In the middle of June 1863 Henry Halleck, General-in-Chief of the Union army wired Major General John Dix, commanding the Department of Virginia “to threaten Richmond by seizing and destroying their railroad bridges over the South and North Anna Rivers, and do them all the damage possible.” This was because of Lee's army moving toward the Shenandoah Valley. The thought was that an attack on Norfolk was out of the question and that the concentration of Dix’s force could “occupy a large force of the enemy,” thereby slowing Lee's offensive.

Dix arranged for transport, but it was not until the 24th of June that he had enough men at White House on the Pamunkey River to send a force consisting of the 11th Pennsylvania cavalry and other mounted men to destroy the Virginia Central Railroad bridge over the South Anna River. The bridge was destroyed, as was a supply depot at Hanover Courthouse and the sortie “secured and brought away 700 animals, 35 army wagons, $15,000 in Confederate bonds, and other property, and captured Brig. Gen. W. H. F. Lee.” "Rooney" Lee had recently been wounded at Brandy Station and was recuperating at the time of his capture.

By this time the Confederate army under Lee was in Pennsylvania. President Lincoln relieved Major General Joe Hooker of command of the Army of the Potomac, replacing him with Major General George Meade. In Virginia, Major General Dix had gathered enough men to organize a much stronger expedition from White House “under General Getty, to seize and destroy the bridge of the Fredericksburg and Richmond Railroad over the South Anna. It consisted of his division, excepting a regiment retained for provost duty at the White House, General Foster's brigade, a provisional brigade (part of Wistar's), under Colonel Wardrop, of the Ninety-ninth New York Volunteers, and the cavalry under Colonel Spear; in all, about 10,000 men.”

To cover for Getty’s expedition north of Richmond, another force under force under Major General Erasmus D. Keyes was to make a demonstration to Bottom’s Bridge southeast of Richmond through Baltimore Crossroads. This diversion was effectively stalled by skirmishers, while thousands of Confederate troops were rushed out of Richmond to cover the Richmond & Fredericksburg bridge. On July 4th, Getty found the river crossing heavily guarded with infantry and artillery with more support continually arriving; he decided not to attack. However a cavalry detachment sent to Ashland, about 11 miles north of Richmond, was more successful, it “destroyed the railroad depot, brought off the telegraph instrument, and tore up the track above and below the place, burning the ties and bending the rails.”

Halleck was disappointed in the effort and thought Getty greatly overestimated his opposition. He sent Dix back to Yorktown, Fort Monroe, and Norfolk and told him to send all available troops not needed for defense of those points to Washington, D.C. to aid in defense of the capital as Lee was retreating from Gettysburg. In his acknowledgment, Dix blamed Keyes for the lack of success. Soon thereafter, Dix, a veteran of the War of 1812, was reassigned to a post in New York City. Keyes was assigned to administrative duty until he resigned less than a year later.

Reference: Official Records, Series I, Volume 27, Part 2