160th Anniversary of the Battle of Brandy Station June 9-11, 2023
The 160th anniversary of the Battle of Brandy Station will be remembered on the weekend of June 9th-11th. The Brandy Station Foundation is welcoming the
124th New York State Volunteers at the Graffiti House and is sponsoring a history
talk by Dr. Gary Gallagher, the John L. Nau III Professor of History Emeritus,
University of Virginia, on "What Caused the Civil War" at the Brandy Station
Volunteer Fire Department Hall on Saturday, June 10th, beginning at 5 PM.
Captain Andrew Camporeale and other members of the 124th New York State
Volunteers, Co. B, are reenactors based out of Richmond. They plan to be joined
by members of the original reenacting company (Co. H) based out of Orange
County, New York; that company has been an active group since the 1980s.
Many organizations are involved in the anniversary weekend including the BSF,
Culpeper Battlefield Tours, the American Battlefield Trust, and organizations in the Friends of Culpeper Battlefields group. The scheduled events are as follows:
Friday, June 9th:
Free Real Time Tour of the Battle of Brandy Station: Tours start at 5:30 AM, the approximate start of the Battle in 1863 (considering daylight savings time). Just show up at the locations and times listed below.
5:30 AM - 11380 Beverly Ford Rd, Brandy Station, VA - Intro of battle/Opening clash. Note: This is a dead-end, park on the righthand side of the road.
6:30 AM - 12465 Beverly Ford Rd - The field of battle develops. Note: Park in circle lot.
7:30 AM - Intersection of Beverly Ford Rd and St. James Church Rd - The line is drawn. Note: Park in circle lot.
9:30 AM - 12465 Beverly Ford Rd (same as 6:30 AM location) - Buford's Knoll actions.
12 Noon - 20362 Fleetwood Heights Rd, Brandy Station - The clash of the cavalry.
1:30 PM Lenn Park, 18063 Stevensburg, Rd., Culpeper - Duffie attacks.
The Graffiti House, 19484 Brandy Road, Brandy Station: Civil War field hospital with Federal and Confederate graffiti will be open to visitors from 1:00 PM-4:00 PM.
Saturday, June 10th:
Living History at the intersection of Beverly Ford Rd and St. James Church Rd: A living history camp will be set up on the battlefield and open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Reenactments, including cavalry, artillery and infantry, and speaker events are scheduled throughout the day. The cost to attend is a parking charge of $20 per car. Plan to carpool!
10:00 AM – Artillery Living History – on the Battlefield at St. James
Church
11:00 AM – “A Soldier’s Story” – speakers’ tent
12:00 PM - Cavalry re-enactments at St. James Church
1:30 PM – Gus Dorsey, Officer of JEB Stuart – speakers’ tent
2:30 PM – General Alfred Pleasanton and General JEB Stuart – speakers’ tent
3:00 PM – Infantry Demonstration – on the Battlefield at St. James Church
5:30 PM Free History Talk: Dr. Gary Gallagher, the John L. Nau III Professor of History Emeritus, University of Virginia, on "What Caused the Civil War" at the Brandy Station Volunteer Fire Department Hall, 19601 Church Road, Brandy Station. Doors open at 5 PM. There will be a book signing of his titles that you might bring or buy at the event.
The Graffiti House, 19484 Brandy Road, Brandy Station: Civil War field hospital with Federal and Confederate graffiti will be open to visitors from Noon-4:00 PM.
Noon-4:00 PM Reenactors from the 124th New York Infantry, “the Orange Blossoms” at the Graffiti House in Brandy Station.
Sunday, June 11:
Living History at the intersection of Beverly Ford Rd and St. James Church
Rd: A living history camp will be set up on the battlefield and open to the
public from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Reenactments are scheduled throughout
the day. The cost to attend is a parking charge of $20 per car. Plan to
carpool!
10:00 AM – Church service at the original site of St. James Church – Open to the public
11:00 AM – Artillery Living History – on the Battlefield at St. James Church
12:00 PM – “A Soldier’s Story” – speakers’ tent
1:00 PM – Cavalry re-enactment at St. James Church
4:00 PM – Film Talk and Movie Screening: Marking the 30th anniversary of the movie Gettysburg, catch a special viewing of the movie. Writer and Director Ron Maxwell will be discussing the movie and its filming. Location: Woodberry Forest School. Details coming soon.
The Graffiti House, 19484 Brandy Road, Brandy Station: Civil War field hospital with Federal and Confederate graffiti will be open to visitors from Noon-3:00 PM.
Noon-3:00 PM Reenactors from the 124th New York Infantry, “the Orange Blossoms” at the Graffiti House in Brandy Station.
Brandy Station Foundation Annual Meeting. April 21, 2023
The Brandy Station Foundation Annual Meeting this year was on Friday, April 21st at the Brewery Pub at Old House Vineyards in Culpeper. Our speaker was BSF Vice President and retired National Park Service Supervisory Historian Greg Mertz on “The Cavalry from Hartwood Church to Brandy Station - Misunderstandings and Surprises.”
At the meeting, the BSF Officers for 2023-2024 were introduced: President:
Howard Lambert; Vice President: Gregory Mertz; Treasurers: Peter and Peggy
Mocarski; Secretary: Peggy Misch.
The 2023-2034 Brandy Station Foundation Board of Directors and Advisory
Committee members elected were: Brandy Station Foundation Board of
Directors: Jane Brookins, Donald Carlson, Helen Geisler, Myra Lane, Larry Pullen, and Paul Warmack.
Brandy Station Foundation Advisory Committee: Dr. Michael Hill, Mike Kalis,
Joseph McKinney, John Orr, Cecilia Schneider-Vial, Anthony Seidita, and William Truitt, Jr. Dr. Daniel Beattie has also agreed to serve on the committee.
President’s Corner
Greetings,
I would like to take this opportunity to say a special thanks to all members, friends and invited guests who attended our annual meeting. The meeting was held for the first time at Old House Vineyards in Culpeper County. The Brewery Pub room was a great setting and the staff did a wonderful job accommodating the needs of the Brandy Station Foundation.
It was a pleasure to meet and dine with those in attendance for the very first time. They asked a wide range of questions and appeared sincerely interested in the work of the Brandy Station Foundation. Hopefully, they were inspired to become members of the organization. More importantly, I would like thank each and every member in attendance. It was great meeting many for the first time. We are grateful for your support and financial contributions over the years. Many of our projects would not have been possible without your commitment to the organization.
Congratulations go out to the newly elected members of the Board of Directors
and Advisory Committee. We realize that it may require a significant time
commitment. However, I believe that you will find the work very rewarding. I look forward to working with each of you in the weeks and months ahead.
We recently kicked off our Sunday Guest Speaker Series with Dr. Michel Hill on
Civil War Medicine. The series is scheduled to run on the third Sunday of every
month through September, with June as a special exception. Please visit our
website for the complete list of speakers and the topics of discussion. In addition
to our guest speaker series, we will also host several events on the Graffiti House
grounds this year. In May, we hosted the 23rd USCT reenactors based in
Spotsylvania, Virginia. We have also scheduled in the coming months a
demonstration of Civil War era balloons, the U.S. Army Signal Corps and a living
history event with the 124th New York State Volunteers reenactors scheduled to
take place on June 10 -11th. The event is part of the 160th Anniversary of the
Battle of Brandy Station. The Brandy Station Foundation is co-hosting the
weekend of activities with Culpeper Battlefield Tours and other organizations.
The scheduled weekend activities include tours, a living history encampment,
screening of the movie “Gettysburg” and two cavalry battlefield reenactments on
the 10th and 11th of June. The Brandy Station Foundation will also host
prominent Civil War author and historian Dr. Gary W. Gallagher at the Brandy
Station Fire Hall on Saturday, June 10th, beginning at 5 PM. The event is free to
the public.
Finally, the Brandy Station Foundation in May launched a membership drive. The organization, like most 501(c) (3) non-profit organizations, relies on members for financial support. Our membership is also a valuable source for volunteers. It is our goal to substantially increase the number of members and provide even more speakers, events, and activities at the Graffiti House over the next year as well as increase the hours our doors are open to the public. We solicit your help in this endeavor by inviting family, friends, neighbors and co-workers to join the Brandy Station Foundation. The membership forms can be found on our website at: brandystationfoundation.com.
Thanks for your continuing commitment to the Brandy Station Foundation.
Howard Lambert
President, Brandy Station Foundation
Park Day, April 15, 2023
Left to right: BSF President Howard Lambert with Peter Mocarski and Larry Pullen
Park Day at the Graffiti House was on April 15, 2023. New gravel was spread in the parking lot and the flower beds were mulched. Park Day is an annual handson volunteer event to help Civil War and other historic sites shine their brightest. Thank you to those who participated to enhance the Graffiti House.
Board Member Larry Pullen coordinated the effort for the BSF.
New Civil War Trails Marker Inserts
In April, three Civil War Trails marker inserts were received and placed in the markers in front of the Graffiti House and on BSF land on the approach to Fleetwood Hill. BSF Vice President Greg Mertz has been working on these new inserts since the summer of 2021.
The old inserts had become unreadable due to exposure to the elements. Greg proposed new revisions of text and images and sent them to the BSF Board for review. The three markers include one in front of the Graffiti House on the 1863-1864 Winter Encampment and two on land saved by the BSF on Fleetwood Heights Road. Peter Mocarski repaired the markers and repainted the stanchions. He secured the new insert with screws.
May 6th and 7th events
On Saturday, May 6, 2023 there was a living history event at the Graffiti House
featuring reenactors with the 23rd United States Colored Troops. Approximately
one-third of the men who served in the 23rd Regiment United States Colored
Troops (or 23rd Regiment United States Colored Infantry) were from Virginia.
Reenactors Ed Gantt, Gilbert Garcia, and Howard Lambert set up camp at the
Graffiti House.
On Sunday, May 7, 2023 BSF Advisory Committee Member Dr. Michael Hill spoke on Civil War medicine as part of the BSF Sunday lecture series. He asked his audience to remember Dr. William A. Hammond. In April 1862, Dr. Hammond became the U.S. Army's General. He pushed for a permanent hospital corps and a permanent general hospital. Dr. Hill, a retired physician and Center Medical Director for Concentra Medical Center/Urgent Care, is a docent at The National Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick, Maryland.