SEPT 13: Custer Wounded in Battle

Brig. General George A. Custer (left) with Maj. General Alfred Pleasonton in October 1863. (Credit: Library of Congress)

On September 13, 1863, Brig. General George A. Custer incurs his only wound in the Civil War when he’s struck in the foot by a piece of a Confederate artillery shell during the Battle of Culpeper Courthouse in Virginia. As a result, he becomes known for his legendary “Custer Luck.”

On September 12, the Army of the Potomac's 10,000-man Union cavalry corps under Maj. General Alfred Pleasonton left camp near Warrenton, Virginia, and crossed the Rappahannock River. Their objective was to attack Confederate Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart’s headquarters at Culpeper Court House, the seat of Culpeper County.

Union Brig. General H. Judson Kilpatrick. (Credit: Library of Congress.)

At 4 a.m. on the 13th, Pleasonton's three divisions moved forward nearly two miles, fording the Hazel River and approaching Culpeper. Near the main Confederate defensive line at 1 p.m., 1st Division commander Brig. Gen. H. Judson Kilpatrick ordered a mounted charge by the Michigan Brigade led by Custer, which carried the Confederate position centered at the railroad depot. Custer seized more than 100 prisoners, as well as three artillery pieces.

The three columns converged at Culpeper and continued their advance, driving the Confederates towards the Rapidan River in heavy skirmishing. At nightfall, the victorious Federals encamped near Cedar Mountain, with the Confederates camped across Raccoon Ford on the Rapidan