Book excerpt: "Just before dawn on June 9, 1863, Union soldiers materialized from a thick fog near the banks of Virginia's Rappahannock River to ambush sleeping Confederates. The ensuing struggle, which lasted throughout the day, was to be known as the Battle or Brandy Station -- the largest cavalry battle ever fought on North American soil. Meticulously captured by historian Eric. J. Wittenberg, these events marked a major turning point in the Civil War: the waning era of Confederate cavalry dominance in the East gave way to a confident and powerful Union mounted arm. This volume features a GPS guided tour of the battlefield with illustrations and maps by master cartographer Steven Stanley"--Page 4 of cover.