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.
Union and Confederate forces engaged each other near Auburn in the First Battle of Auburn on October 13, 1863, and the Second Battle of Auburn on the morning of October 14. These engagements led to the Confederate defeat at Bristoe Station on the 14th. Afterward, Lee ended his offensive and withdrew toward the Rappahannock River, which he then crossed. Lee left a temporary floating bridge at Rappahannock Station and protected it with earthworks, trenches, and artillery.
On November 7, Meade ordered General William H. French to cross at Kelly’s Ford while General John Sedgwick attacked the bridgehead. Lee wrongly treated Sedgwick’s movement as a trick and failed to send enough reinforcements. At dusk, Union troops stormed the Confederate works, captured nearly 1,600 soldiers, and forced Lee farther south before winter.
Essential Facts
- Date: November 7, 1863.
- Location: Culpeper County, Virginia, and Fauquier County, Virginia.
- Participants: The United States of America (USA) and the Confederate States of America (CSA).
- USA Commanders: John Sedgwick and William H. French.
- CSA Commanders: Jubal A. Early.
- Who Won: The United States won the Second Battle of Rappahannock Station.
- Campaign: Bristoe Campaign.
- Era: Civil War, July–December, 1863.
Statistics
United States of America
- Casualties: 419 killed, wounded, or missing/captured.
- Forces Engaged: 3rd Corps and 6th Corps, Army of the Potomac.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 2,000.
Confederate States of America
- Casualties: 1,670, including 70 killed or wounded and 1,600 captured.
- Forces Engaged: Early’s Division of Ewell’s Second Corps, Army of Northern Virginia.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 2,000.
Significance
The Second Battle of Rappahannock Station is important to American History because it was the deciding engagement of the Bristoe Campaign in Northern Virginia. The Union victory broke the Confederate bridgehead at Rappahannock Station and forced General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia to retreat farther south than he had hoped before winter. The victory encouraged Union General George G. Meade to launch another offensive, which led to the Mine Run Campaign in late November and early December 1863.
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.
Meade Resumes His Pursuit of Lee
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.
Lee Strikes Back
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. Lee’s offensive was short-lived, however. After suffering a defeat at the Battle of Bristoe Station on October 14, 1863, Lee withdrew his army south of the Rappahannock River and established a defensive line as he prepared to go into winter quarters.
Confederates Protect Bridge at Rappahannock Station
In anticipation of a spring offensive aimed at driving the Army of the Potomac out of Northern Virginia, Lee left one pontoon bridge across the river at Rappahannock Station intact. To protect the bridge, Lee ordered the construction of a bridgehead on the north bank of the river, complete with earthworks and trenches. Artillery batteries on both sides of the river protected the bridgehead. Lee charged Major General Jubal A. Early’s Division of Lieutenant General Richard S. Ewell’s Second Corps with protecting the bridgehead. Early manned the position with some of his finest troops, Brigadier General Harry T. Hays’s Louisiana brigade, known as the Louisiana Tigers.
November 7, 1863 — Clash at Rappahannock Station
Meanwhile, Meade, who was under intense pressure from Washington to continue to pursue Lee’s retreating army, did not attack. On November 7, Meade ordered Major General William H. French’s 3rd Corps to force its way across the Rappahannock River at Kelly’s Ford, five miles downstream from Rappahannock Station. Concurrent with French’s assault, Major General John Sedgwick’s 6th Corps advanced against the Confederate defenders at the bridgehead.
Lee’s Mistake
Upon learning of the two-pronged attack, Lee mistakenly presumed that Sedgwick’s movement toward the pontoon bridge was a feint to support French’s attempt to cross the river at Kelly’s Ford. Thus, he sent only one brigade to Rappahannock Station in response to Early’s request for reinforcements.
Meade’s Plan Goes Well
Meade’s battle plan could hardly have gone better. French’s 3rd Corps brushed aside the Confederate defenders at Kelly’s Ford and easily gained the south side of the river. In the meantime, Sedgwick’s men established artillery positions on the high ground north of the pontoon bridge and began shelling the 2,000 Confederate defenders.
Successful Federal Attack at Dusk
As dusk approached, the shelling stopped. Hays and his men may have assumed that Sedgwick had called a halt to the day’s action. Suddenly, however, soldiers from Brigadier General David A. Russell’s division, led by the 6th Maine Infantry and the 5th Wisconsin Infantry, charged the Confederate works from two sides. Many of the shocked Confederates threw down their arms and surrendered.
Following a futile attempt to organize a counterattack, the hapless defenders made for the bridge to escape harm or capture. As the Union sharpshooters cut down the fleeing Confederates on the bridge, others jumped into the icy waters and tried to swim to freedom.
Outcome
The Union victory resulted in Russell’s men capturing nearly 1,600 Confederate soldiers, and roughly 600 more Confederates perished in the assault. The Union reported 419 casualties (killed, wounded, or captured) at both combat sites.
The loss 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 engaged again during the Mine Run Campaign.
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
- George G. Meade ordered William H. French’s 3rd Corps to cross the Rappahannock River at Kelly’s Ford.
- John Sedgwick’s 6th Corps advanced against the Confederate bridgehead at Rappahannock Station.
- Robert E. Lee wrongly treated John Sedgwick’s attack as a feint and sent only one brigade to reinforce the position.
- William H. French’s 3rd Corps forced its way across the Rappahannock River at Kelly’s Ford.
- John Sedgwick’s soldiers placed artillery on high ground and shelled the Confederate defenders.
- Union soldiers from David A. Russell’s division stormed the Confederate works at dusk.
- Union forces captured nearly 1,600 Confederate soldiers at Rappahannock Station.
AP US History
Definition
Second Battle of Rappahannock Station (1863) — The Second Battle of Rappahannock Station was fought on November 7, 1863, during the Bristoe Campaign in Northern Virginia. General George G. Meade sent General William H. French’s 3rd Corps across the Rappahannock River at Kelly’s Ford while General John Sedgwick’s 6th Corps attacked the Confederate bridgehead. General Robert E. Lee misread Sedgwick’s attack as a feint and sent too few reinforcements. Union troops stormed the works at dusk, captured nearly 1,600 Confederates, and forced Lee to retreat further south.
Alignment
The Second Battle of Rappahannock Station is part of the following AP US History sections:
