Existing comment:
Battle of Funkstown
At Bay another Day
The Confederate presence at Funkstown threatened any Union advance against Gen. Robert E. Lee's position near Williamsport and the Potomac River as he retreated to Virginia after the Battle of Gettysburg. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry, posted at Funkstown, posed a serious risk to the Federal right and rear if the Union army lunged west from Boonsboro.
Stuart, meanwhile, determined to wage a spirited defense to ensure Lee time to complete fortifications protecting his army and his avenue of retreat. As Gen. John Buford's Federal cavalry division cautiously approached Funkstown via the National Road on Friday morning July 10, 1863, it encountered Stuart's crescent-shaped, three-mile-long battle line.
It was Stuart's first defensive battle – here holding a stationary position – since reentering Maryland. The high ground here constituted Stuart's extreme right, held by Preston Chew's horse artillery. The stone barn and barnyard wall visible in the distance proved a superb defensive position for the 34th Virginia Battalion's dismounted cavalry.
Col. Thomas C. Devin's dismounted Union brigade attacked here about 8 a.m. By mid-afternoon, with Buford's cavalrymen running low on ammunition and gaining little ground, Col. Lewis A. Grant's Vermont Brigade of infantry arrived and jabbed at the Confederate center less than one mile away. Unbeknownst to the Vermonters, Gen. George T. Anderson's brigade now faced them, the first time opposing infantry had clashed since Gettysburg.
By early evening, the Union army began withdrawing south towards Beaver Creek, where I, VI, and XI Corps had concentrated. Stuart had kept the Federals at bay for yet another day. |