Battle of Auburn 13–14 October 1863

The Battle of Auburn, Virginia, was from 13–14 October 1863 between Confederate cavalry and Union Infantry. II and III Corps had become separate from the main Union Brigade who were marching northwards after the Battle of Gettysburg. III Corps, under Colonel Charles Collis, came across General Lunsford Lomax’s Confederate cavalry reconnaissance party on the Old Carolina Rd and a brief skirmish ensued. Outnumbered, the cavalry withdrew. Meanwhile, Lomax’s commander, General J.E.B Stuart, sighted Union soldiers while reconnoitring near Catlett’s Station. He hastily retreated with his men and hid in a nearby ravine where the following morning (14 October), he was fired upon by II Corps infantry, who had spotted Stuart. Meanwhile III Corps had marched on, unaware. Stuart had called for support from Lieutenant General Richard S. Ewell and after Ewell’s arrival there was a full confrontation between the Unionists and the Confederates on St Stephen’s Rd. Stuart and his men finally escaped, but the battle was inconclusive.