If you ever get to to travel Route 50 in Loudoun County do not heistate to vist the small towns of Aldie, Middleburg and Upperville. Sites of very important cavalry battles that allowed Lee to pass west of the Bull Run Mountains during the Gettysburg Campaign These small towns have yet to be hit with developement. Lots of original buildings and battlefield sites left undisturbed.

Stuarts succcess in these battles emboldened him to convience Lee to let him conduct another one of his rides around the enemy. Quiet possibly one of the causes of Lees defeat later in the first week of July.

Any reading recommendations?

Sapper Redux said:

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Any reading recommendations?

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Sorry, I don't have any specific books to recommend. My brother lives right it the middle of the area and he lives eats and breaths civil history; specially of that area. When I visit we spend days on "staff rides" with books and maps of specific aspects of which ever campaign we chose to follow that visit. Have been into local buildings with bullet holes, cannon ball holes and soldiers doodlings. He knows way more about the particulars than my general knowledge.

I will ask him for recommendations.

Here is some good general information.
Battlefields.org

Thanks. I've been curious about the cavalry actions around the Gettysburg Campaign. It gets short shrift unless someone wants to blame Stuart for Lee's problems (and it was certainly a contributing factor, but you know what I mean).

Goose Creek

Sapper Redux said:

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Any reading recommendations?

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The Cavalry Battles of Aldie, Middleburg and Upperville by Robert F. O'Neil.

Part of the Virginia Civil War Battles and Leadership Series.

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Stuarts succcess in these battles emboldened him to convience Lee to let him conduct another one of his rides around the enemy. Quiet possibly one of the causes of Lees defeat later in the first week of July.

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Didn't he come up against Custer at Gettysburg? Not to derail, but Custer also fell victim to doing the same thing over and over. Divided his forces at Wa****a, maybe, and it worked. Little Big Horn, not so much.

CanyonAg77 said:

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Stuarts succcess in these battles emboldened him to convience Lee to let him conduct another one of his rides around the enemy. Quiet possibly one of the causes of Lees defeat later in the first week of July.

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Didn't he come up against Custer at Gettysburg? Not to derail, but Custer also fell victim to doing the same thing over and over. Divided his forces at Wa****a, maybe, and it worked. Little Big Horn, not so much.

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Yes, on 3 July the East Cavalry Battlefield. Custer had a horse shot out from under him. Custer just executed a typical cavalry charge with the 7th Michigan.

Plenty of Blame to Go Around is what you want.