Lee's Defensive Plan Along The Rappahannock River Depended On The Confederate Bridgehead At Rappahannock Station
On November 7, the Rappahannock River was forcibly crossed at two points by the Union forces. More than 1,600 members of Jubal Early's Division were taken prisoner after a nighttime attack that overran the Confederate bridgehead at Rappahannock Station. Kelly's Ford had less intense fighting, with roughly 430 losses, but the Confederates withdrew, allowing the Federals to advance with great might. Lee's army was about to move into winter quarters in Culpeper when they instead retired into Orange County south of the Rapidan River. The area around Brandy Station and Culpeper County was under the control of the Army of the Potomac.
Despite the majority of the Army of Northern Virginia being south of the Rappahannock, the Confederates were still able to access the northern bank of the river thanks to a single pontoon bridge. Lee planned to be able to "threaten any flank movement the enemy could undertake" by holding onto this bridgehead. The overall plan of Robert E. Lee was to make the most of the bridgehead at Rappahannock Station in order to divide any attacking armies, threaten their flanks, and ultimately defeat them. However, Lee's ideas of keeping a presence along the river and in the surrounding area were tarnished once the Federals under Sedgwick took control of the bridgehead. As a result, he was forced to abandon his plans and move even further south to the Rapidan River.
