On August 2nd, Union Gen. Crawford with about 400 troopers of the 1st Vermont, 1st Michigan, and the 5th New York cavalry regiments advanced toward Orange Court House. The column entered the town, and the streets appeared deserted until the Confederates attacked the lead elements of the Federal force.
Confederate Colonel William “Grumble” Jones, who commanded the 7th Virginia Cavalry (consisting of about 200 men), attacked the Federals. Jones ordered Captain John Magruder’s sharpshooters to harass the Federals until an organized push could be made with the bulk of his column. Col. Jones also ordered a flank attack on the Union cavalry along the railroad tracks while the main force followed the sharpshooters down Main Street from Caroline Street.
The two-pronged attack took advantage of Orange’s narrow streets, preventing the Union force from being effective. The Federal column met the charging Confederate cavalry at about the intersection of the Gordonsville and Madison roads in front of the county courthouse. At first they were thrown into confusion but quickly regained their composure and rallied, “…killing horses and men alike.”
“The fight was furious in the narrow streets,” wrote 5th New York regiment Chaplain Louis Beaudry. He continued, “the street was strewn with unhorsed men whose heads displayed fearful gashes from the Yankee sabers.” Fifty Confederate prisoners were captured, including a major, a captain, and two lieutenants. The Confederates were repulsed and retreated down the road to Peliso and Spicer’s Mill, others fled down the Gordonsville Road to at least a mile outside of town as the Federals refused to pursue them.
The poorly regarded Federal cavalry performed well. An eye witness to the battle reported, “The streets were cluttered with the bodies of dead soldiers and dead or dying animals. Personal belongings were also scattered everywhere.” Not only did the Federals take the battlefield from the Jones’ capable cavalry, they also tore up the rail line and cut telegraph wires in town. The Union cavalry departed Orange about dusk and rode to Rapidan where they bivouacked for the night.
After the Battle of Orange Court House ended, citizens came to assist the Union and Confederate wounded and they were taken into private homes or businesses to await medical treatment. St. Thomas Church along with many other churches and business served as hospitals during this time.
Orange Court House marked the first of few instances of mounted urban cavalry fighting in the Civil War. It also marked an important first step in the eventual maturation of the Union cavalry. However it would not be until June 1863, at the Battle of Brandy Station, that the Federal cavalry would prove itself better than the vaunted Confederate cavalry.