The Battle of Loudoun Heights was a small
cavalry
Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...
skirmish
Skirmishers are light infantry or light cavalry soldiers deployed as a vanguard, flank guard or rearguard to screen a tactical position or a larger body of friendly troops from enemy advances. They are usually deployed in a skirmish line, an ir ...
during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
between
John Mosby's Rangers and
Major Henry A. Cole's 1st Potomac Home Brigade Maryland Cavalry on January 10, 1864, in
Loudoun County
Loudoun County () is in the northern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. In 2020, the census returned a population of 420,959, making it Virginia's third-most populous county. Loudoun County's seat is Leesburg. Loudoun C ...
,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
. Cole's Cavalry successfully defended a night raid against their camp on
Loudoun Heights
Loudoun Heights is an unincorporated community in Loudoun County, Virginia, near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. It is located in the Between the Hills region of the county along Harpers Ferry Road (VA 671) and is bounded to its northwest and northe ...
. The fight was one of the first engagements in which Union forces held their own against Mosby's vaunted
partisans.
Background
On January 1, 1864, eighty members of Cole's Maryland Cavalry, led by
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
A. M. Hunter, entered the region colloquially known as "Mosby's Confederacy" around
Upperville and
Rectortown, Virginia
Rectortown is an unincorporated community in Fauquier County, Virginia.
The Rectortown Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal gov ...
. With Mosby off on a scout in
Fairfax, Capt. William "Billy" Smith rounded up 32 Rangers and set off in pursuit of the Federals. The Rangers caught up with Hunter's force near
Middleburg. Captain Hunter quickly deployed his men into battle line just as Smith ordered a charge. The Federal line soon crumbled when Hunter's horse was killed, tumbling the captain to the ground. The Union cavalry hastily retreated towards Middleburg, but not before losing 57 killed, wounded or captured, as well as 60 horses seized by the Rangers.
Within a week, Cole's camp atop
Loudoun Heights
Loudoun Heights is an unincorporated community in Loudoun County, Virginia, near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. It is located in the Between the Hills region of the county along Harpers Ferry Road (VA 671) and is bounded to its northwest and northe ...
had been discovered, thanks to the work of Benjamin Franklin Stringfellow, a staff officer under
J.E.B. Stuart
James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart (February 6, 1833May 12, 1864) 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 ...
temporarily attached to Mosby's command. Angered by the audacity of Cole's Cavalry to raid so deep into Mosby's territory and encouraged by the enemy's woeful performance at Middleburg, Mosby decided to attack Cole's main force, hoping to catch them unaware in their camp.
The battle
On January 9, Mosby ordered a rendezvous at Upperville, to which 100 Rangers responded. The partisan company set out for Loudoun Heights through deep snow and bitter cold, reaching
Woodgrove
Woodgrove is a historic home located near Round Hill, Loudoun County, Virginia. The original section of the house was built around 1785, with a rear ell added around 1840, and an addition with a new main entrance in about 1910. All sections are ...
around 8 p.m. and stopping for 2 hours at the home of Ranger Henry Heaton. Just north of
Hillsboro, they met up with Stringfellow and his scouting party, who informed Mosby of the exact location and strength of Cole's camp. Spotting Federal pickets posted along the Hillsboro-Harpers Ferry Road, the Confederates turned and headed east toward the wooded western slope of
Short Hill Mountain
Short Hill Mountain is a mountain ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northwest Loudoun County, Virginia.
Geography
Short Hill rises sharply from the Piedmont countryside of the Loudoun Valley, northwest of Purcellville. It is a low-lying ridg ...
, which they followed until they came to the bank of the
Potomac River
The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augus ...
. From there, they turned westward and made their way along the riverbank to the base of Loudoun Heights. As the Rangers made their way up mountain, they were forced to dismount, given the steep grade. They stopped once they were within of the Union camp. Mosby sent a detachment of men under Stringfellow to capture Cole's headquarters in the rear of the camp, while he took the rest of the men further up the hillside, until they were directly west of the camp.
At around 3 a.m., as Mosby prepared to order the attack, gunfire erupted from the direction of Stringfellow's position, followed by the distant appearance of horsemen riding towards Mosby from the direction of the enemy camp. Thinking the unknown party was Federals who had discovered Stringfellow and his men, Mosby ordered a charge. His Rangers descended upon the camp and attacked the horsemen, who turned out to be Stringfellow's squadron. It was several minutes before the two parties recognized each other in the darkness, but not before several Confederates had been hit by
friendly fire
In military terminology, friendly fire or fratricide is an attack by belligerent or neutral forces on friendly troops while attempting to attack enemy/hostile targets. Examples include misidentifying the target as hostile, cross-fire while eng ...
.
In the meantime, Cole's men were awakened by the gunfire. Led by Captain George W.F. Vernon, of Company A, the men grabbed their weapons and hastily formed a dismounted battle line, though many were barely dressed. Despite the darkness, the Federals easily identified the Rangers, who stood out as they were the only ones on horses. Their initial volley dropped several Confederates, many of whom were caught out in the open along the road.
In the confusion of the 45 minute fight that followed, several Rangers retreated and, soon afterward, with the sound of Federal infantry approaching from
Harpers Ferry
Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia. It is located in the lower Shenandoah Valley. The population was 285 at the 2020 census. Situated at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, where the U.S. stat ...
, Mosby ordered a general withdrawal. The Rangers escaped with 6 prisoners (pickets from Co. B of Cole's Cavalry, all taken from their post along the Hillsboro road at the crossing of Piney Run) and nearly 60 horses, but were forced to leave their dead and seriously wounded behind. A few miles beyond the Union camp, Mosby halted and sent two Rangers back under a flag of truce to exchange the prisoners for their dead and wounded, which included Billy Smith and
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment.
The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...
Thomas Turner. Major Cole, however, declined the offer, and the Rangers left and made their way back towards Mosby's Confederacy.
Aftermath
Mosby's Rangers suffered 14 casualties—4 dead, 4 mortally wounded, 5 wounded and 1 captured. Among the wounded was William "Willie" Mosby, John's brother. Of the dead, it was believed that 3 were victims of friendly fire. Cole suffered 6 dead, 14 wounded, and 6 captured. For their performance in the fight, the first in which Federals had bested Mosby's Rangers, Cole was promoted from major to colonel and Vernon from captain to lieutenant colonel.
References
*
Wert, Jeffry D., ''Mosby's Rangers: The True Adventure of the Most Famous Command of the Civil War'', Simon & Schuster, 1990, .
"Battle in the Snow: Cole's Cavalry and Mosby's Men at Loudoun Heights" Gettysburg ''Star and Sentinel'', November 16, 1881.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loudon Heights, Battle of Loudon Heights
Loudoun Heights
Loudoun Heights is an unincorporated community in Loudoun County, Virginia, near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. It is located in the Between the Hills region of the county along Harpers Ferry Road (VA 671) and is bounded to its northwest and northe ...
Loudoun Heights
Loudoun Heights is an unincorporated community in Loudoun County, Virginia, near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. It is located in the Between the Hills region of the county along Harpers Ferry Road (VA 671) and is bounded to its northwest and northe ...
Union victories of the American Civil War
Raids of the American Civil War
Blue Ridge Mountains
1864 in Virginia
Battles of the American Civil War in Virginia
January 1864 events