VA -- Chantilly (Ox Hill) Battlefield Park:
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- Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
- CHANT_980215_01.JPG: Chantilly; Kearny and Stevens memorials
- CHANT_980215_02.JPG: Chantilly; Kearny's Stump
- Wikipedia Description: Battle of Chantilly
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Battle of Chantilly (or Ox Hill, the Confederate name) took place on September 1, 1862, in Fairfax County, Virginia, as the concluding battle of the Northern Virginia Campaign of the American Civil War.
Background:
Defeated in the Second Battle of Bull Run on August 30, Union Maj. Gen. John Pope ordered his Army of Virginia to retreat about 5 miles northeast to Centreville. The movement began after dark, with Maj. Gen. Irvin McDowell's III Corps providing cover. The army crossed Bull Run and the last troops across, Franz Sigel's I Corps. Gen. Robert E. Lee decided not to press the advantage gained that day, largely because he knew his Army of Northern Virginia was exhausted from two weeks of nearly constant marching and nearly three days of battle, so the Union retreat went unmolested. Lee's decision also allowed the Army of Virginia's II Corps, under Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks, to consolidate with the bulk of Pope's army, marching in from Bristoe Station, where they had been guarding the army's trains. More importantly, Lee's decision bought time for the Union to push to the front the Army of the Potomac's II, V, and VI Corps, which had been brought from the Peninsula and—much to Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan's dismay—placed under Pope's command.
By the morning of August 31, Pope seemed to be losing his grasp on command of his force. The defeat at Second Bull Run seemed to have shattered his nerve and Pope was unsure what to do next; he knew Washington wanted an attack but he feared Lee might strike first and shatter his reforming force before it was ready to fight again. Calling a conference of his corps commanders—something he had been loath to do previously in the Virginia Campaign—in his Centreville headquarters, Pope agreed with their decision to retreat further into the strong Washington defenses where they could rebuild in earnest. But a message from General-in-Chief Henry W. Halleck directing him to attack absolved Pope of all responsibility (in his own mind, at least) and he ordered an advance on Lee's forces on the Manassas field. Lee, however, had already set in motion his own plan that would rob Pope of the initiative to attack. Lee directed Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson to march his troops around Pope's right flank to get behind the Union position at Centreville. Leading the way and scouting for any Union blocking force was Confederate cavalry under the command of Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart. Maj. Gen. James Longstreet's command would remain in place for the day to deceive Pope into believing that Lee's entire force remained in his front, while Jackson's command made their flanking march, north and then east, to take strategically important Jermantown, Virginia, where Pope's only two routes to Washington—the Warrenton Pike (modern U.S. Route 29) and the Little River Turnpike (modern Route 50)—converged. Jackson's men, hungry and worn, moved slowly and bivouacked for the night at Pleasant Valley, three miles northeast of Centreville. As Pope settled down for the night on August 31, he was unaware that Lee was on the verge of turning his flank.
During the night two events occurred that would force Pope to face reality. A staff officer arrived from the Jermantown position to report that a heavy force of cavalry had shelled the intersection before retreating. The action directed by Stuart caused his men great mirth, but at the cost of revealing their presence in the Union rear. Fortunately for Lee and Stuart, Pope dismissed the cavalry as little more than a patrol. But when, hours later, two Union cavalrymen reported seeing a large mass of infantry marching east down the Little River Turnpike, Pope knew he was in trouble. For perhaps the first time since losing the initiative to Lee nearly two weeks before, Pope acted decisively. He countermanded actions preparing for an attack and directed the army to retreat from Centreville to Washington; he also sent out a series of infantry probes up the roads that Lee might use to reach his troops as they pulled back. It was an act that would save the mass of the Union's army from of potentially disastrous situation.
Battle:
On the morning of September 1, Pope ordered Maj. Gen. Edwin V. Sumner to send a brigade north to reconnoiter; the army's cavalry was too exhausted for the mission. But at the same time, he continued his movement in the direction of Washington, sending McDowell's corps to Germantown (on the western border of modern day Fairfax City), where it could protect an important intersection the army needed for the retreat. And he sent two brigades of Maj. Gen. Jesse L. Reno's IX Corps, under the command of Brig. Gen. Isaac Stevens, to block Jackson. Maj. Gen. Philip Kearny's division followed later that afternoon.
Jackson resumed his march to the south, but his troops were tired and hungry and made poor progress as the rain continued. They marched only 3 miles and occupied Ox Hill, southeast of Chantilly Plantation, where they encountered Stevens's two brigades about 3 p.m. The Confederates attacked several times during a fierce thunderstorm: on the right flank, Maj. Gen. A.P. Hill against Stevens; on the left, Maj. Gen. Richard S. Ewell against Kearny. Despite having numerical superiority over the Union defenders, the attacks were repulsed until they petered out by 6:30 p.m. Kearny, one of the Union's most aggressive and respected generals, mistakenly rode into the Confederate lines during the battle and was killed. Stevens was also killed on his front, while bravely waving the colors to rally his men. That night, Longstreet arrived to relieve Jackson's troops. The Union army withdrew to Germantown and Fairfax Court House.
The fighting was tactically inconclusive, but Jackson's turning movement was foiled and he was unable to block the Union retreat or destroy Pope's army. Two key Union generals were killed. Pope, recognizing the attack as an indication of continued danger to his army, continued his retreat to the fortifications around Washington, D.C.. Lee began the Maryland Campaign, including the Battle of Antietam, after Pope retreated out of Virginia. The Army of the Potomac, under Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, absorbed the forces of Pope's Army of Virginia, which was disbanded as a separate army.
Battlefield today:
The site of the battle, once rural farmland, is now surrounded by suburban development in Fairfax County. The intersection of the modern thoroughfares of Route 50 (also known as Lee-Jackson Memorial Highway) and State Route 7100 (also known as Fairfax County Parkway) intersect near the location of the battle. A 4.8 acre (19,000 mē) memorial park, the Ox Hill Battlefield Park, lies adjacent to the Fairfax Towne Center shopping area, and includes the site of the battle. The park is under the jurisdiction of the Fairfax County Park Authority; in January 2005, the Authority approved a General Management Plan and Conceptual Development Plan that sets forth a detailed history and future management framework for the site.
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Ox Hill Battlefield Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ox Hill Battlefield Park is a site in Fairfax, Virginia where the Battle of Chantilly (Confederate name Battle of Ox Hill) was fought during the American Civil War, the only major battle of the war fought in Fairfax County. The battlefield is now a public park adjacent to suburban developments and the Fairfax Towne Center shopping center, and is maintained by the Fairfax County Park Authority.
The most prominent feature is a pair of monuments to the two Union generals who were killed during the battle, Isaac Stevens and Philip Kearny. Stevens was fatally shot within the area of the park, and Kearny was killed just to the west. There are also two Virginia historical markers placed near the park entrance commemorating the battle and aftermath.
The park is located in Fair Lakes near Route 50, on the corner of West Ox Road (State Route 608) and Monument Drive (which was presumably named for the Kearny and Stevens memorial). It is only 4.8 acres (19,000 mē), about 1.5% of the roughly 300 acres (1.2 kmē) where the battle was fought. The rest of the battlefield has been developed with apartments, office buildings, and similar urban construction. Nevertheless, the remaining plot does hold important portions of the battle area.
Battle:
Main article: Battle of Chantilly
After being defeated at the Second Battle of Bull Run, the Union army retreated to positions near Centreville, Virginia. Confederate general Robert E. Lee, in an attempt to surround the Union army and block their retreat towards Washington, D.C., sent 20,000 men under Stonewall Jackson north and then east along the Little River Turnpike (today part of Route 50) to get behind the Union position. Union General John Pope learned of this action, and sent about 6,000 men to intercept.
The two sides came into contact during the afternoon of September 1, 1862. The Confederate forces were on Ox Hill, alongside the Little River Turnpike, and the Union forces came from the south. A severe thunderstorm raged as each side attacked and counterattacked, and Union generals Stevens and Kearny were killed during the fighting. By nightfall, neither side had broken through, and both fell back. The Union suffered approximately 1,300 casualties, with the Confederacy losing about 800.
The bulk of the Union army was able to retreat further east towards Washington, ending Lee's attempt to fully defeat the Union army and thus protecting the capital from attack, but it came at a cost of many casualties and two important generals lost. Lee instead turned to Maryland, and fought the Battle of Antietam sixteen days later.
History of the park:
John N. Ballard, a Confederate cavalryman during the Civil War who lost a leg serving under John S. Mosby, ended up owning much of the Ox Hill battlefield in the 1870s after marrying the heiress (Mary Reid Thrift). On July 7, 1915, Ballard and his wife deeded a small plot near the site of Stevens' death for the purpose of "allowing any person or persons the privilege of erecting appropriate monuments or markers commemorating the death of any Confederate or Federal Soldier who fell in the battle fought on the Fruit Vale Farm, this battle was fought on the 1st day of September 1862, being known as the Battle of Ox Hill or Chantilly." The plot was deeded to six trustees; three from New Jersey (Kearny's home) and three from Virginia. Trustees have since been appointed by court order. The monuments to Stevens and Kearny were dedicated on October 2, 1915, by the First New Jersey Brigade Society.
In the 1980s, the area of the battlefield began to be commercially developed. The company which acquired rights to the park area wanted to move the monuments to a new location, but following opposition to this plan (including articles in The Washington Post), in 1987 the developer agreed to leave the stones in place and donated 2.4 acres surrounding the monuments to Fairfax County. In 1994, the county purchased an additional 2.4 acres. The rest of the battlefield is now completely developed.
Signs designating the Ox Hill Battlefield Park were placed on the site, but little else was done with the park for many years. In 2004, the Fairfax County Park Authority developed plans to improve the park, including restoration of some elements of the Civil War battlefield, two new monuments to Confederate and Union soldiers, and additional signage. These plans were approved in January 2005, to be implemented in stages as funding became available. As of late 2006, these efforts have not begun.
Features:
Kearny and Stevens memorial:
The memorial to Generals Kearny and Stevens are two granite monuments, surrounded by an iron rail with granite posts. Each monument has the general's name carved on one side, and a tributary plaque attached to the other. The monuments are not gravestones but are cenotaphs, as the two generals are buried elsewhere. Neither general died on the exact spot; Stevens was killed nearby and Kearny died about 150 yards southwest of the park. The plot of land containing the memorial is not officially part of the park as it is still owned by its trustees, but the park almost certainly would not exist today without them.
The plaques read:
Major General
Philip Kearny
Killed on this spot
September 1, 1862
The tributes of Kearny's
First New Jersey Brigade and friends
Here Fell
Major General
Isaac Ingalls Stevens
With the Flag of the Republic
In His Dying Grasp
September 1, 1862
Note: Stevens was a brigadier general at the time of his death; he was posthumously promoted to major general.
Stone markers:
Kearny's Stump is a granite marker in the shape of a tree stump, located a few feet away from the memorial. The original tree stump was purported to be the spot where Kearny was killed, though he is now known to have died in a cornfield about 150 yards away (outside the bounds of the current-day park). The stump was however used as the origin of the survey used to define the memorial plot, so when the original stump rotted away it was replaced with a stone version.
There is also a pile of fieldstone rocks and a quartzite boulder on the park grounds, which is believed to mark the location where General Stevens was killed.
Signage:
In 2000, two Virginia Historical Markers were put up at the park entrance. Marker B-13, titled Battle of Ox Hill (Chantilly), commemorates the battle while Marker B-29, titled Maryland (Antietam/Sharpsburg) Campaign, commemorates the start of General Lee's Maryland Campaign, which included the Battle of Antietam. Nearby there is one interpretive sign which gives a brief description of the battle.
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