Auburn

On October 14, 1863, Union and Confederate troops clashed near Auburn, in Fauquier County, Virginia, in what became known as the Second Battle of Auburn, part of the American Civil War. Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell directed a Confederate sortie aimed at freeing Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry, which had become trapped between two Union columns. In the process, Ewell's men engaged the rearguard of the Federal II Corps, commanded by Brig. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren. Stuart managed to escape the trap, yet the Federal wagon train slipped away from Confederate hands as well, leaving the engagement without a clear victor.

Background

General Robert E. Lee resumed offensive operations on October 10, 1863, his first such move since the Gettysburg campaign, hoping to swing around the right side of the Army of the Potomac positioned between his Army of Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., a maneuver similar to what he had executed the previous year in the Northern Virginia Campaign. When Lee's forces began moving forward, Major General George G. Meade repositioned his troops away from the Rapidan River's north bank and toward Centreville, seeking to prevent the flanking maneuver. On October 13, J.E.B. Stuart set out from Warrenton in the direction of Catlett's Station along the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, tasked with locating the Union army's left flank.

Stuart spotted a Union supply train retreating along the rail line and decided to strike it, posting a modest detachment behind him at Auburn to guard his rear. However, inadequate reconnaissance meant that neither Stuart's men nor anyone else detected an approaching Federal column made up of the II and III Corps moving toward Auburn from the south. This column's cavalry had already been sent toward Warrenton to shield the Union left, so when the infantry unexpectedly ran into Stuart's rearguard, a brief clash erupted that became known as the First Battle of Auburn. Union numbers quickly overwhelmed the outnumbered Confederate detachment, forcing it to retreat. Meanwhile, the Federal II Corps, commanded by Brigadier General Gouverneur K. Warren, settled into camp just south of Auburn, effectively pinning Stuart's roughly 3,000 men, along with their horses and gear, between Warren's position and the wagon train ahead. Seeking cover, Stuart moved his force into a wooded ravine and remained concealed there through the night. Under cover of darkness, he sent about six scouts disguised in Union uniforms to slip through enemy lines and reach Lee with word of his situation. Lee responded by ordering Richard S. Ewell's Corps to march to Auburn and free Stuart's trapped command at first light.

Before dawn on October 14, at three in the morning, Warren's II Corps departed its position at Three Mile Station, heading for Catlett's Station. Near Auburn, where the army crossed Cedar Run, the ground had turned to mud from the III Corps' passage the night before, slowing the wagon trains as they struggled up the slick banks. To protect this vulnerable rear guard and the wagon train, Warren directed Brigadier General John C. Caldwell to position his brigade on the elevated terrain north of the creek. There, Caldwell's soldiers established camp and started preparing breakfast, earning the rise the nickname Coffee Hill among the troops. Caldwell arranged his men into a skirmish line oriented northwest toward Warrenton, with the 10th New York posted forward as mounted lookouts.

Battle

Fighting began around 6:15 in the morning, when Rodes's division, leading Ewell's Corps, drew close to the 10th New York and touched off a skirmish. Stuart, hidden away in a nearby ravine, heard the shots and sent scouts out to assess what was happening. Once he learned that Federal troops occupied Coffee Hill, he positioned Beckham's Horse Artillery on a rise east of that hill, and the guns opened fire on the unsuspecting Federals below. In response, Caldwell wheeled his own batteries toward Coffee Hill to counter Beckham, shifted his line onto the hill's western slope for cover from the shelling, and sent Hays's division forward against the Confederate guns.

As Beckham worked to limber up and pull his artillery back, Stuart called on Gordon to charge the Federal advance, which the 125th New York was leading, buying time for the withdrawal. That charge briefly halted the Federal push and gave way to scattered skirmishing along the lines. Stuart then ordered a second charge from Gordon so his cavalry could slip away to the southeast. Gordon went down wounded during this attack, but Stuart managed to break free, circling around the Federal position until he reunited with Early and Fitzhugh Lee, who were stationed southwest of Auburn.

Once Stuart's force had withdrawn, combat grew heavier along Ewell's line. Rodes pushed toward Coffee Hill again, prompting Caldwell to shift his artillery back westward to blunt the advance. Between eight and nine that morning, Rodes kept up the pressure while Early and Fitzhugh Lee's divisions entered the action from the southwest. The struggle reached a standstill by ten, followed by an artillery exchange lasting about an hour, which continued until the Federal column reached Catlett's Station safely. Caldwell then pulled back eastward, briefly harassed by Rodes's men. All engagement had died down by one in the afternoon, at which point Ewell pulled his forces back.

Aftermath

The clash, which lasted the better part of a morning, left slightly more than 100 men killed, wounded, or missing in total. In strategic terms neither side gained the upper hand, and the engagement ended in stalemate. Stuart's command narrowly escaped what had seemed almost certain capture thanks to Confederate efforts, while Federal forces succeeded in shielding their exposed wagon trains from harm. Lee, intent on keeping pressure on the retreating Union army, directed Lt. Gen. A.P. Hill to chase the Federals eastward along the rail line. That pursuit set the stage for the Battle of Bristoe Station, fought later the same afternoon.