The Battle of Carlisle was a relatively small, but strategically important skirmish during the Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil War, taking place during the evening of July 1, 1863, in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. It coincided with the opening of the Battle of Gettysburg, and was part of the reason why Confederate cavalry under Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart did not arrive at that battle until well into the second day of fighting. His failure to rejoin the Army of Northern Virginia earlier was a source of annoyance and concern to Gen. Robert E. Lee, who missed the "eyes and ears" of his army as he engaged the Army of the Potomac. Stuart, on a lengthy roundabout ride to locate Lee"s army, briefly engaged Union militia under Maj. Gen. William F. "Baldy" Smith at Carlisle, and then set fire to the famed Carlisle Barracks military outpost before withdrawing towards Gettysburg.