Boonsboro was a Civil War engagement fought in Maryland, 1863. The outcome was inconclusive.
On July 8, the Confederate cavalry, holding the South Mountain passes, fought a rearguard action against elements of the Union 1st and 3rd Cavalry Divisions and infantry. This action was one of a series of cavalry combats fought around Boonsboro, Hagerstown, and Williamsport.
On July 8, 1863, fighting erupted near Boonsboro in Washington County, Maryland. This encounter formed part of Lee's withdrawal following his defeat at Gettysburg during the broader campaign of that name. As the Army of Northern Virginia moved back toward its home state, Confederate horsemen controlled the mountain passages to the south. These cavalry units engaged in defensive combat with Union mounted forces drawn from the 1st and 3rd Cavalry Divisions, along with attached foot soldiers. The clash at Boonsboro represented just one skirmish in a chain of mounted actions fought around the region, with additional engagements occurring near Hagerstown and Williamsport.
Stuart's assignment presented considerable complications. The Confederate major general needed to track down Union cavalry while simultaneously keeping Lee's route open toward Williamsport and the Potomac River. This effort would culminate in Maryland's largest and longest cavalry engagement of the entire campaign.
Wednesday, July 8, 1863, brought this clash along the National Road near Boonsboro. Stuart commanded five cavalry brigades marching eastward from Funkstown and Williamsport. Initial contact with Union forces occurred at Beaver Creek Bridge, situated 4.5 miles north of Boonsboro. By late morning, Confederate horsemen had advanced into badly waterlogged fields that made mounted combat effectively impossible. Both sides dismounted-Stuart's cavalry opposite the Union divisions under Kilpatrick and Buford-and fought as foot soldiers would.
The afternoon saw Kilpatrick's left flank deteriorate. As ammunition supplies dwindled among the Federal forces, mounting Confederate assaults overwhelmed that sector. Stuart's momentum ceased around 7 p.m. when Union infantry troops arrived on the scene, marking their first combat engagement following Gettysburg. The Confederate commander withdrew northward toward Funkstown, having achieved his primary objective: he had purchased another day for Lee's retreating columns. In two additional days, Stuart would once more impede Federal advancement, this time at Funkstown.
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