Charging into the past at Brandy Station
By Hilary Lewis
In the early morning hours of June 9, 1863, more than 10,000 Union troops crossed the Rappahannock River into Culpeper County, surprising Gen. J.E.B. Stuart and his Confederate cavalry.
What took place that fateful day has come to be known as the Civil War's largest calvary battle: The Battle of Brandy Station. Today, 145 years later, the muddy tracks left by 20,000 soldiers and horses are long gone, but their legacy remains.
Recently, the Brandy Station Foundation celebrated this historic anniversary. Although the heat index rose to well over 100 degrees, re-enactors and visitors from up and down the East Coast came to watch the calvary ride again.
"What did 10,000 soldiers standing in a grand review look like?" said Della Edrington of the Brandy Station Foundation. "Then you think about the battle, with an additional 10,000 Federal soldiers coming and those men clashing on the battlefield. It must have been a horrific site."
One of many battlefields in the Piedmont, Brandy Station is a destination for visitors from around the world, all looking to re-imagine the past and pay tribute to their ancestors.
"You can read a book about a battlefield, but when you actually go to a battlefield and see what those men endured, it's unbelievable," said Mike Church, a member of the Sixth Ohio Volunteer Cavalry Regiment. "We rode the same route that Gen. John Buford took to get to this battle."
Church's unit, consisting of 23 re-enactors from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and even Canada, rode 14 miles around Culpeper the Friday before the reenactment. Even through extreme heat, the group stayed dedicated and recreated the calvary contest on the battlefield.
"Being on this site is rather moving because there will never be horse calvary like there was," said Todd Kearn, a re-enactor with the Valley Light Horse Calvary out of Winchester. "Being at Brandy Station today, on the anniversary of this huge fight, is a nice place to be."
There were more Civil War battles in Virginia than in any other state. That's why history buffs flock to the commonwealth. The price is right: Most museums and battlefields charge only donations to visit, if anything.
In Culpeper alone, there are three battlefields: Cedar Mountain, Kelly's Ford, and Brandy Station. The Town of Culpeper itself was occupied throughout the Civil War, with Union and Confederate troops constantly fighting over its possession.
"I was shocked to come here and see so much, because you read about how all the Virginia battlefields and historic sites are getting eaten up by shopping malls. But then you come here and there's just massive farms," said Church.
His group travels to historic battle sites once a month for nine months out of the year, taking the winter off.
"Most of the time, you don't get the tingles, but once in a while you do," Church said. "You think, 'wow this tree was probably here when Robert E. Lee was here.'"
His unit teaches details of the Civil War that are not found in history books: how soldiers lived, fought, and died in battle.
"Winners write history. You never hear the losers' side, except in the Civil War. There's more books out there from southerners than northerners," said Church, who believes no matter the side, all history is important.
"You shouldn't be ashamed of it. There were many causes of the Civil War. It wasn't just about slavery."
Other than its 130 battlefields, Virginia is home to five Civil War national parks, which draw millions of visitors each year. Close to home, Manassas National Battlefield Park commemorates the site of the first major battle-of the Civil War. It will host its 147th anniversary with a wreath laying at the historic Stonewall Jackson Monument this summer.
"We have to honor and keep the memory of the Civil War alive, for the guys who came and served and nobody really remembered. We need to honor that," Kearn said. "Being a horseman and having read about Civil War battles and my great-grandfather's service, I do re-enactments to get the experience in my head about what I read, to flesh it out."
For more information on local re-enactments or battlefields in the Piedmont, visit www.virginia.org or www.civilwartraveler.com/virginia. To plan a visit to Brandy Station, visit www.brandystationfoundation.com and look forward to the battle's 150th celebration in five years.
"This weekend was an opportunity for us to look back and reflect on our history," Edrington said. "As I was out at the battlefield what interested me was to see the horses and the calvary soldiers. To see that common soldier on the field, I thought about what they suffered through, and that really brought it home for me."