Overview
The Battle of Chantilly took place on September 1, 1862, following the Second Battle of Bull Run. After defeating General John Pope’s Union army near Manassas Junction, Confederate General Robert E. Lee tried to prevent the Federals from reaching the defensive fortifications surrounding Washington, D.C. Lee ordered General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson to move around Pope’s right flank, occupy Jermantown, and block the Warrenton Turnpike.
Jackson marched northeast on August 31 and camped near Pleasant Valley. The next day, Pope ordered General Joseph Hooker to establish a defensive position protecting Jermantown. With Hooker blocking his route, Jackson stopped about four miles northwest of his objective and waited for reinforcements.
Pope also ordered General Isaac Stevens to establish another defensive line. Jackson responded by sending General A.P. Hill’s division forward. Around 4:00 p.m., the opposing forces skirmished near a cornfield on the Reid Farm. At about 4:30, Stevens ordered his division to attack Confederate troops positioned along the edge of the woods.
A severe thunderstorm struck the battlefield and soaked the gunpowder, making many firearms useless. When the Union attack stalled around 5:00, Stevens moved forward to encourage his soldiers and was shot and killed.
General Philip Kearny’s troops arrived as the Union attack faltered. At about 5:30, Kearny renewed the assault against Jackson’s right flank. While searching for additional troops and examining the Confederate position, Kearny encountered Confederate soldiers. He tried to escape but was shot and killed.
After Kearny’s death, Union forces withdrew across the cornfield, ending the fighting. The battle was a tactical draw. Strategically, however, Union forces succeeded because Jackson failed to reach Jermantown. Jackson withdrew around 11:00 p.m., while Pope continued his retreat toward Washington early the next morning.
Essential Facts
- Also Known As: Battle of Ox Hill.
- Date: September 1, 1862.
- Location: Fairfax County, Virginia.
- Participants: The United States of America (USA) and the Confederate States of America (CSA).
- USA Commanders: Philip Kearny and Isaac Stevens.
- CSA Commanders: Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson.
- Who Won: The United States won a strategic victory at the Battle of Chantilly.
- Campaign: Northern Virginia Campaign.
- Era: Civil War, July–December, 1862.
Statistics
United States of America
- Casualties: Approximately 1,300 killed, wounded, missing, or captured.
- Forces Engaged: 9th Corps of the Army of the Potomac, attached to the Army of Virginia.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 6,000.
Confederate States of America
- Casualties: Approximately 800 killed, wounded, missing, or captured.
- Forces Engaged: 2nd Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 20,000.
Significance
The Battle of Chantilly is important because it ended Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s Northern Virginia Campaign and prevented Stonewall Jackson from cutting off the Union army’s retreat toward Washington, D.C. After the Confederate victory at the Second Battle of Bull Run, Jackson tried to occupy Jermantown and block the Warrenton Turnpike. Union forces stopped his advance despite suffering approximately 1,300 casualties and losing General Isaac Stevens and General Philip Kearny. Although the fighting ended in a tactical draw, the Union achieved its strategic objective. Jackson withdrew, and Pope’s army continued toward the defenses surrounding Washington.
History
In early 1862, Union leaders attempted to bring a quick end to the American Civil War by capturing the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia. On March 17, Major General George B. McClellan began moving the 50,000 men of the Army of the Potomac toward Richmond during the Peninsula Campaign. By June, McClellan reached the outskirts of the Confederate capital but ultimately retreated after losing a series of encounters with General Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia. These engagements became collectively known as the Seven Days Battles.
Lee Pursues Pope
Dissatisfied with McClellan’s performance, President Lincoln appointed Major General John Pope to command the newly created Army of Virginia. Sensing that McClellan now posed little threat to Richmond, Confederate General Robert E. Lee, took the offensive, before Pope’s army could unite with McClellan’s retreating forces. On July 13, Lee sent 12,000 Confederate troops under the command of Major General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, to secure Confederate railroad links with the Shenandoah Valley near Gordonsville, Virginia. Later that month, he redeployed 12,000 more men to support Jackson. In early August, with McClellan’s army in full retreat, Lee dispatched Major General James Longstreet and 30,000 additional troops to support Jackson, and Lee personally took command of the offensive against Pope.
On Thursday, August 28, 1862, Lee’s forces engaged Pope’s army near Manassas Junction, Virginia. By Saturday, Pope’s forces were in full retreat after Confederate soldiers soundly defeated them at the Second Battle of Bull Run. As the Federals fell back to Centreville on their way to the safety of the defensive fortifications surrounding Washington, D.C., Lee ordered Jackson to turn Pope’s right flank and to get between the Union army and the capital. Jackson’s immediate goal was to occupy Jermantown and to block the Warrenton Turnpike leading to Washington.
On August 31, Jackson set out toward the northeast, traveling as far as Pleasant Valley before camping for the night. On the next day, Jackson continued his trek. Realizing that his right flank might be exposed, Pope ordered Major General Joseph Hooker to establish a defensive position to secure Jermantown. With Hooker in his path, Jackson stopped his march four miles northwest of his goal to await reinforcements.
The Battle of Chantilly Begins
Meanwhile, Pope ordered Brigadier-General Isaac Stevens to establish a second defensive line between Jackson and Hooker. When Jackson received reports of Stevens’s movement, he dispatched Major General A. P. Hill’s division to determine the strength of the Union force assembling in front of him. As the two sides skirmished during a steady drizzle around four o’clock, Jackson began deploying his soldiers at the edge of a forest overlooking a cornfield on the Reid Farm.
General Stevens Mortally Wounded
At 4:30 p.m., Stevens sent a request to the rear for reinforcements and then ordered his division forward to engage the Confederates at the edge of the woods. Almost simultaneously, the rain intensified into a severe thunderstorm that soaked the combatants’ gunpowder, rendering many firearms useless. When the Union attack began to stall at approximately 5 o’clock, Stevens moved to the front to urge his troops forward, where he received a shot to the head, killing him instantly. After Stevens’s death, Colonel Benjamin Christ assumed command of the faltering attack and began to withdraw slowly across the cornfield.
Union Withdraws After General Kearny is Mortally Wounded
As Christ’s soldiers retreated, reinforcements from Major General Philip Kearny’s corps began arriving on the field at approximately 5:15. While Kearny prepared to renew the assault, Jackson solidified his lines at the edge of the woods. At 5:30, Kearny’s men moved forward and engaged Jackson’s right flank. When Kearny discovered that his right flank was exposed because Christ’s men had not advanced as planned, he rode off looking for more troops. After finally enlisting the aid of the 21st Massachusetts, Kearny rode forward to reconnoiter the enemy lines. Between 6 o’clock and 6:30, he rode into the midst of a group of Confederate soldiers who ordered him to halt. Kearny swung his horse around instead and attempted to escape. As the Union general dashed away, a Confederate soldier fired a minie ball into Kearny’s back, killing him almost instantly. After Kearny’s death, the Federals withdrew to the opposite side of the cornfield, and the fighting ended.
Outcome
The Battle of Chantilly was a tactical draw. The Union Army suffered approximately 1,300 casualties compared to 800 casualties for the Confederacy. Strategically, however, the engagement was a Union victory. Having failed in his attempt to beat Pope’s forces to Jermantown, Jackson began withdrawing from the vicinity at approximately 11 p.m. The Federals maintained their position until 2:30 a.m., when Pope continued his retreat toward Washington.
Timeline
- 1862, March 17 — George B. McClellan started moving 50,000 soldiers of the Army of the Potomac toward Richmond during the Peninsula Campaign.
- 1862, July 13 — Robert E. Lee sent 12,000 Confederate troops under Stonewall Jackson toward Gordonsville, Virginia.
- 1862, August 28 — Confederate and Union forces fought near Manassas Junction during the Second Battle of Bull Run.
- 1862, August 31 — Jackson marched northeast toward Jermantown and camped near Pleasant Valley.
- 1862, September 1
- Jackson continued toward Jermantown but stopped after Joseph Hooker established a defensive position blocking his route.
- Isaac Stevens ordered Union forces to attack Confederate troops near the Reid Farm.
- Stevens was killed while encouraging his troops during the Union assault.
- Philip Kearny renewed the Union attack against Jackson’s right flank and was killed while examining Confederate positions.
- Union forces withdrew after Kearny’s death, ending the fighting.
- Jackson withdrew after failing to reach Jermantown and block Pope’s route toward Washington.
AP US History
Definition
Battle of Chantilly (1862) — The Battle of Chantilly was fought on September 1, 1862, during the Northern Virginia Campaign. Stonewall Jackson tried to reach Jermantown and block the Union retreat toward Washington, D.C. Isaac Stevens attacked Confederate forces but was killed during the fighting. Philip Kearny arrived with reinforcements and renewed the attack before he was also killed. The battle ended in a tactical draw, but Union forces achieved a strategic victory by preventing Jackson from reaching Jermantown.
Alignment
The Battle of Chantilly is part of the following AP US History sections:
