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The main body retreated across the river, rapidly pursued by Lomax, who
came up with them within a few miles, when a running fight ensued to Brandy
Station, often before the scene of heavy cavalry lighting.

Before reaching Brandy Station the brigades of Lomax and Wickham united,
as had also the two columns of the enemy, for Wickham had been heavily engaged
at Raccoon Ford. Here the enemy's cavalry met the infantry sent to support them,
when they turned upon their pursuers, and the fight was renewed with redoubled
fury, and charges and counter charges were made, until both sides paused from
sheer exhaustion. The left of the Confederate line then crossed the road leading
from Culpeper Court House to Brandy Station, and the battle was resumed.

Whilst it was raging fiercely, a short time before dark, a heavy dust in the
direction of Culpeper warned the Confederates that reinforcements of the enemy's
cavalry were rapidly approaching from that town.

Fearing an attack in the rear from this new enemy, General Fitz Lee imme-
diately drew back his left, which was then in danger, and re-formed parallel to
the road by which they approached. The Federal column came forward in
splendid style, the sabres flashing in the rays of the declining sun, and to an
inexperienced observer it would have seemed as though everything would have
been swept from before it. Not so the gallant men who stood in its way awaiting
the attack. But the enemy was evidently not seeking a fight, for suddenly he
moved to the left upon discovering the Confederates in his path, and sought to
pass without a collision. But this did not suit General Lee, who immediately
ordered a charge, and Federals and Confederates were soon dashing along in most
admirable confusion until the infantry was reached, when General Lee was
compelled to retire out of range. A short time after General J. E. B. Stuart, with
Hampton's Division, came down the Culpeper road, and then was ascertained the
reason why the enemy had wished to pass so rapidly. That General had defeated
them at Culpeper, and was then in hot pursuit.

General Thomas L. Rosser, then Colonel of the Fifth Virginia Cavalry, says
of this incident in McClellan's "Stuart's Cavalry '':

My regiment, with the First Maryland and Fifteenth Virginia Cavalry, extended across
the road upon which these troops were coming up in our rear. Not knowing who they were,
I sent to Fitz Lee to learn something about them, but before hearing from him they came
near enough for me to observe that they carried the Federal flag; and to prevent being
crushed between these two commands 1 withdrew my regiment, and advised the other
Colonels to fall back so as to avoid the heavy blow in our rear. We did so, and re-formed
perpendicular to Buford and parallel to the direction of march of the advancing column
from the rear, and we were in good order when the head of Kilpatrick's column got opposite
us. These troops were moving at a full gallop: they were not charging upon us, for we