CC(F) * 32 * VA * 9:30 AM * Margaret M. Pierce ES (MPS)<br />The largest cavalry battle of the Civil War, the Battle of Brandy Station, occurred on June 9, 1863 and involved nearly 17,000 horsemen under Confederate Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart and Union Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton. Amid rumors of a possible, major Confederate offensive, Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker (famous for &quot;Hooker&#39;s Girls&quot; and you know the rest of the story), commander of the Union Army of the Potomac, assigned a reconnaissance-in-force to Pleasonton&#39;s 11,000-man cavalry. Though the Confederates could claim the victory, the Battle of Brandy Station, remarked one Confederate, &quot;made the Federal cavalry.&quot; Along with this new-found confidence, Union horsemen discovered the position of the Army of Northern Virginia. The Confederates were slipping west to the Shenandoah Valley on Lee&#39;s last great offensive which would end a month later at Gettysburg. Lee&#39;s strategy that fateful day in July included a flanking maneuver by JEB Stuart, but he had his hands full with the newly formed Union cavalry and one Captain Custer who distinguished himself at the Battle of Kelly&#39;s Ford. You&#39;re going to like this ride and six miles before the end we would normally stop for lunch at the Inn at Kelly&#39;s Ford. Unfortunately, it is currently closed! The Pelham&#39;s Pub (Maj. John Pelham commander of Stuart&#39;s horse artillery – Stuart wrote Pelham’s mother, “I loved him as a brother; he was so noble, so chivalrous, so pure of heart, so beloved.”) is downstairs with outdoor seating and a grand vista of an equestrian meadow. &quot;Now, of my fourscore years and ten, seventy will not come again, And take from ninety springs fourscore, It only leaves me sixteen more.&quot; - John Wannen Cell: 202-374-1523 or email john@wannen.com