The Confederates defending Kelly’s Ford repulsed five charges before the Union troopers crossed the river

When Averell's advance guard arrived at Kelly's Ford on the Rappahannock early on March 17, 1863, they discovered 60 Confederate sharpshooters and fallen trees blocking their way across. Averell's men could see two substantial homes on the southern bank of the river, a millrace that resembled a trench, and grey-clad sharpshooters holed up in rifle pits from their side of the river. Major Samuel E. Chamberlain, Averell's chief of staff, eventually forced a crossing that was being made by 20 members of the 1st Rhode Island Cavalry. He sustained a head injury.

These 130 defenders, led by Captain James Breckinridge, fired frantically, filling the ford with dead soldiers and horses and delaying the Federals for over three hours. Despite being outnumbered, the Confederates benefited significantly from the abatis they had previously built on the northern bank, which kept the Union soldiers from using their superior numbers to their advantage. Despite losing 79% of his attacking group when crossing the river, Lieutenant Simeon Brown bravely led the sixth charge and successfully drove the southerners back. Totally, the Confederates defending Kelly’s Ford repulsed five charges before the Union troopers crossed the river.