Existing comment:
The 1863-64 Winter Encampment
The Army of the Potomac at Brandy Station
War has many faces and the residents of Culpeper County saw them all. Brandy Station played an important role in the Battle of Brandy Station on June 9, 1863, though the Union and Confederate armies never clashed in the streets of the little town. A few months later, however, as winter descended, roads turned to muddy soup, and the frantic place of conflict slowed, the Union army established winter camps throughout the area.
Located on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, Brandy Station served as the Union Army of the Potomac's key supply and passenger depot during their 1863-1864 winter encampment in this area. Ingalls' Station, named for the army's Quartermaster General Rufus Ingalls, was 1.2 miles to the north. About 1 mile east-northeast, along the southern slopes of Fleetwood Hill, Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, commander of the Union army, set up his headquarters.
Here in Brandy Station, amid the hubbub of loading and unloading supplies and personnel, soldiers could have their pictures taken for $1.50 or spend their money on any number of other items. As one soldier remembered, "persons of almost any trade are...making money from the soldiers. There [in Brandy Station] you will see...Oysters, Fresh Fish, Condensed Milk, and numberless other signs which tempt the pocket book of the soldier...."
"It was a very busy place," another soldier wrote, "...from morning till night trains of army wagons were coming and going...waiting for their time to load."
With spring, roads dry out and temperatures rise, heralding a new season of battle. In early May 1864, the Army of the Potomac left its comfortable winter quarters and headed off to begin the bloody Overland Campaign.
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The Hallowell Foundation generously contributed toward the interpretation of this site in memory of Carrington Williams.
This material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Any opinion, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior. |