved Brandy Station Battlefield, allowed Culpeper County to use portions of the St. James Church plateau -- scene of some the most intense and brutal cavalry fighting during the Civil War. This is where the 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry and the 6th United States Cavalry charged into the mouths of nearly the entire Stuart Horse Artillery -- to use this portion of the battlefield to park cars. The Brandy Station Foundation did the same on their property, continuing a practice of allowing parking to support community events.

Just in case you cannot read the sign, it says:

CIVIL WAR PRESERVATION TRUST

HELP US PROTECT THIS BATTLEFIELD

No Relic Hunting - No Fires

No Camping - No Trapping

Vehicles Prohibited

Game Hunting By Written Permission Only

Where's the beef?

Today at Rappahannock Station: September 28, 1863

Portion of a letter from Colonel H.F. Clark, [regular army] ADC and CS (Commissary Department) to Lt. Col G.H. Woods Chief C.S. 3rd Corps:

“Do you wish anymore cattle, if you please state the number and send here for them tomorrow morning. The main head is now near Rappahannock Station but some are coming up for the 2d Corps and yours can come with them...”

Isn't it nice to know that beef on the hoof is available to the army. The Second Corps cattle was in route to the soldiers. For the men of the Third Corps, the prospect of fresh meat was in the hand of Lt. Colonel Woods. All he had to do was ask....

During the Winter Encampment - still a few months away - today's in Elkwood, Virginia, was known as Ingall's Station. At Ingall's Station was the stockyard for the Army of the Potomac.

"...telling me about your doll..."

Today in Culpeper: September 24, 1863

We sometimes forget that the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who fought in the Civil War were family men. Husbands and fathers. They gave up thier lives at home to possibly give up their mortal life on some field outside some village or along a river or creek.

What follows is a portion of a letter from Colonel Patrick R. Guiney, 9th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, to his three-year old daughter, Loolie. I can see Patrick's wife Jennie reading the letter to her, writing not about war and trials and tribulations in camp, but dolls and horses.

The letter can be found in: Commanding Boston's Irish Ninth: the Civil War Letters of Colonel Patrick R. Guiney, 9th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, edited by Christian G. Samito.

Culpepper, Va
Sept. 24, 1863

My Dear Pet:

Your nice little letter telling me all about your doll came here to day. Poor little doll couldn't grow some + I don't wonder she fainted + got all dirty in the effort. I am glad you didn't whip her Loolie, because she couldn't help it. How do like the pictures of your dada's? Tell your mother to get you a charm for your little pencil and hang it around your neck. You must tell me how you like the white horse "Harry." The little rogue is asleep in one but his eyes are wide open in the other picture.

"A more precious set of villains I never saw..."

Today at Brandy Station: September 23, 1863

In 1862 and 1862, the majority of volunteers who enlisted in the Federal armies did so out of patriotism, civic pride and sense of duty. By 1863, those men were gone. But still; cities, counties and states still had an obligation to keep the ranks filled. Not wanting a draft, local and state governments turned to bounty's to entice men to join.

Unfortunately, many joined to collect the bounty and deserted at the first chance, usually before they departed their home station. If not then, while in transit from the north to Washington. If they still had no opportunity, then on the train from Alexandria to the army in Culpeper and Fauquier Counties.

Some actually arrived in camps. They were not wanted nor liked by those who had been through the hard 1863 campaigns of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg.

In a diary entry, Private John Haley describes his first meeting of a new set of recruits to the 17th Maine. The diary can be found in: The Rebel Yell and Yankee Hurrah: the Civil War Journal of a Maine Volunteer: Private John W. Haley, 17th Maine Regiment.

September 17: When we returned to Camp, we found a bunch of recruits had arrived and made themselves a very familiar with our tents and rations. They eyed us keenly, spoiling for a fight when we found out the extent of their depredations, we were more than willing to oblige. A more precious set of villains I never saw, reckless bounty jumpers and cut throats scoured up between New York and the British provinces. Doubtless they had enlisted several times and jumped a bounty on each occasion. They have found the right Regiment, if they wanted trouble! However, there was no help for it, and we must make the best of a bad matter.