Battle of Dranesville
Encyclopedia
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
that took place between Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
forces under General J.E.B. Stuart
J.E.B. Stuart
James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart was a U.S. Army officer from Virginia and 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...
and Union forces under General Edward O.C. Ord on December 20, 1861, in Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...
, as part of Maj. Gen.
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
George B. McClellan
George B. McClellan
George Brinton McClellan was a major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union...
's operations in northern Virginia. The two forces on similar winter-time patrols encountered and engaged one another in the crossroads village of Dranesville
Dranesville, Virginia
Dranesville is an unincorporated community in Fairfax County, Virginia, USA. Dranesville is located on the Leesburg Pike at its intersection with Georgetown Pike. The Census Bureau defines Dranesville as a census-designated place with a population of 11,921 as of 2010...
. The battle resulted in a Union victory.
Background
Following the Battle of Ball's BluffBattle of Ball's Bluff
The Battle of Ball's Bluff, also known as the Battle of Harrison’s Island or the Battle of Leesburg, was fought on October 21, 1861, in Loudoun County, Virginia, as part of Union Maj. Gen. George B...
on October 21, major offensive action was halted in the eastern theater, as both armies went into winter quarters. Small detachments were still occasionally sent out to probe the enemy's position and to obtain forage. Such was the case early on the morning of December 20 when General Stuart, with a mixed brigade of infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
comprising the regiments of the 6th South Carolina, 1st Kentucky, 10th Alabama, and 11th Virginia
11th Virginia Infantry
The 11th Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia....
, 150 of his cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
troopers and Allen S. Cutts
Allen S. Cutts
-Pre-War:Allan Sherod Cutts was born in Pulaski County, Georgia on December 4, 1826. He was the twelfth and last child of Major Cutts, a farmer born in North Carolina, and Elizabeth Linsey Cutts, born in Indiana. Allen S. Cutts was raised on the farms his father occupied in Georgia...
's 4 gun Georgia battery, set out north from their position near Centreville
Centreville, Virginia
Centreville is an unincorporated community in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau as a Census Designated Place , the community population was 71,135 as of the 2010 census and is approximately west of Washington, DC.-Colonial Period:Beginning in the 1760s,...
to escort the army's wagons trains on a foraging expedition into Loudoun County
Loudoun County, Virginia
Loudoun County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and is part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county is estimated to be home to 312,311 people, an 84 percent increase over the 2000 figure of 169,599. That increase makes the county the fourth...
. Meanwhile, General Ord , leading the 10,000 strong 3rd Brigade of Pennsylvania Reserves set out west from Langley
Langley, Virginia
Langley is an unincorporated community in the census-designated place of McLean in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States.The community was essentially absorbed into McLean many years ago, although there is still a Langley High School...
to clear the south bank of the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
of Confederate pickets and partisans in Fairfax and Loudoun. At Colvin Run Mill
Colvin Run Mill
Colvin Run Mill is in Great Falls, Virginia. Built c. 1811, Colvin Run Mill is the solesurviving operational 19th-century water-powered mill in the Washington, D.C...
, Ord left half his force to protect his rear and prevent his force from being cut off from their base at Langley.
The battle
At about noon, Ord arrived at the intersection of the Georgetown Pike and Leesburg Pike in the village of DranesvilleDranesville, Virginia
Dranesville is an unincorporated community in Fairfax County, Virginia, USA. Dranesville is located on the Leesburg Pike at its intersection with Georgetown Pike. The Census Bureau defines Dranesville as a census-designated place with a population of 11,921 as of 2010...
, where he encountered Stuart's advance cavalry pickets, which were quickly driven off by the Union force. Ord then began to lead his command west, down the Leesburg Pike. At around 1 p.m. Stuart, with the main body of his force approached Dranesville from the south, whereupon he encountered the rear of the Union detachment.
Ord halted his infantry and wheeled it around to meet the Confederate threat, forming a line on the north side of the Leesburg Pike. He then deployed his artillery on an eminence near the intersection. Stuart deployed his infantry on the south side of the pike and his artillery 300 yards south of the federal position. While the Confederate infantry was deploying, the 6th South Carolina mistook the 1st Kentucky for Union troops and opened fire, which was quickly returned by the Kentuckians.
Hearing the sound of gunfire, the 9th Pennsylvania charged across the turnpike but were quickly driven back. The artillery then began to duel, but owing to the strength of the Union position, the Confederate guns were quickly knocked out. Ord deployed his infantry in a skirmish line and sent it across the Pike at Stuart and the two sides squared off for nearly 2 hours. At 3 p.m., with his wagons safely away and secure from capture, Stuart ordered a withdrawal. Ord pursued for a half mile, ensuring his line of retreat was safe, before breaking off the attack and returning to Langley.
The following day Stuart returned with reinforcements, but found no Federals to engage.