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, General J.E.B. Stuart sent General Lunsford L. Lomax and his brigade east from Warrenton. Lomax stopped at Auburn and sent scouts east, but he failed to send any to the south. Because of this, the Confederates did not detect the Union 2nd Corps and 3rd Corps marching toward Auburn.
The Union column reached Auburn at about 4:15 p.m. General William H. French’s 3rd Corps led the advance, followed by General Gouverneur K. Warren’s 2nd Corps. Because French had sent his cavalry north to guard the column’s left flank, Union troops approached without cavalry scouts at the front and collided with Lomax’s Confederates, surprising them.
French and his staff fired their revolvers while Union infantry and artillery moved into position. Lomax ordered a charge, but Union artillery fired canister shot and drove the Confederates back. Lomax and General Fitzhugh Lee withdrew toward Warrenton after recognizing that they faced two Union infantry corps.
The engagement left Stuart trapped between the Union forces and the wagon train. Stuart hid his command in a wooded ravine and sent scouts through the Union lines to request assistance from General Robert E. Lee. Upon receiving the message, Lee sent reinforcements, setting up the Second Battle of Auburn.
Essential Facts
- Date: October 13, 1863.
- Location: Fauquier County, Virginia.
- Participants: The United States of America (USA) and the Confederate States of America (CSA).
- USA Commanders: William H. French and Gouverneur K. Warren.
- CSA Commanders: J.E.B. Stuart, Lunsford L. Lomax, and Fitzhugh Lee.
- Who Won: The outcome of the First Battle of Auburn was inconclusive.
- Campaign: Bristoe Campaign.
- Era: Civil War, July–December, 1863.
Statistics
United States of America
- Casualties: Unknown.
- Forces Engaged: Elements of the 2nd Corps and 3rd Corps.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 2,000.
Confederate States of America
- Casualties: Unknown.
- Forces Engaged: Confederate cavalry under Lomax, Stuart, and Lee.
- Troop Strength: Stuart commanded about 3,000 men and horses, five ammunition wagons, and seven artillery pieces.
Significance
The First Battle of Auburn is important to American History for its role in the Bristoe Campaign. Confederate scouts failed to detect two Union infantry corps approaching Auburn, which allowed Federal forces to surprise General Lunsford L. Lomax’s cavalry. Union artillery stopped a Confederate charge and forced them to withdraw. Afterward, General J.E.B. Stuart and about 3,000 men were trapped between Union forces. Stuart’s request for help led General Robert E. Lee to send General Richard S. Ewell toward Auburn, setting the stage for another battle the following day.
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 in early October and by 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, Major General J.E.B. Stuart sent Brigadier General Lunsford L. Lomax and his brigade east from Warrenton at 10 a.m. Stuart followed one hour later with two additional brigades.
Lomax stopped at Auburn to wait for Stuart and sent scouts further east. The scouts discovered Brigadier General John Buford and his Union cavalry at Warrenton Junction, where it was guarding a Union wagon train moving east along the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. However, Lomax did not send scouts south, so the Confederates failed to detect the Union 2nd Corps and 3rd Corps marching north toward Auburn.
Stuart reached Auburn at about 1:00 p.m. and continued east to Catlett’s Station to scout the Union wagon train. He left Lomax at Auburn and sent Captain William B. Blackford to scout south of the town. Blackford became lost and failed to discover the approaching Union column. Once he saw the size of the wagon train, Stuart ordered Major General Fitzhugh Lee to leave Warrenton and reinforce the Confederate attack. Lee left at 4:00 and followed Stuart’s route through Auburn.
The Union column approached Auburn at around 4:15. Major General William H. French and the 3rd Corps led the advance, followed by Brigadier General Gouverneur K. Warren and the 2nd Corps. Prior to the march, French had sent Brigadier General H. Judson Kilpatrick and his cavalry northward to protect the column’s left flank from Confederate cavalry near Warrenton. Without cavalry at the front, the Union column was caught unaware by Lomax’s Confederates at Auburn.
French and his staff fired their revolvers as Union infantry and artillery moved into position. Lomax attempted to charge the Union line, but Federal artillery fired canister shot and forced the Confederates back. The fighting ended at about 4:45, just as Fitzhugh Lee arrived. After realizing that they faced two Union infantry corps, Lee and Lomax withdrew toward Warrenton.
The brief engagement left Stuart in serious danger. Blackford eventually warned him that Union forces were nearby, and Stuart found himself trapped between the 2nd Corps and 3rd Corps to the northwest and the wagon train to the southeast. Stuart hid about 3,000 men and horses, five ammunition wagons, and seven artillery pieces in a wooded ravine east of Auburn, roughly 300 yards from Warren’s camp.
After dark, Stuart sent six scouts dressed in Union uniforms through the Federal lines with a message for General Robert E. Lee. They successfully passed through the lines and delivered the message to Lee, who responded by ordering Lieutenant General Richard S. Ewell to move toward Auburn at dawn and to reinforce Stuart’s cavalry and help it escape. This set the stage for the Second Battle of Auburn the following day.
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
- J.E.B. Stuart sent General Lunsford L. Lomax’s brigade east from Warrenton at 10 a.m.
- Lomax’s scouts discovered John Buford’s cavalry guarding a Union wagon train at Warrenton Junction.
- Stuart reached Auburn at about 1:00 p.m. and continued toward Catlett’s Station.
- Fitzhugh Lee left Warrenton at 4:00 to reinforce the planned Confederate attack.
- The Union 3rd Corps and 2nd Corps approached Auburn at about 4:15 p.m.
- Federal artillery stopped Lomax’s charge with canister shot.
- The fighting ended at about 4:45, and Lee and Lomax withdrew toward Warrenton.
- Stuart hid his command in a wooded ravine near Gouverneur K. Warren’s camp.
- Stuart sent six scouts through the Union lines after dark to request reinforcements from Robert E. Lee.
AP US History
Definition
First Battle of Auburn (1863) — The First Battle of Auburn was fought on October 13, 1863, when General Lunsford L. Lomax’s Confederate cavalry encountered the Union 2nd Corps and 3rd Corps near Auburn. Confederate scouts failed to detect the approaching Union column, and Federal artillery stopped Lomax’s charge with canister shot. General Fitzhugh Lee and Lomax withdrew toward Warrenton, while General J.E.B. Stuart hid his trapped cavalry nearby and requested help from General Robert E. Lee.
Alignment
The First Battle of Auburn is part of the following AP US History sections:
