I know it's epic loser status, but I have been researching the Civil War history of FFX county recently, and can't find too many details. I know the Battle of Chantilly was fought over off of West Ox Rd, and the troops used Rts 29 and 50. Does anyone know of any specific details that aren't "in the history books?" I've lived in Greenbriar all my life, and have heard many stories of a massive encampment there, but I can't find any references. If anyone knows any cool facts, let me know!

Get yourself to the City of Fairfax Library's Virginia Room.Libraries are great places to find facts and research stuff like the Civil War.

petey Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
I know
> the Battle of Chantilly was fought over off of
> West Ox Rd, and the troops used Rts 29 and 50.

Apparently you haven't heard of Brig. Gen. Tony Tong and the taking of Sully Plaza.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://bible.cc/1_corinthians/13-11.htm

Lee moved his army of Northen Virginia north of but near Great Falls and cut a trail near the C&O Canal when he marched north towards Gettysburg. It is entirely possible the staging and embarcation point for this march to Gettysburg could have started from the Greenbriar area.

Everything is in the history books. You just have to look past the into type books. Here's a short list. Action in Vienna 1861. Action at Fairfax Courthouse 1861. Bull Run (not the big battle in Prince William but the skirmish a few days earlier along the border). Munson's Hill 1861. Dranesville 1861. Confederate encampment in Centreville 1861-62. Chantilly/Ox Hill 1862. aftermath of the Bristoe campaign 1863. Various raids by Stuart and Mosby 1862-65.

This is a good site:

fxva.com/yourfairfax/history-heritage/civil-war-battlefields/



But for some reason, they left out Mosby's Rock (near Herndon):

hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=9957

petey Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I know it's epic loser status, but...

I wouldn't loose sleep over the losers here calling you a loser...

The day before the battle of Ox Hill which took place basically where Fair Oaks mall is now, Stonewall Jacksons head quarters was at Turley Hall off of Old Centreville Rd.

WashingTone-Locian Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> petey Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> I know
> > the Battle of Chantilly was fought over off of
> > West Ox Rd, and the troops used Rts 29 and 50.
>
> Apparently you haven't heard of Brig. Gen. Tony
> Tong and the taking of Sully Plaza.

I thought I knew something about the Civil War and a little about Fairfax Co, but I've never heard of General Tong! Please elaborate

There is no such person.

JFC Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The day before the battle of Ox Hill which took
> place basically where Fair Oaks mall is now,
> Stonewall Jacksons head quarters was at Turley
> Hall off of Old Centreville Rd.


I thought the HQ for Jackson's army was at the Shoppers Food Warehouse on 50...

The battle of Westfields continues to this very day.

­



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/2013 10:44PM by chuckhoffmann.

496 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The battle of Westfields continues to this very
> day.

Lots of friendly fire; lots of self inflicted casualties.

The massive encampment is probably a reference to Confederate cavalry Gen. J.E.B. Stuart's Camp Qui Vive.
http://www.espdesigns.com/oxhill/Artifacts/CScav/vabuckle.htm

This website has a ton of interesting tidbits about the Battle of Ox Hill:
http://www.espdesigns.com/oxhill/index.htm

You can get a lot of additional information by visiting the Battle of Ox Hill Battlefield Park in Fairfax and reading the trail markers. Or just read them here:
http://www.hmdb.org/results.asp?SearchFor=Battle+of+Ox+Hill

Fairfax County has just put out their first promotional brochure on Civil War sites in Fairfax County - lots of opportunities to find and explore new material here:
http://www.fxva.com/includes/media/docs/Fairfax-County-Civil-War-Guide.pdf

VFW Post in Fairfax Station will give you information. Clara Barton founded the Red Cross right at St Mary's at the intersection of 123 and FFX Station Road

I think soldiers used "Rock Hill" in Centreville as a lookout (I can't remember if it was the Confederates or the Yankees though).

WashingTone-Locian Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> petey Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> I know
> > the Battle of Chantilly was fought over off of
> > West Ox Rd, and the troops used Rts 29 and 50.
>
> Apparently you haven't heard of Brig. Gen. Tony
> Tong and the taking of Sully Plaza.


lollin'

Good question, though, because there seems to be history that isn't in the books... take the Quizno's restaurant off of Rt.50 (near the Staples) -- developers were told to preserve the "cabin" look of the building during renovation because it's considered a historical marker? Supposedly, it used to be an old firehouse, but before that it was a civil war make-shift hospital. Before it was renovated, there were still civil war handcuffs on some of the doors.

Across from there, next to the Shell Gas station, supposedly there is an unnamed (and hard to find) civil war soldier buried on the grounds of that undeveloped land. And when they redid the service road in front of the Shell station, all of a sudden, there's a historical sign marking the Sully Plantation? Lots of unknown history -- or at least.. unknown to most. I guess they only put details about places that have significant history into textbooks? Wish there was more. Incidentally, developers want to build an assisted-living apartment building on that plot of land where the soldier is buried. Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Use those historic markers you always see, but never read along the side of the roads.

Here is an example of one:

http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=7399

The site has many more.

look up Fort Lyon on the Wikipedia site

If you really want to do some exploring of little known Civil War sites in the area explore these locations (Defenses of Washington) - click on the red push pins for info on each location.

http://www.hmdb.org/map.asp?markers=0,20823,124,10622,10614,10610,10628,17133,17132,3012,20822,20824,2993,2999,4078,3028,901,20629,20630,17647,17695,3448,5069,3614,7636,4168,4554,7625,7632,7635,8460,7716,7680,7676,7709,5871,7713,7711,7714,7715,7684,2826,2837,5164,5258,5158,5104,5154,5099,5101,5102,5103,5141,5106,5150,2317,2318,5111,5155,5255,5257,5112,5147,5140,5138,5161,8029,880,13360,180,3079,3030,3078,7399

Rock Hill was the subject of a previous post of mine awhile back...

http://www.fairfaxunderground.com/forum/read/2/321692/322306.html#msg-322306

there's supposedly some rock near cub run off 50 where mosby and his rangers hid after a skirmish down route 50 when he attacked the chantilly house, which was north of 50 right about where plum run ct is.

Chuck Hoffmann probably has several wikipedia articles on this very subject.

­



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/2013 10:47PM by chuckhoffmann.

Well, many years ago when I was a youngster I went to Chesterbrook Elementary and behind the school is an actual creek (thus the name Chester Brook)...

Anyway, I can't remember what happened in that area but I remember all the teachers always getting very exited when they spoke of the history in the Schools "back yard."

Hell, we even had mini field trips to the brook, which meant walking through the playground and just a few feet into the woods.

Like I said, I don't recall what happened at Chesterbrook but something apparently did as during one of our "mini-field trips) a kid in my class found a musket ball or something of that nature.

If anyone does know anything about Chesterbrook then by all means post it as I'd like to know as well.

In the Centreville/Chantilly area I would assume any "highest location" would be a treasure trove of Civil War junk. So many battles around here that lookouts would need to be positioned, minimally, "up there".

petey Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I know it's epic loser status, but I have been
> researching the Civil War history of FFX county
> recently, and can't find too many details. I know
> the Battle of Chantilly was fought over off of
> West Ox Rd, and the troops used Rts 29 and 50.
> Does anyone know of any specific details that
> aren't "in the history books?" I've lived in
> Greenbriar all my life, and have heard many
> stories of a massive encampment there, but I can't
> find any references. If anyone knows any cool
> facts, let me know!

It is only referred to as the "Battle of Chantilly" by Yankees and
liberals. It is properly known as the "Battle of Ox Hill".

The only reason this battle is even mentioned is because two generals were wounded in a a battle that later in the war would have been referred to as a minor scirmish

I know that they had a skirmish right up the street from where I live in Reston. Reston Pkwy. used to be called Reston Ave., and before that it was called Ridge Rd. (For obvious reasons. Aside from Tysons Corner, it's the highest natural point around). I doubt you'll find it in many history books, though.

==================================================================================================
"And if any women or children get their legs torn off, or faces caved in, well, it's tough shit for them." -2LT. Bert Stiles, 505th, 339th (On Berlin Bombardier Mission, 1944).

The Clifton area has unmarked CSA gravestones all over the place. In high school a friend of mine had two in his front yard. We tried to dig one up one night, but spooked ourselves out and stopped after about 2 shovelfuls. Not sure if they (or the others around Clifton) were killed in battle or died from something else.

JFC Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The only reason this battle is even mentioned is
> because two generals were wounded in a a battle
> that later in the war would have been referred to
> as a minor scirmish


Two Union generals were "KILLED" at this small battle. High stakes for what it was.

It's funny how history is everywhere and you don't notice it.

My grandpa and great aunt used to pick up indian head arrows outside a fort in Missouri where they grew up left over from old battles. A neighbor of mine talked about going to her uncle's place in Georgia when she was a kid and seeing grave mounds and wood crosses in his back yard from the civil war. My parents joke about getting a metal detector for their 5 acres in Fairfax Station.

I do have a book, The civil war in Fairfax county by Charles V Mauro he wrote a couple other books on local history as well.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Charles+V+Mauro+&x=0&y=0

Historic Clifton has some Civil War ties. Easy to look up online, or in a local library.

I see thru your attempt to gather info on were to go detecting.
I will tell you I found a saddlebag or holster badge from the rochester,ny cavalry
that Lincoln dispatched into northern Virginia shortly after Secession.
not gonna tell you were I found it.
Oh yeah they were black cavalry too.
look it up all you who doubt me

JFC Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The day before the battle of Ox Hill which took
> place basically where Fair Oaks mall is now,
> Stonewall Jacksons head quarters was at Turley
> Hall off of Old Centreville Rd.

Turley HAll? Source?

President Lincoln held the "Grand Review" at Baileys Crossroads late during the war. The largest assembly of American troops ever.

^^^^
It was early in the war: November 20, 1861

The civil war was a hoax.

Ogien Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Well, many years ago when I was a youngster I went
> to Chesterbrook Elementary and behind the school
> is an actual creek (thus the name Chester
> Brook)...
>
> Anyway, I can't remember what happened in that
> area but I remember all the teachers always
> getting very exited when they spoke of the history
> in the Schools "back yard."
>
> Hell, we even had mini field trips to the brook,
> which meant walking through the playground and
> just a few feet into the woods.
>
> Like I said, I don't recall what happened at
> Chesterbrook but something apparently did as
> during one of our "mini-field trips) a kid in my
> class found a musket ball or something of that
> nature.
>
> If anyone does know anything about Chesterbrook
> then by all means post it as I'd like to know as
> well.


So anyone ever read or hear any history of Chesterbrook? I'm asking because I'm curious but also it's in a location that we are all extremely familiar with I would think.

The school and the brook are located on Kirby Road in McLean.

Juxtaposition Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The civil war was a hoax.

No, the Civil War was an inside job. Here's the proof.



I believe anything someone puts on a large sign and carries around, which completely explains my political choices.