The Battle of Kelly's Ford, Virginia

Buckeye Bill

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The Battle of Kelly's Ford (Battle of Kellysville) took place on March 17, 1863, in Culpeper County, Virginia, as part of the cavalry operations along the Rappahannock River during the American Civil War. It set the stage for the Battle of Brandy Station and other cavalry actions of the Gettysburg Campaign. Twenty-one hundred troopers of Brigadier General William W. Averell's Federal cavalry division crossed the Rappahannock River to attack the Confederate cavalry that had been harassing them that winter. Confederate Brigadier General Fitzhugh Lee counter attacked with a brigade of about 800 men. After achieving a localized success, Federal forces withdrew under pressure in late afternoon, without destroying Lee's cavalry.

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* Map courtesy of the Civil War Trust and photos courtesy of William Bechmann (2016)
 
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The Battle of Kelly's Ford (Battle of Kellysville) took place on March 17, 1863, in Culpeper County, Virginia, as part of the cavalry operations along the Rappahannock River during the American Civil War. It set the stage for the Battle of Brandy Station and other cavalry actions of the Gettysburg Campaign. Twenty-one hundred troopers of Brigadier General William W. Averell's Federal cavalry division crossed the Rappahannock River to attack the Confederate cavalry that had been harassing them that winter. Confederate Brigadier General Fitzhugh Lee counter attacked with a brigade of about 800 men. After achieving a localized success, Federal forces withdrew under pressure in late afternoon, without destroying Lee's cavalry.

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* Map courtesy of the Civil War Trust and photos courtesy of William Bechmann (2016)
We're those pics taken recently? Looks awful green.
 
Major John W Puller of the 5th Virginia Cavalry, who was killed in action at Kelly's Ford, was the Grandfather of Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller.
Regards
David
 
Happy St. Patrick's Day! The Battle of Kelly's Ford occurred on this day in 1863.
 
I had 3 cousins wounded in that battle. One notable casualty (not my cousin) was Billie Burroughs of Franklin County, a Private in Co. D of the 2nd Virginia Cavalry ("The Franklin Rangers"). Billie was killed in the battle and his buried on his family's farm. One of the residents of that farm during the war was a slave boy named Booker. Booker would go on to achieve fame as Booker T. Washington and the Burroughs farm is now the Booker T. Washington National Monument.

Washington specifically mentioned Billie in his book Up From Slavery:

One may get the idea, from what I have said, that there was bitter feeling toward the white people on the part of my race, because of the fact that most of the white population was away fighting in a war which would result in keeping the Negro in slavery if the South was successful. In the case of the slaves on our place this was not true, and it was not true of any large portion of the slave population in the South where the Negro was treated with anything like decency. During the Civil War one of my young masters was killed, and two were severely wounded. I recall the feeling of sorrow which existed among the slaves when they heard of the death of "Mars' Billy." It was no sham sorrow, but real. Some of the slaves had nursed "Mars' Billy"; others had played with him when he was a child. "Mars' Billy" had begged for mercy in the case of others when the overseer or master was thrashing them. The sorrow in the slave quarter was only second to that in the "big house." When the two young masters were brought home wounded the sympathy of the slaves was shown in many ways. They were just as anxious to assist in the nursing as the family relatives of the wounded. Some of the slaves would even beg for the privilege of sitting up at night to nurse their wounded masters. This tenderness and sympathy on the part of those held in bondage was a result of their kindly and generous nature. In order to defend and protect the women and children who were left on the plantations when the white males went to war, the slaves would have laid down their lives. The slave who was selected to sleep in the "big house" during the absence of the males was considered to have the place of honour. Any one attempting to harm "young Mistress" or "old Mistress" during the night would have had to cross the dead body of the slave to do so. I do not know how many have noticed it, but I think that it will be found to be true that there are few instances, either in slavery or freedom, in which a member of my race has been known to betray a specific trust.​
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