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Harry
Hatcher with dozen skirmishers in advance. The skirmishers encountered Forbes' pickets just as the Federals were preparing to leave. Alerted by his pickets, Forbes quickly assembled his men into two lines in a field south of the pike and prepared to charges the oncoming Rangers. The shots of the skirmishers also alerted Ranger Sam Chapman manning the howitzer who let out a shot, which though not well aimed, caused disruption in the Federal line. Seeing that he could no longer order a charge, Forbes attempted to redeploy his lines to meet a charge. The disruption gave the Rangers time to dismantle a rail fence that stood between them and the Federals. Upon its removal the Rangers charged, delivering a deadly volley at the reforming Federal lines and startling the Federals' horses, sending their ranks into disarray.
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and fled to the
Maryland shore, tearing up the small bridge over the canal as they crossed it. The Rangers then dashed across the river to the Maryland shore where they began exchanging fire with the Federals across the canal. Many of the Rangers immediately set about repairing the bridge using planking from an old building. As soon as it was complete the Rangers ran across, led by Henry Hatcher who ran into the Union camp under heavy fire and captured its flag. Once across the canal the Rangers quickly drove the Federals from the town.
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them ineffective against the
Rangers pistol fire. In the close quarter fighting, Forbes encountered Mosby and attempted to stab him with his saber. Ranger Thomas Richards jumped in front of the blade, taking it in the shoulder and saving his commander. Mosby emptied his pistol, shooting out Forbes' horse from under him throwing him to the ground. Forbes quickly surrendered and the Federal resistance finally gave way. The Federals broke pell-mell into retreat with the Rangers in pursuit for several miles.
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413:. Thus after effecting the disruption of travel and communication along the Potomac the Rangers set about pilfering the stores and warehouses of the town, some of which contained property of Loudoun unionists. Because of the numerous pieces of fine clothing the Rangers returned with, the raid became known as the "Calico Raid". After completing the raid the Rangers retired back to Virginia and camped along the road to Leesburg.
450:
Mount Zion Church. Meanwhile, Mosby entered
Leesburg shortly after the Federals left and learned of their withdrawal. He led the Rangers out of town towards Ball's Mill on the Carolina Road, believing that the Federals had returned on the same route they had arrived on. At Ball's Mill Mosby was informed by local citizens of his mistake, whereupon he devised a plan to head southeasterly towards Gum Springs (present day
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where the
Rangers spent the night. The Federals departed from Leesburg the next morning, July 6, and headed south by Oatlands Mill and on to Aldie. At around 6 p.m. the Federals arrived at the intersection with the Little River Turnpike and stopped to rest for an hour or so at the Skinner farm near
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on the bluff above the river bank and ordered a detachment of sharpshooters under Lt. Albert Wrenn to wade into the river and attack the
Federal position on the island. The Federal infantry exchanged fire with the Rangers for several minutes before giving way to the combined rifle and artillery fire
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The
Federals broke southwest past the Skinner house and Mount Zion Church. For his part, Forbes attempted to rally his men, getting them to reform a line in the woods southwest of the pike. In the woods the two forces collided in fierce close range fighting. The Federals drew their sabers but found
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The hour-long fight proved to be one of the
Rangers' most complete victories. They inflicted severe casualties, killing 13, including Captain Goodwin Stone, wounding 37, taking 57 prisoners, including Forbes, and capturing every horse not injured or killed in the fight, totaling 71% of the Federal
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Upon arriving at Gum
Springs, Mosby deployed his scouts who located the Federal force a half mile away on the western slope of a small ridge that lay between the two forces. Mosby deployed his howitzer on the crest of the ridge and formed his command on the Turnpike in columns of four led by Lt.
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With the Union garrison dispatched, the
Rangers set about burning canal boats and cutting the telegraph wires that ran beside the river from Washington to its garrison at Harpers Ferry. Besides Point of Rocks strategic value, it was also the refuge of many prominent Loudoun Unionists and their
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dispatched the 8th Illinois Cavalry from Washington to Point of Rocks. When the Rangers arrived at the banks of the Potomac they found the 8th Illinois holding the village. A 90-minute firefight across the river ensued, in which the 8th Illinois claimed to kill one and wound two rangers while
421:, with the message that Mosby's command would coordinate with his. Mosby then led his Rangers back to Point of Rocks to continue his raid into Maryland. The actions of the Rangers, however had not gone unnoticed in Washington and after learning of the raid,
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suffering no casualties themselves (Mosby made no record of any casualties), before Mosby broke off the attack and headed south towards Leesburg. The 8th Illinois were soon dispatched from Point of Rocks to Monocacy Junction, where Union Maj. Gen.
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The following morning, Mosby dispatched about 100 Rangers to escort the three wagons full of plunder back to Fauquier. He also dispatched Rangers Fount Bettie and Harry Heaton to report to Early, who was camped near
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400:. The Loudoun Rangers were encamped in the village. Mosby immediately set to work clearing Patton's Island in preparation for crossing the river. He deployed Ranger Sam Chapman with his lone
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As Mosby approached Leesburg, his scouts reported to him the presence of the Federals under Forbes in the town. In response, Mosby led the Rangers into camp west of Leesburg on
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Upon arriving across the river from Point of Rocks, the Rangers found the village held by two companies of Federal infantry and two companies of cavalry in the form of the
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349:) around 11 a.m., whereupon scouts were dispatched along the river to find possible targets of attack. When they returned, Mosby was informed of a small Union force at
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force in all. The Rangers suffered 1 killed and 6 wounded. In addition, the telegraph wires that were cut at Point of Rocks during the Calico Raid would hinder the
617:"The Epitaph: Tombstones, Mausoleums, Monuments and Memorials to Civil War Soldiers: Gone but Not Forgotten: Remembering Union Cavalry at Mt. Zion Church Cemetery"
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was assembling a rag-tag force to oppose Early's drive on Washington, and along with the Loudoun Rangers, would fight in the Battle of Frederick and the
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That same day, 100 troopers of the 2nd Massachusetts Cavalry and 50 from the 13th New York Cavalry under Maj. William H. Forbes were dispatched from
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routed Forbes's command, which had been sent into Loudoun County to engage and capture the Rangers. The fight resulted in a Confederate victory.
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by days end where they made camp for the night. The next morning, July 4, the Rangers traveled the rest of the distance to the
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the following morning at Rectortown to which 250 Rangers responded. The Rangers spent the day in the saddle making it to
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for the night. The following day, the Federals traveled to Aldie and then to Leesburg before returning to Ball's Mill.
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632:"Harvard memorial biographies [ed. By T.W. Higginson]. [With] Supplementary biographies"
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Desperate Engagement: How a Little-Known Civil War Saved Washington, D.C., and Changed American History,
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258:
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as part of Mosby's Operations in Northern Virginia. After successfully raiding the Union garrison at
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The Bulletin of the Historical Society of Loudoun County, Virginia, 2nd Series, Volume 1,
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321:. In order to aid Early's raid, Mosby planned a raid into Maryland of his own to cut
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454:) and intercept the Federals as they traveled east on the Little River Turnpike.
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Mosby's Rangers: The True Adventure of the Most Famous Command of the Civil War
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63:
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History of the Independent Loudoun Rangers, Scouts U.S. Cavalry: 1862-1865.
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by the latter's quartermaster, Hugh Swartz, who was then traveling through
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to hunt down Mosby and his Rangers. The force traveled west down the
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that took place on July 6, 1864. The skirmish was fought between
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Military operations of the American Civil War in Virginia
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Battles of the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War
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property, including the Loudoun Rangers' commander,
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Leesburg, Virginia: Goose Creek Publications, 1997.
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376:and then headed north up the Carolina Road toward
1135:Operations of the 43rd Virginia Cavalry Battalion
501:Saffer, Wayne C., "Action at Mount Zion Church",
1130:Confederate victories of the American Civil War
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1079:Ball's Bluff Battlefield and National Cemetery
333:. Accordingly, he ordered a rendezvous of the
303:On July 2, Col. John S. Mosby was informed of
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345:, arriving across from Berlin (present day
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228:Location of Mount Zion Church in Virginia
1120:Loudoun County in the American Civil War
831:Loudoun County in the American Civil War
198:106 (12 killed, 37 wounded, 57 captured)
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1084:Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
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630:Higginson, Thomas Wentworth (1867).
995:43rd Battalion of Virginia Cavalry
990:35th Battalion of Virginia Cavalry
498:New York: Thomas Dune Books, 2007.
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380:, stopping at Ball's Mill on the
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16:Action of the American Civil War
1140:Raids of the American Civil War
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164:43rd Battalion Virginia Cavalry
515:, Simon & Schuster, 1990,
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360:into Loudoun County by Col.
935:Action at Mount Zion Church
763:Action at Mount Zion Church
240:action at Mount Zion Church
22:Action at Mount Zion Church
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971:George's Schoolhouse Raid
940:Battle of Loudoun Heights
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753:2nd Battle of Dranesville
743:Battle of Loudoun Heights
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169:2nd Massachusetts Cavalry
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77:38.9637972°N 77.6097389°W
34:
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773:Rout of Blazer's Command
748:Fight at Blackleys Grove
351:Point of Rocks, Maryland
289:Point of Rocks, Maryland
920:Skirmish at Miskel Farm
905:Affair at Glenmore Farm
855:Battle of Harpers Ferry
727:Warrenton Junction Raid
722:Skirmish at Miskel Farm
717:Raid on Herndon Station
475:of Early following the
195:6 (1 killed, 5 wounded)
82:38.9637972; -77.6097389
845:Battle of Ball's Bluff
477:Battle of Fort Stevens
362:Charles Russell Lowell
141:Commanders and leaders
1005:8th Virginia Infantry
850:Battle of Dranesville
768:Skirmish at Adamstown
366:Little River Turnpike
190:Casualties and losses
172:13th New York Cavalry
1000:7th Virginia Cavalry
870:Battle of Upperville
865:Battle of Middleburg
488:Goodheart, Briscoe,
225:class=notpageimage|
945:Heaton's Crossroads
900:Battle of Mile Hill
687:Col John Mosby, CSA
579:Leepsom, pp. 86-87.
388:The 2nd Calico Raid
73: /
895:Fight at Waterford
758:Second Calico Raid
570:Wert, pp. 171-173.
549:Saffer, pp. 40-41.
435:Battle of Monocacy
251:American Civil War
122:Confederate States
29:American Civil War
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1036:Robert H. Chilton
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588:Saffer, pp. 42-43
447:Catoctin Mountain
262:William H. Forbes
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509:Wert, Jeffry D.
494:Leepsom, Marc,
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473:Federal pursuit
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411:Samuel C. Means
394:Loudoun Rangers
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319:Fauquier County
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368:(present day
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68:77°36′35.06″W
65:38°57′49.67″N
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1032:Confederate
986:Confederate
966:Burning Raid
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358:Falls Church
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339:Purcellville
310:'s plans to
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239:
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108:Belligerents
42:July 6, 1864
27:Part of the
1041:John Janney
431:Lew Wallace
382:Goose Creek
266:Confederate
249:during the
97:Confederate
80: /
1114:Categories
1094:Fort Evans
888:Skirmishes
782:1865 Raids
736:1864 Raids
705:1863 Raids
561:Goodheart.
483:References
441:The battle
299:Background
466:Aftermath
423:Maj. Gen.
347:Brunswick
323:telegraph
402:howitzer
378:Leesburg
315:Maryland
305:Lt. Gen.
285:Virginia
247:skirmish
177:Strength
56:Virginia
47:Location
838:Battles
335:Rangers
270:Colonel
244:cavalry
99:victory
1057:Union
1026:People
1011:Union
680:Leader
519:
452:Arcola
329:, and
312:invade
242:was a
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93:Result
1072:Sites
980:Units
959:Raids
528:Notes
374:Lenah
372:) to
277:Aldie
275:near
259:Major
255:Union
517:ISBN
264:and
238:The
39:Date
279:in
185:150
182:150
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554:^
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
