Union Cavalry Raids Stuart's Headquarters (17 AUG 1862)
By mid-August, John Buford had already earned a reputation as one of the Union Army’s best intelligence-gathering cavalry officers. A prewar dragoon, he had spent years on the frontier learning how to scout long distances, read terrain, and report clearly to superiors. Unlike some Civil War cavalrymen who chased glory
in flashy raids, Buford excelled in careful reconnaissance. His reports were straightforward, factual, and focused on what a commander needed to know: who was where, in what strength, and moving in what direction. Later in the war, one officer fittingly described Buford as “cool, quiet, and unassuming, but clear in his views and prompt in his decisions.”
The raid occurred as Lee moved his Army of Northern Virginia toward Pope’s Army of Virginia along the Rappahannock. Stuart’s cavalry screened these movements and worked to keep Union eyes away from Confederate columns. An anxious Pope badly needed reliable intelligence. Consequently, Buford pushed his two regiments forward using secondary roads over the Rapidan River. His goal was not a pitched battle but a quick strike. Achieving near-complete surprise, his men drove in Stuart’s pickets near Verdiersville, Virginia, and burst into the headquarters area before the Confederates could react.
In the confusion, Stuart narrowly escaped capture, but several of his officers and couriers did not. Most important among them, Maj. Norman Fitzhugh, Stuart’s adjutant, carried orders detailing the overall Confederate plan, including how Lee intended to maneuver against Pope. The raid did not inflict heavy casualties, but the information gathered mattered more than skirmish itself.
The prisoners and their documents gave Pope a clearer picture of the enemy’s posture. They indicated that Confederate forces were concentrating and that Stuart’s cavalry was actively exploring the Union right and rear. This suggested Lee was not merely standing on the defensive behind the Rapidan River but was preparing to move aggressively toward the Union forces. Pope had already been worried Lee might attempt to turn his right or strike at his supply lines. Buford’s intelligence gave weight to those fears. Armed with this intelligence, Pope shifted his infantry to cover key Rappahannock fords and strengthened his cavalry screens along likely avenues of approach (https://www.dvidshub.net/news/545744). He also warned the leaders in Washington that Lee appeared to be taking the offensive, basing part of this judgment on Buford’s raid and subsequent reports.
The raid also had an intangible effect. It signaled that Union cavalry, often outclassed earlier in the war, could penetrate Confederate screens to gather enemy information. General Stuart tried to minimize the damage, claiming no critically important papers were lost. However, the fact Pope adjusted his deployments suggested otherwise. The Union leadership found the intelligence from Fitzhugh and the plans he carried to be credible and useful.
In the end, Buford’s intelligence did not prevent Pope’s defeat at Second Manassas. Operational mistakes, the speed and skill of Lee and Jackson, and the piecemeal arrival of Union reinforcements all outweighed the advantage that Buford’s information had briefly provided. Yet the August 17 raid stands out as an excellent example of how Buford operated: using cavalry not just to charge, but to see. His strike on Stuart’s headquarters produced concrete intelligence, his reports presented it clearly and without exaggeration, and Pope used it to reposition his army in the days leading up to battle.
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Article by Michael E. Bigelow, INSCOM Command Historian. New issues of This Week in MI History are published each week. To report story errors, ask questions, request previous articles, or be added to our distribution list, please contact: TR-ICoE-Command-Historian@army.mil.
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