Overview
The Bristoe Campaign took place in northeastern Virginia from October 13 to November 7, 1863. It followed the Union victory at the Battle of Gettysburg, when Major General George G. Meade and the Army of the Potomac cautiously pursued General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia into Virginia. Meade could not stop Lee’s escape after earlier fighting at Williamsport, Boonsboro, and Manassas Gap.
In September, Confederate officials pressured Lee to send General James Longstreet and his 1st Corps to Chattanooga to support General Braxton Bragg and the Army of Tennessee. When Meade learned Lee had weakened his army, he renewed his pursuit. However, following the Confederate victory at Chickamauga, Union officials ordered Meade’s 11th Corps and 12th Corps to Tennessee. Lee responded by crossing the Rappahannock River and attacking toward Meade’s right flank.
The campaign included two engagements around Auburn and was followed by battles at Bristoe Station, Buckland Mills, and Rappahannock Station. At Bristoe Station, General Gouverneur Warren used the Orange & Alexandria Railroad embankment to defeat part of A.P. Hill’s Corps. At Buckland Mills, General J.E.B. Stuart ambushed Union Cavalry. At Rappahannock Station, Union forces captured more than 1,600 Confederates, forcing Lee to move further southward.
Essential Facts
- Date: October 13 to November 7, 1863.
- Location: Northeastern Virginia.
- Participants: The United States of America (USA) and the Confederate States of America (CSA).
- USA Commanders: George G. Meade.
- CSA Commanders: Robert E. Lee.
- Who Won: The United States won the Bristoe Campaign.
- Era: Civil War, July–December, 1863.
Statistics
United States of America
- Casualties: About 1,000 casualties, including killed, wounded, and captured.
- Forces Engaged: Army of the Potomac.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 76,000 soldiers.
Confederate States of America
- Casualties: About 3,500 casualties, many captured at the Battle of Rappahannock Station.
- Forces Engaged: Army of Northern Virginia.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 45,000 soldiers.
Significance
The Bristoe Campaign is important to American History because the outcome pushed Confederate forces southward after the Gettysburg Campaign. Although General Robert E. Lee opened the campaign with an offensive, General George G. Meade successfully protected his army and supply lines. The Union victory at Bristoe Station cost the Confederates nearly 1,400 soldiers. The Union victory at Rappahannock Station pushed Lee further south and led to the capture of more than 1,600 Confederate soldiers. The campaign ended in a Union success because Meade forced Lee to cede territory between the Rappahannock and Rapidan Rivers.
History
In September, Confederate officials pressured Lee into sending Lieutenant General James Longstreet and his 1st Corps to Chattanooga to reinforce Lieutenant General Braxton Bragg and his Army of Tennessee, which was being battered by Major General William Rosecrans and his 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.
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.
Cavalry Skirmish at Auburn
On October 13, Confederate cavalry under the command of Major General J. E. B. Stuart skirmished with the rearguard of the Union 3rd Corps near Auburn, in Fauquier County, Virginia. On the next day, as skirmishing continued near Auburn, Confederate General A. P. Hill and his corps pursued Major General George Sykes and his 5th Corps, which was serving as the rearguard of Meade’s army. When Hill caught sight of Sykes’ corps near Bristoe Station early in the afternoon, he ordered his lead division, commanded by Major General Henry Heth, to attack.
Battle of Bristoe Station
Because of poor reconnaissance, Hill was unaware that Major General Gouverneur Warren and his 2nd Corps were 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 failed to dislodge the stubborn Union defenders. By the time the Confederates escaped, Hill had lost nearly 1,400 soldiers and a battery of artillery. Union losses at the Battle of Bristoe Station totaled approximately 550 men.
Battle of Buckland Mills
Following the Union victory at Bristoe Station, Lee called off his short-lived offensive and slowly fell back to the Rappahannock River, destroying the Orange & Alexandria Railroad on the way. With Lee in retreat, Meade reversed his course and, once again, became the pursuer. On October 19, 1863, Stuart, who was shielding Lee’s withdrawal, lured the Union cavalry, under the command of Brigadier-General Judson Kilpatrick, into an ambush near Buckland Mills on a small stream named Broad Run. Stuart’s horsemen routed the surprised Union forces, sending them fleeing. The retreat was so speedy that the Confederates derisively referred to the Battle of Buckland Mills as the Buckland Races. The next day, Stuart’s cavalry rejoined Lee’s main army.
Battle of Rappahannock Station
By early November, Lee’s army had safely crossed the Rappahannock River, leaving intact a pontoon bridge at Rappahannock Station. Meade, who was under intense pressure from Washington to continue to pursue Lee’s retreating army, launched an attack on November 7, 1863. Meade directed Major General William H. French and his 3rd Corps to strike Lee’s lines at Kelly’s Ford. He also ordered Major General John Sedgwick and his 6th Corps to assault the bridge at Rappahannock Station. French’s forces attacked first and secured the ford. When they began crossing the river, Lee hastily shifted troops to halt the advance. At dusk, Sedgewick’s men surged forward and overran the Confederates guarding the bridge. During the rout, they captured over 1,600 soldiers from a division under the command of Major General Jubal Early.
The Union victory at the Battle of Rappahannock Station forced Lee to retreat even farther south than he had hoped before the onset of winter. It also emboldened Meade to launch another offensive before cold weather arrived. In late November and early December, the two armies would engage again during the Mine Run Campaign.
Outcome
During the Bristoe Campaign, the Union suffered nearly 1,000 casualties (killed, wounded, and captured). The Confederacy lost approximately 3,500 soldiers, many of whom the Federals captured at Rappahannock Station. Although the campaign began as a Confederate offensive, it resulted in a Union success because Meade forced Lee to concede the land between the Rappahannock and Rapidan Rivers.
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.
- Union forces won the Battle of Bristoe Station.
- 1863, October 19 — Confederate forces won the Battle of Buckland Mills.
- 1863, November 7 — Union forces won the Second Battle of Rappahannock Station.
AP US History
Definition
Bristoe Campaign (1863) — The Bristoe Campaign was a series of military actions fought in northeastern Virginia from October 13 to November 7, 1863, after the Union victory at Gettysburg. General George G. Meade pursued General Robert E. Lee as both armies shifted across northern Virginia. Key events included two battles near Auburn, the Union victory at Bristoe Station, the Confederate ambush at Buckland Mills, and the Union victory at Rappahannock Station, which forced Lee further south.
Alignment
The Bristoe Campaign is part of the following AP US History sections:
