Action at Mount Zion Church

Action at Mount Zion Church
Part of The American Civil War
Date July 6, 1864 Location Loudoun County, Virginia 38°57′49.67″N 77°36′35.06″W / 38.9637972°N 77.6097389°W / 38.9637972; -77.6097389 Result Confederate victory
Belligerents
Confederate States	United States
Commanders and leaders
John S. Mosby	William H. Forbes
Units involved
43rd Battalion Virginia Cavalry	2nd Massachusetts Cavalry 13th New York Cavalry
Strength
150	150
Casualties and losses
6 (1 killed, 5 wounded)	106 (12 killed, 37 wounded, 57 captured)
Location of Mount Zion Church in Virginia

The Action at Mount Zion Church was a cavalry skirmish during the American Civil War that took place on July 6, 1864, between Union forces under Major William H. Forbes and Confederate forces under Colonel John S. Mosby near Aldie in Loudoun County, Virginia, as part of Mosby's Operations in Northern Virginia. After successfully raiding the Union garrison at Point of Rocks, Maryland, Mosby's Rangers routed Forbes's command, which had been sent into Loudoun County to engage and capture the Rangers. The fight resulted in a Confederate victory.

On July 2 Col. John S. Mosby was informed of Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early's plans to invade Maryland by the latter's quartermaster, Hugh Swartz, who was then traveling through Fauquier County. In order to aid Early's raid, Mosby planned a raid into Maryland of his own to cut telegraph wires between Washington, D.C., and Harpers Ferry. Accordingly he ordered a rendezvous of the Rangers the following morning at Rectortown to which 250 Rangers responded. The Rangers spent the day in the saddle making it to Purcellville by days end where they made camp for the night. The next morning, July 4, the Rangers traveled the rest of the distance to the Potomac River, arriving across from Berlin (present day Brunswick) around 11 a.m., whereupon scouts were dispatched along the river to find possible targets of attack. When they returned, Mosby was informed of a small Union force at Point of Rocks, Maryland. Mosby determined this would be the Rangers target and they set out east down the Potomac to that village.