Battle of Culpeper Court House

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Battle of Culpeper Court House

The Battle of Culpeper Court House was a Civil War clash on September 13, 1863, near Culpeper, Virginia. Union cavalry from the Army of the Potomac fought Confederate cavalry from the Army of Northern Virginia. The Union won, gaining control of the Culpeper area and setting the stage for the Bristoe Campaign.

On September 12, Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton led about 10,000 Union cavalry across the Rappahannock River from Warrenton toward Culpeper to attack Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart’s headquarters at Culpeper Court House.

At dawn on September 13, Pleasonton’s three divisions advanced, crossing the Hazel River and moving toward Culpeper in three columns. They pushed aside Confederate pickets and skirmishers until the main line.

Around 1 p.m., Brig. Gen. H. Judson Kilpatrick ordered a mounted charge by Gen. George Armstrong Custer’s Michigan Brigade on the Confederate depot position. The Union attack broke the Confederate line, and Custer captured more than 100 prisoners and three artillery pieces.

The three Union columns then pressed the fight toward Culpeper, driving Confederate forces back toward the Rapidan River in heavy skirmishing. That night, Union infantry under Maj. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren occupied Culpeper Court House, though his troops did not take part in the cavalry fighting. The Confederates withdrew to the far side of the Rapidan at Raccoon Ford. In the following days, scouts indicated the Confederates’ position across the Rapidan was too strong for a quick crossing.