| Battle of Jack's Shop | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Gettysburg campaign of the American Civil War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States |  Confederate States | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| John Buford Hugh Kilpatrick Thomas Devin | J. E. B. Stuart | ||||||
The Battle of Jack's Shop was a cavalry engagement fought on September 23, 1863, by Union forces under John Buford and Hugh Kilpatrick and a Confederate division under J. E. B. Stuart during the American Civil War.
First known as Jack's Shop for a blacksmith shop that stood nearby, Rochelle, in Madison County, Virginia, was the scene of a cavalry skirmish on September 23, 1863. [1] While Confederate cavalry under Major General J. E. B. Stuart engaged Union Brigadier General John Buford's troops, the cavalry of Brigadier General Hugh Judson Kilpatrick rode to Buford's support and attacked the rear of Stuart's force. [1] Stuart's horse artillery and his cavalry fired and charged in both directions. [1] They broke through Kilpatrick's lines and escaped. [1] The engagement was inconclusive. [2]
The battle was fought while Lee's forces were withdrawing across the Rapidan River, following the great defeat at Gettysburg. [1] Together with the Battle of James City, which had been fought almost two weeks earlier, on October 8, the Battle of Jack's Shop has been said by Madison County historian Harold Woodward, Jr. to mark the end of the Gettysburg campaign. [1]
The Battle of Gettysburg was a battle in the American Civil War fought by Union and Confederate forces between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart was a United States Army officer from Virginia who became a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was known to his friends as "Jeb,” from the initials of his given names. Stuart was a cavalry commander known for his mastery of reconnaissance and the use of cavalry in support of offensive operations. While he cultivated a cavalier image, his serious work made him the trusted eyes and ears of Robert E. Lee's army and inspired Southern morale.
The Michigan Brigade, sometimes called the Wolverines, the Michigan Cavalry Brigade or Custer's Brigade, was a brigade of cavalry in the volunteer Union Army during the latter half of the American Civil War. Composed primarily of the 1st Michigan Cavalry, 5th Michigan Cavalry, 6th Michigan Cavalry and 7th Michigan Cavalry, the Michigan Brigade fought in every major campaign of the Army of the Potomac from the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863 to the Confederate surrender at Appomattox Court House in April 1865.
John Buford, Jr. was a United States Army cavalry officer. He fought for the Union as a brigadier general during the American Civil War. Buford is best known for having played a major role in the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg on July 1, 1863, by identifying, taking, and holding the "high ground" while in command of a division.
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David McMurtrie Gregg was an American farmer, diplomat, and a Union cavalry general in the American Civil War.
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Two corps of the Union Army were called Cavalry Corps during the American Civil War. One served with the Army of the Potomac; the other served in the various armies of the western theater of the war.
Hugh Judson Kilpatrick was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War, achieving the rank of brevet major general. He was later the United States Minister to Chile and an unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives.
Elon John Farnsworth was a Union Army captain in the American Civil War. He commanded Brigade 1, Division 3 of the Cavalry Corps from June 28, 1863 to July 3, 1863, when he was mortally wounded and died at the Battle of Gettysburg. He was nominated by President Abraham Lincoln for appointment to the grade of brigadier general on June 29, 1863 but was not confirmed by the United States Senate before his death at Gettysburg.
On the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg during the disastrous infantry assault nicknamed Pickett's Charge, there were two cavalry battles: one approximately three miles (5 km) to the east, in the area known today as East Cavalry Field, the other southwest of the [Big] Round Top mountain.
Thomas Casimer Devin was a United States Army officer and general. He commanded Union cavalry during the American Civil War and during the Indian Wars.
The Cavalry Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia was an organized unit of cavalry in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. Starting out as a brigade in late 1861, becoming a division in 1862 and finally a Corps in 1863; it served in the Eastern Theater until the ANV's surrender in April 1865.
The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia began its Retreat from Gettysburg on July 4, 1863. Following General Robert E. Lee's failure to defeat the Union Army at the Battle of Gettysburg, he ordered a retreat through Maryland and over the Potomac River to relative safety in Virginia. The Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, was unable to maneuver quickly enough to launch a significant attack on the Confederates, who crossed the river on the night of July 13 into South Mountain through Cashtown in a wagon train that extended for 15–20 miles, enduring harsh weather, treacherous roads, and enemy cavalry raids. The bulk of Lee's infantry departed through Fairfield and through the Monterey Pass toward Hagerstown, Maryland. Reaching the Potomac, they found that rising waters and destroyed pontoon bridges prevented their immediate crossing. Erecting substantial defensive works, they awaited the arrival of the Union army, which had been pursuing over longer roads more to the south of Lee's route. Before Meade could perform adequate reconnaissance and attack the Confederate fortifications, Lee's army escaped across fords and a hastily rebuilt bridge.
Ira Wallace Claflin was a United States Army West Point regular officer who took command of the 6th US Cavalry during the critical days of July 1863 during the Gettysburg Campaign. He was an instructor of Union cavalry tactics for West Virginia and later taught at West Point.
