Overview
After the Union victory at Gettysburg, General George G. Meade and the Army of the Potomac followed General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia as it retreated into Virginia. Meade failed to block Lee’s escape after fighting at Williamsport, Boonsboro, and Manassas Gap.
In September, Lee weakened his army by sending General James Longstreet’s 1st Corps to Chattanooga to reinforce General Braxton Bragg’s Army of Tennessee. Meade renewed his pursuit, but Union officials soon ordered his 11th Corps and 12th Corps to Tennessee after the Confederate victory at Chickamauga. Lee then crossed the Rappahannock River and sought to attack Meade’s right flank.
On October 13, 1863, J.E.B. Stuart sent General Lunsford L. Lomax and his brigade eastward from Warrenton. During the march, Lomax dispatched scouts, who discovered Union cavalry guarding a wagon train at Warrenton Junction. The First Battle of Auburn took place when the Confederates planned to attack the wagon train, but encountered Union forces who drove them back. In the confusion, Stuart’s command was trapped between two corps of Union troops and the wagon train. He hid his command in a wooded ravine and sent scouts to deliver a message to General Lee, asking for reinforcements. Upon receiving the message, Lee sent General Richard S. Ewell to aid him.
Before daybreak on October 14, Union troops broke camp and started marching toward Catlett’s Station. General Gouverneur K. Warren placed General John C. Caldwell and his men on a hill to protect the march. Confederate forces attacked the hill, which allowed Stuart’s command to escape from the ravine. The fighting stalled around 10:00 a.m., leading to a lengthy artillery battle. This allowed the main Union column and wagon train to reach Catlett’s Station safely.
General Robert E. Lee responded by sending General A.P. Hill in pursuit of the Union column. Hill found General George Sykes and the Union 5th Corps near Bristoe Station, and ordered General Henry Heth and his division to attack, but poor scouting left him unaware that General Warren and the 2nd Corps held a strong position along the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. Warren’s men fired into the Confederate flank and repulsed the attack. The Union lost about 550 men, while the Confederates lost nearly 1,400 soldiers and a battery of artillery. Lee ended his offensive and moved back south.
Essential Facts
- Date: October 14, 1863.
- Location: Prince William County in northeastern Virginia.
- Participants: The United States of America (USA) and the Confederate States of America (CSA).
- USA Commanders: Gouverneur K. Warren.
- CSA Commanders: A.P. Hill and Henry Heth.
- Who Won: The United States won the Battle of Bristoe Station.
- Campaign: Bristoe Campaign.
- Era: Civil War, July–December, 1863.
Statistics
United States of America
- Casualties: About 550 killed, wounded, captured, or missing.
- Forces Engaged: 2nd Corps of the Army of the Potomac.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 8,000 soldiers.
Confederate States of America
- Casualties: About 1,400 killed, wounded, captured, or missing.
- Forces Engaged: 3rd Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 17,000 soldiers.
Significance
The Battle of Bristoe Station is important to American History because it helped stop General Robert E. Lee’s Bristoe Campaign after the Battle of Gettysburg. General A.P. Hill ordered General Henry Heth’s division forward without knowing that General Gouverneur K. Warren’s 2nd Corps held a strong position nearby. Warren’s troops used the Orange and Alexandria Railroad embankment to fire into the Confederate flank, forcing them to stop the attack and ending Lee’s offensive.
History
Lee Escapes After Gettysburg
Following the Union victory at the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1–3, 1863), Major General George G. Meade and the Army of the Potomac cautiously pursued General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia as it retreated into Virginia. Despite encounters at the Battle of Williamsport (July 6–16, 1863), the Battle of Boonsboro (July 8, 1863), and the Battle of Manassas Gap (July 23, 1863), Meade could not prevent Lee’s escape and called off the chase.
Lee’s Army Depleted
In September, Confederate officials pressured Lee into sending Lieutenant General James Longstreet’s 1st Corps to Chattanooga to reinforce Lieutenant General Braxton’s Bragg’s Army of Tennessee, which was being battered by Major General William Rosecrans and the Army of the Cumberland. When Meade learned that Lee had weakened his army, he renewed his pursuit. In mid-September, Meade sent two columns forward to engage the remnants of Lee’s army, encamped along the Rapidan River.
Meade’s Army Depleted
The tables quickly turned, however, when Washington officials ordered Meade’s 11th and 12th Corps to Tennessee after the Confederate victory at the Battle of Chickamauga (September 19–20, 1863). With the size of Meade’s army also depleted, Lee responded by crossing the Rappahannock River and launching an offensive aimed at Meade’s right flank. Meade countered by beginning a withdrawal to secure his supply depot at Centerville.
Confederates Attack
On the morning of October 14, 1863, near Bristoe Station, Confederate General A. P. Hill’s corps was in pursuit of Major General George Sykes’s 5th Corps, which was serving as the rearguard of Meade’s army. When Hill caught sight of Sykes’ corps early in the afternoon, he ordered his lead division, commanded by Major General Henry Heth, to attack.
Because of poor reconnaissance, Hill was unaware that Major General Gouverneur Warren’s 2nd Corps was also in the area. When Warren saw Heth’s division approach, he deployed his own troops in a strong defensive position along the embankment of the Orange & Alexandria Railroad. As Heth continued his pursuit of Sykes, Warren’s men unleashed a hail of lead into the right flank of two brigades of the unsuspecting Confederates. Heth desperately tried to turn his men around to face their assailants but with little success. A futile charge into the murderous fire did not dislodge the stubborn Union defenders.
Aftermath
The Union victory resulted in the loss of approximately 550 men. By the time the Confederates escaped, Hill had lost nearly 1,400 soldiers and a battery of artillery.
During the night, Warren’s corps withdrew and rejoined the Army of the Potomac, prompting Lee to call a halt to his offensive and to move back south. The next day, as Lee and Hill rode across the battlefield and surveyed the damage, Lee reportedly said to Hill, “Well, well, General. Bury these poor men and let us say no more about it.”
Timeline
- 1863, July 1-3 — Union forces won the Battle of Gettysburg.
- 1863, July 6-16 — Union and Confederate forces fought the inconclusive Battle of Williamsport.
- 1863, July 8 — Union and Confederate forces fought the inconclusive Battle of Boonsboro.
- 1863, July 23 — Union and Confederate forces fought the inconclusive Battle of Manassas Gap.
- 1863, September — Confederate officials pressured Robert E. Lee to send James Longstreet’s 1st Corps to Chattanooga.
- 1863, September
- George G. Meade renewed his pursuit after he learned that Lee had weakened his army.
- Meade sent two columns toward the remnants of Lee’s army along the Rapidan River.
- 1863, September 19–20 — Confederate forces won the Battle of Chickamauga.
- 1863, October 13 — Union and Confederate forces fought the inconclusive First Battle of Auburn.
- 1863, October 14 — Union and Confederate forces fought to a strategic draw at the Second Battle of Auburn.
- 1863, October 14
- A.P. Hill’s corps pursued George Sykes’s 5th Corps near Bristoe Station.
- Hill ordered Major General Henry Heth’s lead division to attack.
- Gouverneur K. Warren placed his troops along the Orange and Alexandria Railroad.
- Warren’s men fired into the Confederate flank and stopped Heth’s attack.
- Warren’s corps withdrew during the night and rejoined the Army of the Potomac.
AP US History
Definition
Battle of Bristoe Station (1863) — The Battle of Bristoe Station was fought on October 14, 1863, in Prince William County, Virginia, during the Bristoe Campaign. General Gouverneur K. Warren deployed the Union 2nd Corps along the Orange and Alexandria Railroad after poor Confederate scouting left General A.P. Hill unaware of his position. General Henry Heth’s division attacked while pursuing Union troops, but Warren’s men fired into the Confederate flank. The Union victory forced Robert E. Lee to end his offensive.
Alignment
The Battle of Bristoe Station is part of the following AP US History sections:
