The First Battle of Rappahannock Station, (also known as Waterloo Bridge, White Sulphur Springs, Lee Springs, and Freeman’s Ford) as took place on August 23, 1862, at present-day Remington, Virginia, as part of the Northern Virginia Campaign of the American Civil War. Background In early August, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee determined that Union Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan's army was being withdrawn from the Virginia Peninsula to reinforce Maj. Gen. John Pope. He sent Maj. Gen. James Longstreet's wing from Richmond to join Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's wing of the army near Gordonsville and arrived to take command himself on August 15. On August 20 and 21, Pope withdrew to the line of the Rappahannock River. Skirmishes Throughout the day on August 20, Pope spread his army along the northern bank of the Rappahannock from Kelly's Ford northward to just above the railroad bridge at Rappahannock Station (present day Remington, Virginia) and prepared to defend the river crossings. On that day the head of Longstreet's right wing of Lee's army reached Kelly's Ford. Lee had intended to cross the river above Pope's army to flank it but Pope was expanding northward too quickly. On August 21 and 22 the northern ends of the two armies "waltzed", first Pope and then Longstreet expanding northward along the river. Each army kept its southern end anchored at Kelly's Ford. Lee then changed his strategy and ordered Jackson's left wing to move much further upriver in order to cross above Pope. On August 23, Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry crossed the Rappahannock at the northern end of Jackson's line and made a daring raid on Pope's headquarters at Catlett Station, thus showing that the Union right flank was vulnerable to a turning movement. Rappahannock Station Lee now needed to protect his own right flank from a possible enemy attack. Upriver storms on August 22 had caused the river to rise enough to make most of the fords useless, but Lee needed to take the railroad bridge at Rappahannock Station where Union artillery on the high northern bank plus a small troop and gun emplacement on the south bank controlled the crossing. On the afternoon of August 22, two Confederate artillery units arrived in the vicinity of Rappahannock Station. They were under orders from Maj. Gen. James Longstreet to drive the enemy from his positions on both sides of the river. Nathan G. Evans'