Battle of Brandy Station

Battle of Brandy Station. Headquarters Hill. John Strode, a prominent Revolutionary War gun manufacturer, built his manor house, Fleetwood, in the late 1700s. Strode was a friend of President Thomas Jefferson, who often stayed here when traveling between Monticello and Washington, D.C. The mansion that gave the hill its name was greatly damaged by the war, finally collapsing in the late 1800s., Fleetwood Hill, this "Famous Plateau," was used as a headquarters platform several times. Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston first exploited Fleetwood's position overlooking the the Rappahannock River in March 1862. Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart established his headquarters here in May 1863, before the Battle of Brandy Station began on June 9. The following month, Gen. Robert E. Lee traversed the storied hill, leaving his cavalry as rear guard atop Fleetwood. That fall, Union Gen. George E. Meade's headquarters occupied Fleetwood briefly before Lee returned and camped here. During the Union winter camp of 1863-1864, the headquarters of the Army of the Potomac and the Third Corps were located on Fleetwood Hill., "The country around Brandy Station is open, particularly suitable for a cavalry engagement. Fleetwood, the coveted hill, was the key to the entire situation, and here the fight was everywhere most fierce." , , Gen. David M. Gregg, USA, "The high hill upon which I slept the night before the battle is called Fleetwood and it is a fine military position. About noon on June 9, we had a fight for it." , , Gen. J.E.B. Stuart, CSA