Catoctin Station Raid
Encyclopedia
The Catoctin Station Raid was executed against a train passing through the Catoctin Station on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
on June 17, 1863 by Confederate
cavalry forces, during the movement north into Maryland by Gen. Robert E. Lee
early in the Gettysburg Campaign
. Union Army
forces further west, in the city of Winchester, Virginia
, had just been routed by Lt.Gen. Ewell’s Second Corps
on June 15 during the Second Battle of Winchester and federal troops were evacuating east to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia in a state of disarray. Rumors of an invasion by Lee were creating panic in the region, and no more trains were departing Baltimore except for the mail train to Harpers Ferry that provided supplies to the Union forces in Frederick County, Maryland
.
, split into two groups and attacked both the Union
cavalry near Catoctin station, and the military supply train, which was the last of five separate supply trains heading east from Catoctin Station. The train engineer managed to fend off the attack by getting the train moved away down the line, but he, the conductor and fifteen passengers along with the train were all successfully captured at the next Point of Rocks
Station. The train was carrying a load of flour from western mill companies, and the entire cargo was burned.
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
on June 17, 1863 by Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
cavalry forces, during the movement north into Maryland by Gen. Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
early in the Gettysburg Campaign
Gettysburg Campaign
The Gettysburg Campaign was a series of battles fought in June and July 1863, during the American Civil War. After his victory in the Battle of Chancellorsville, Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia moved north for offensive operations in Maryland and Pennsylvania. The...
. Union Army
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
forces further west, in the city of Winchester, Virginia
Winchester, Virginia
Winchester is an independent city located in the northwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the USA. The city's population was 26,203 according to the 2010 Census...
, had just been routed by Lt.Gen. Ewell’s Second Corps
Second Corps, Army of Northern Virginia
The Second Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia was a military organization within the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia during much of the American Civil War. It was officially created and named following the Battle of Sharpsburg in 1862, but comprised units in a corps organization for quite...
on June 15 during the Second Battle of Winchester and federal troops were evacuating east to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia in a state of disarray. Rumors of an invasion by Lee were creating panic in the region, and no more trains were departing Baltimore except for the mail train to Harpers Ferry that provided supplies to the Union forces in Frederick County, Maryland
Frederick County, Maryland
Frederick County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of Maryland, bordering the southern border of Pennsylvania and the northeastern border of Virginia. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 233,385....
.
Raid Execution
During the predawn hours on June 17, Confederate cavalry forces forded the Potomac RiverPotomac 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...
, split into two groups and attacked both the Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
cavalry near Catoctin station, and the military supply train, which was the last of five separate supply trains heading east from Catoctin Station. The train engineer managed to fend off the attack by getting the train moved away down the line, but he, the conductor and fifteen passengers along with the train were all successfully captured at the next Point of Rocks
Point of Rocks, Maryland
Point of Rocks is a community in Frederick County, Maryland. It is named for the striking rock formation on the adjacent Catoctin Mountain, which were formed by the Potomac River cutting through the ridge in a water gap, a typical formation in the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians...
Station. The train was carrying a load of flour from western mill companies, and the entire cargo was burned.