Bill Backus - A Want of Vigilance: the Bristoe Station Campaign, October 9--19, 1863

2015 by Bill Backus and Robert Orrison

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America.

First edition, first printing

ISBN-13: 978-1-61121-300-3
eISBN: 978-1-61121-301-0

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015029294

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No more for them the pleasing hearth shall burn,
Nor busy housewife ply her evening care;
No children run to greet their sires return,
Or climb his knees, the envied kiss to share

Brig. Gen. Alexander Hays to his wife,
October 21, 1863

Dedicated to the thousands of men who came
to a little-known place called Bristoe and never
returned home. Many still lie there below the earth
today. May they be forgotten no more.

Table of Contents

by J. Michael Miller

by Bill Backus

by John R. Tole

by Michael Block

by Jay Greevy

by Chris Mackowski

List of Maps

Maps by Hal Jespersen

Acknowledgments

No one could write a book without the assistance of many friends and colleagues. First we want to thank Chris Mackowski for encouraging us on this project; without him it never would have been completed. Thanks to Ted Savas and the staff of Savas Beatie, LLC, for the continual support of this project and the entire Emerging Civil War Series. Also thanks to our fellow Emerging Civil War authors for showing us the ropes and giving great advice.

We relied heavily on our colleagues in the field who are experts in the fall campaign of 1863. Frank Walker knows more about Civil War history in Orange than anyone else. Clark Bud Hall, the expert on everything Brandy Stationthrough his efforts a good portion of that battlefield is preserved. Mike Block, one of the experts on Culpeper County history, read several chapters and made excellent suggestions. John Tole helped laying out the Confederate march from Orange to Warrenton. John Pearson, John DePue, Jay Greevy, and Jimmy Price have been our partners in crime at Bristoe Battlefield and have supported this project from the beginning. Adrian Tighe guided us through some tough research questions. Jeff Hunt, whose manuscript on July 1863-May 1864 is an excellent addition to any library, was helpful in sharing sources and making suggestions to our manuscript. Jim Burgess has been a supporter and advocate of preserving the Bristoe Station battlefield way before anyone else thought about it. Phil Greenwalt, Patricia Rich, and Dan Welch assisted with modern photos.

George Gilmore, born into slavery in the early 1800s, lived in this house across the road from James Madisons Montpelier estate outside of Orange. He built his cabin from the remains of winter huts left behind by Confederates from the winter of 1863-64. Today, the cabin is visible from the road and marks the head of a trail that leads back to a reconstructed Confederate winter camp. (cm)

Finally, Mike Miller not only read over the manuscript and provided the foreword, but also encouraged us to do this project. Mike did a lot of the research on Bristoe Station for the interpretive markers and assisted us finishing that project.

We apologize for anyone we have not mentioned.

Rob Orrison and Bill Backus

I want to thank my parents for encouraging my love of history and encouraging me to make it my profession. To my wife for putting up with being dragged to Civil War sites and allowing me the freedom to take trips for research and share my love of history with others. To my in-laws for watching our son on the many occasions where I needed to work on this projectwithout them, this would never have been possible. To my good friend and battlefield partner, Matt Atkinsonno one tells the story of the Civil War better than Matt.

Thanks to co-author and friend Bill Backus for being one of the best researchers I know and for putting up with my constant harassment during this project. Our work at Bristoe, I think, is something to be proud of.

Two cannons still stand vigil near the Bristoe Station Battlefield Heritage Park visitor center. (cm)

Finally to my son Carter, for reminding me why its important to preserve and tell the story of our collective past. I hope he grows up to appreciate history and learn from it to build a better future for us all.

Rob Orrison

PHOTO CREDITS: Mike Block (mb); Gettysburg National Military Park (gnmp); Phillip Greenwalt (pg); Harpers Weekly (hw); Library of Congress (loc); Chris Mackowski (cm); MOLLUS (mls); Rob Orrison (ro); Prince William County (pwc); Patricia Rich (pr); Virginia Historical Society (vhs); Dan Welch (dw)

For the Emerging Civil War Series

Theodore P. Savas, publisher
Chris Mackowski, series editor
Daniel T. Davis, chief historian
Sarah Keeney, editorial consultant
Kristopher D. White, emeritus editor and co-founder
Design and layout by Levi Trimble
Maps by Hal Jespersen

Touring the Battlefields

During the Bristoe Station campaign, the armies maneuvered over large swaths of central Virginia. This book will condense the campaign and emphasize the highlights. It will cover a large area geographically. Route 29 will serve as the major highway that will be the basis for most of the driving. Many of the tour stops will use historic roadways and take you through many scenic areas of this part of Virginia.

As always, be safe, as Route 29 is a busy road and most of the other historic roads used in the tour are rural, winding byways.

The tour stops follow the campaign chronologically. The only established publicly accessible battlefield spaces are at Brandy Station and Bristoe Station.

Few gravestones remain on Bristoes only identified cemetery. (cm)

Foreword

BY J. MICHAEL MILLER

In all of my Civil War ramblings, I have only been thrown off of two battlefields: one shall remain nameless, the other was Bristoe Station. Perhaps this incident ignited my stubborn mind to uncover what really happened on this forbidden battlefield, but it also created a determination to help preserve this hallowed ground.