On June 9, 1863, Union cavalry under Brig. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton clashed with Confederate horsemen under Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart in Culpeper County. For fourteen hours, both sides engaged in charge and countercharge near a rail stop known as Brandy Station. Although Stuart held the field at the of the day, the actions of Pleasonton's troopers helped boost morale. The battle became the largest cavalry engagement fought in American history and opened the Gettysburg Campaign.