Battle of Lewinsville

Battle of Lewinsville
Part of the American Civil War
Date September 11, 1861 (1861-09-11) Location Lewinsville, Virginia Result Inconclusive[1]
Belligerents
United States (Union)	CSA (Confederacy)
Commanders and leaders
Colonel Isaac Stevens Captain Charles Griffin	Colonel J.E.B. Stuart Major James Terrill Captain Thomas Rosser
Strength
1,800	400+
Casualties and losses
2 killed, 3 wounded, 4 captured [2]	Claimed no casualties[2] but had at least 1 killed, 1 wounded.[3][4]

The Battle of Lewinsville^[5][6] was an engagement fought between a Confederate States Army force of 400 to 500 men and the United States Army units numbering about 1,800 men near Lewinsville, Virginia in Fairfax County, Virginia, on September 11, 1861.^[7] The Union reconnaissance was in force which led to the engagement was part of the operations of Major General General McClellan in the last half of 1861 in northern Virginia. After taking control of the Washington defenses after the First Battle of Bull Run, McClellan strengthened the ring of forts and outposts defending the immediate vicinity of Washington, D.C. He also planned to cautiously extend the area of northern Virginia under Union control.^[8] Scouting, surveying and mapping missions were among the early actions implementing this plan. Minor battles occurred, which were notable for their effects on military and political actions and leadership appointments in the nascent war.

In the September 11 action, the Rebel force under the command of Colonel J. E. B. Stuart, with Major James B. Terrill commanding the infantry and Captain Thomas L Rosser commanding the artillery, engaged the Union regiments under the overall command of Colonel Isaac Stevens, with Captain Charles Griffin commanding the artillery, while they were withdrawing from their reconnaissance and surveying mission. The Confederate attack hastened the withdrawal of the U.S. troops and inflicted several casualties. Stuart officially reported that the Confederates sustained no casualties. Union forces included companies of the 19th Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, one of the original regiments of the Iron Brigade of the Army of the Potomac and the 79th New York Infantry Regiment ("Highlanders"). The complete Union order of battle is in the following footnote.^[9] The Confederate order of battle is in the following footnote.^[10] The steadfast performance of the men of the 79th New York Infantry Regiment resulted in the return of their regimental colors which had been taken from them because of a mutiny over the term of their service and other organizational issues a month earlier.^[11]

The action featured Stuart's tactic of using close up artillery along with cavalry, a tactic not initially favored by General Joseph E. Johnston, commanding Confederate forces in northern Virginia and one of his two immediate subordinates, General P. G. T. Beauregard.^[12] His other immediate subordinate and Stuart's commanding officer, then Brigadier General James Longstreet, commended Stuart's actions and praised him for his success. Johnston and Beauregard joined Longstreet in generally praising Stuart and recommending his promotion to the grade of brigadier general. Stuart was promoted two weeks later. Although involving larger forces and Stuart's ambitious use of artillery, as well as noteworthy incidents and more apparent later effects on operations and the advancement of commanders, the September 11 action at Lewinsville was similar in the level of combat as in several other small battles, skirmishes, raids and reconnaissances of the two armies in northern Virginia in the fall of 1861.^[13] These other battles included other skirmishes near Lewinsville on September 10 and September 25 following another reconnaissance in force.^[13]

The September 11 action resulted in favorable reports concerning three Union officers, two of whom became general officers and one of whom, Lieutenant Orlando Poe, became chief engineer for Major General William T. Sherman in 1864. Isaac Stevens was appointed a Union Army brigadier general three days after Stuart's promotion. In addition to Stuart, two other Confederate officers also became general officers. A private, John S. Mosby, later colonel of the 43rd Virginia Cavalry Battalion ("Mosby's Rangers"), came to Stuart's attention at this engagement. Although the Union force suffered some casualties and withdrew from the field and the Confederates officially reported no casualties (although Mosby in a letter to his wife mentions 1 killed, 1 wounded^[3][4]), the engagement may be considered inconclusive or a draw. The Union force achieved its objective of scouting and mapping the area around Lewinsville before withdrawing. The withdrawal was part of the mission plan, which also included the instruction not to bring on a general engagement.^[14]