FLEETWOOD, or BRANDY STATION, Battle of. General Hooker, suspecting that General Lee was gathering his forces on the upper Rappahannock for a movement north ward and informed that General Stuart's Con federate cavalry was at Culpeper Court House, ordered General Pleasonton, who was at Cat lett's Station, to cross the Rappahannock at Beverly and Kelly's Fords, attack Stuart and ascertain Lee's intentions. Pleasonton had the cavalry divisions of Buford and Gregg, and Hooker sent him two picked provisional in fantry brigades of 3,000 men, under Generals Ames and Russell, making in all, cavalry and infantry, a force of 10,900 men. Stuart had five brigades of 10,200 men. At day break 9 June 1863 Buford, with his cavalry and one brigade of infantry, crossed at Beverly Ford and encountered one of Stuart's brigades, under command of Gen. Sam Jones, and a severe contest ensued, in which the 8th New York cavalry, Col. B. F. Davis, was routed and its commander killed. A charge of the 8th Illinois cavalry drove Jones back two miles, where he joined Stuart and the two brigades of Wade Hampton and W. H. F. Lee. Mean time Gregg, with his cavalry division and an infantry brigade crossed the river at Kelly's Ford and pushing back Robertson's brigade, approached Fleetwood Hill from the east, as Buford moved on Brandy Station from the northwest. Fleetwood Hill is a few hundred
yards north of Brandy Station, and a hard hand-to-hand struggle ensued at both points, with varying success., Buford held his own near Brandy Station, but Gregg, at Fleetwood Hill, was finally compelled to withdraw, leav ing three of his guns in the hands of the enemy. Pleasonton, satisfied that a great part of Lee's army was in his front, recrossed the Rappahannock with about 100 prisoners. The Union loss was 484 killed and wounded and 382 missing. The Confederate loss was 485, of whom 301 were killed or wounded. This en gagement marks the beginning of the Gettys burg campaign. There were also various other actions and skirmishes in the same locality in August 1862 and in August, September, Oc tober and November 1863. Consult Johnson, R. U., and fuel, C. C., ed., 'Battles and Leaders of the Civil War' (Vol. III, New York 1884) ; Ropes, J. C., and Livermore, W. R., ed., 'The Story of the Civil War' (Part III, book 2, New York 1913) ; U. S. War Department, 'War of the Rebellion) 'Official Records, etc.' (Se ries I, Vol. XXVII, Washington 1889-1902).