Stuart and Bayard

After the Battle of Antietam on 17 Sept. 1862, Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia recrossed the Potomac River into Virginia. After President Abraham Lincoln's constant urging, the Union Army of the Potomac, led by Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, pursued them. Lee ordered part of his army south to Culpeper Court House. To screen Lee's march, Maj. Gen. J. E. B. Stuart's troopers fought a series of engagements against the probing Federal cavalry. On 31 Oct., Stuart attacked Brig. Gen. George D. Bayard's command near Mountville, drove it southeast through Aldie, and discovered the Union army's left flank. Department of Historic Resources, 1998