Thinking of driving out Route 29 to enjoy the fall color on Skyline Drive this weekend? Consider this picture instead: It’s Saturday afternoon, October 19, 1863. As you travel west from Gainesville to Warrenton on the road, known then as the Warrenton Turnpike, a frantic Union Cavalry regiment is racing toward you. Behind them Confederate Cavalry in hot pursuit is closing in, guns blazing. A couple of minutes ago, passing through the Vint Hill Road intersection, you didn’t notice a second Confederate regiment moving into position to block the Union retreat.
A carefully planned trap, a pincer movement, is in motion. The fighting will continue until midnight. Generals J.E.B. Stuart and Fitzhugh Lee commanded the Confederate forces of about 8000 men, Generals Judson Kilpatrick, Henry Davies and George Armstrong Custer the Union forces of about 4000. Today is the 161st anniversary of the Battle of Buckland Mills. The fight was the last Confederate Cavalry victory over Union Cavalry in the Civil War, which they referred to as “the Buckland Races.”
Get the details In this video I created for the 150th anniversary, and explore the wealth of additional information on the Buckland Preservation Society website