VA -- Aldie -- Mt. Zion Church:
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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:
- ZION_120527_028.JPG: The Elders of the Mount Zion Old School Baptist Church:
Beginning in the 1830s, disagreement over doctrine caused a split in the Baptist faith. Some Baptists wished the retain the teachings of the "old school," favoring a more strict interpretation of the Bible. Disputes arose over the subjects of Sunday schools, theological seminaries, and the missionary movement which was becoming popular. They felt that missions took the preaching of the Gospel out of the hands of the Church. In September of 1850, fourteen members of the Little River Baptist Church left that congregation to form Mt. Zion Old School Baptist Church. The deed to the property was obtained in December of 1850, and the Federal-style building was completed in 1851. The original section of the cemetery wall was built in 1853. Meetings were at Mt. Zion on the fourth Sunday of each month, and the preachers (who were called "elders") were shared by other Old School Baptist churches in the area. Men and women entered the church through separate front doors. Women sat on the right side and men on the left. At a time when racial segregation was the norm, slave and free black members of the congregation entered through separate side doors and worshipped in the balcony. Services continued at Mt. Zion until 1980. The church trustees transferred the building and property, excluding the cemetery, to the County of Loudoun in 1999.
Interestingly, the sign doesn't mention the role of slavery in the larger Baptist disagreements of the day:
Baptists
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ...
In 1845, the Baptists congregations in the United States split over three main issues: slavery, missions, and doctrinal integrity. The northern congregations were opposed to members in the southern congregations owning slaves, and tried to prevent slaveholders from being missionaries. However, not appointing a proportionate number of missionaries to the southern region of the U.S. sparked animosity from the southern churches. The southern congregations were also concerned over perceived liberalism in the north, accusing some missionaries of denying virgin birth and divinity of Jesus. The split created the Southern Baptist Convention, while the northern congregations, then known as Northern Baptists, formed their own umbrella organization now called the American Baptist Churches of the USA (ABC-USA).
- ZION_120527_034.JPG: The Fog of War
The Mosby / Forbes Chase of July 4 to July 6, 1864:
(1) Evening, July 4, 1864: Union Col. Charles Lowell sends Major William Forbes from Fairfax with 157 horse soldiers of the 2nd Massachusetts and 13th New York Cavary [sic] (detachments) on patrol between Aldie and Leesburg to report any Confederate movements. Lieutenant Colonel John S. Mosby and his cavalrymen are encamped at Point of Rocks.
(2) Morning, July 5: Major Forbes passes through Aldie and finds "all quiet." Forbes continues north passing Ball's Mill to Leesburg, returning to camp south of the mill.
(3) Evening, July 5: Mosby receives a report that Union cavalry is in Leesburg. He moves around Leesburg and halts near Waterford.
(4) Morning, July 6: Forbes breaks camp and rides by Ball's Mill to Leesburg. Finding no evidence of Mosby's Ranger's [sic], they return to Goose Creek.
(5) Morning, July 6: Mosby rides to Leesburg but finds Forbes has departed towards "Oatlands." The Rangers head south for a possible ambush.
(6) Afternoon, July 6: Forbes moves east on Little River Turnpike, halting near the Skinner farmhouse. Mosby's scouts shadow Forbes's cavalry, moving onto the turnpike east of the Federal troopers.
(7) Afternoon, July 6: Mosby moves west and confronts Forbes at Mount Zion Church and the Skinner farm. Supported by a cannon, the mounted Rangers charge Forbes's dismounted cavalry, either capturing them or forcing them from the field.
Attack on Mount Zion Church:
In this action east of Aldie, Major William Forbes and his cavalry are completely overwhelmed by Mosby's Rangers. Forbes was captured and the Union troopers lost 12 killed, 37 wounded, 38 missing, for total casualties of 87 men. Mosby's Rangers lost 1 mortally wounded and 4 to 8 wounded. The remainder of the Union cavalry fled the field down the Old Carolina Road in the direction of Sudley Mills.
- ZION_120527_037.JPG: The Mosby-Forbes Engagement July 6, 1864:
The Battle of Mt. Zion Church began in the early evening hours of July 6, 1864, as Confederate commander Lieutenant Colonel John Singleton Mosby's artillery struck the rear of a surprised Union cavalry under commander Major William Forbes. Amid a rousing "rebel yell," Confederate Rangers swooped down from two directions of detachments of the 2nd Massachusetts and 13th New York Cavalries. Forbes gallantly tried to rally his confused men as he rushed at Mosby swinging his saber. In the heat of the battle, Forbes' attack missed Mosby as Confederate Ranger Tom Richards intervenes between the two commanders, misfiring his pistol directly in Forbes' face. Unharmed, Forbes turns on Richards with his saber, thrusting with such force that the sword was embedded in the Confederate's shoulder and wrenched from Forbes' hand. At the same moment, Mosby fired a pistol at Forbes, missed, and instead hit Forbes's horse, "Beauregard," pinning Forbes beneath his dying mount. Coming to the defense of Forbes, Bugler A. P. Walker of the 2nd Massachusetts brushed aside another pistol leveled at Forbes and he and his "Fighting Major" surrendered. Mosby reported one killed and six wounded. Maj. Forbes was paroled at the end of 1864, returned home until "exchanged" in April 1865 in time to see action at Saylors Creek and Appomattox. The Forbes and Mosby families began a friendship after the war that made them close business and political allies for more than 30 years.
- ZION_120527_138.JPG: Mt. Zion Church
Mt. Zion Old School Baptist Church was founded in 1851. Just west of the church is a graveyard containing many 19th century grave markers. On July 6, 1864 nearby, Mosby's Rangers attacked and routed 150 Union cavalrymen. Over 100 Union soldiers were killed, wounded or captured. Mosby had eight men wounded, one mortally. The church is site of the annual Thomas family reunion founded 1934.
- Wikipedia Description: Action at Mount Zion Church
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Action at Mount Zion Church was an American Civil War skirmish that took place on July 6, 1864 between Union forces under Major William H. Forbes and Confederate forces under Colonel John S. Mosby near Aldie, Virginia in Loudoun County as part of Mosby's Operations in Northern Virginia. The fight resulted in a Confederate victory.
Background:
On July 2 Col. John S. Mosby was informed of General Jubal A. Early's plans to invade Maryland by the latter's quartermaster, Hugh Swartz, who was traveling through Fauquier County. In order to aid Early's raid, Mosby planned a raid of his own into Maryland to cut telegraph wires between Washington D.C. and Harpers Ferry. Accordingly he ordered a rendezvous of the Rangers the following morning at Rectortown: 250 Rangers responded to the call. The Rangers spent the day in the saddle making it to Purcellville by days end where they made camp for the night. The next morning, July 4th, the Rangers traveled the rest of the distance to the Potomac, arriving across from Berlin (present day Brunswick) around 11 a.m., where upon scouts were dispatched along the river to find possible targets of attack. When they returned Mosby was informed of a small Union force at Point of Rocks, Maryland. Mosby determined this would be the Rangers target and they set out east down the Potomac to that village.
That same day, 100 troopers of the 2nd Massachusetts Cavalry and 50 from the 13th New York under Maj. William H. Forbes were dispatched from Falls Church into Loudoun County by Col. Charles R. Lowell to hunt down Mosby and his Rangers. The force traveled east down the Little River Turnpike (present day U.S. Route 50) to Lenah and then headed north up the Carolina Road toward Leesburg, stopping at Ball's Mill on the Goose Creek for the night. The following day, the Federals traveled to Aldie and then to Leesburg before returning to Ball's Mill.
Upon arriving across the river from Point of Rocks the Rangers found the village held by two companies of Federal infantry and two companies of cavalry in the form of the Loudoun Rangers, totaling 350 Federals in all. One of the companies of infantry inhabited Patton's Island in the middle of the Potomac, while the second occupied a small fort on high ground above the C&O Canal. The Loudoun Rangers were encamped in the village. Mosby immediately set to work clearing Patton's Island in preparation for crossing the river. He deployed Ranger Sam Chapman with his lone Howitzer on the bluff above the river bank and ordered a detachment of sharpshooters under Lt. Albert Wrenn to wade into the river and attack the Federal position on the island. The Federal infantry exchanged fire with the Rangers for several minutes before giving way to the combined rifle and artillery fire and fled to the Maryland shore, tearing up the small bridge over the canal as they crossed it. The Rangers then dashed across the river to the Maryland shore where they began exchanging fire with the Federals across the canal. Many of the Rangers immediately set about repairing the bridge using planking from an old building. As soon as it was complete the Rangers ran across, led by Henry Hatcher who ran into the Union camp under heavy fire and captured its flag. Once across the canal the Rangers quickly drove the Federals from the town.
With the Union garrison dispatched, the Rangers set about burning canal boats and cutting the telegraph wires that ran beside the river from Washington to its garrison at Harpers Ferry. Besides Point of Rocks strategic value, it was also the refuge of many prominent Loudoun Unionists and their property, including Samuel Means. Thus after effecting the disruption of travel and communication along the Potomac the Rangers set about pilfering the stores and warehouses of the town, some of which contained property of Loudoun unionists. Because of the numerous pieces of fine clothing the Rangers returned with, the raid became know as the "Calico Raid". After completing the raid the Rangers retired back to Virginia and camped along the road to Leesburg.
The following morning Mosby dispatched about 100 Rangers to escort the three wagons full of plunder back to Fauquier. Mosby then led his Rangers back to Point of Rocks to continue his raid into Maryland. The actions of the Rangers, however had not gone unnoticed in Washington and after learning of the raid, General Henry Halleck dispatched the 8th Illinois Cavalry from Washington to Point of Rocks. When the Rangers arrived at the banks of the Potomac they found the 8th Illinois holding the village. A 90-minute firefight across the river ensued, in which the 8th Illinois claimed to kill 1 and wound two rangers while suffering no casualties themselves (Mosby made no record of any casualties), before Mosby broke of the attack and headed south towards Leesburg. The 8th Illinois were soon dispatched from Point of Rocks to Monocacy Junction, where Union General Lew Wallace was assembling a rag-tag force to oppose Early's drive on Washington, and along with the Loudoun Rangers, would fight in the Battle of Frederick and the Battle of Monocacy.
The Battle:
As Mosby approached Leesburg his scouts reported to him the presence of the Federals under Forbes in the town. In response Mosby lead the Rangers into camp west of Leesburg on Catoctin Mountain where the Rangers spent the night. The Federals departed from Leesburg the next morning, July 6, and headed south by Oatlands Mill and on to Aldie. At around 6 p.m. the Federals arrived at the intersection with the Little River Turnpike and stopped to rest for an hour or so at the Skinner farm near Mount Zion Church. Meanwhile, Mosby entered Leesburg shortly after the Federals left and learned of their withdrawal. He lead the Rangers out of town towards Ball's Mill on the Carolina Road, believing that the Federals had returned on the same route they had arrived on. At Ball's Mill Mosby was informed by local citizens of his mistake, whereupon he devised a plan to head southeasterly towards Gum Springs (present day Arcola) and intercept the Federals as they traveled east on the Little River Turnpike.
Upon arriving at Gum Springs, Mosby deployed his scouts who located the Federal force a half mile away on the western slope of a small ridge that lay between the two forces. Mosby deployed his howitzer on the crest of the ridge and formed his command on the Turnpike in columns of four lead by Lt. Harry Hatcher with dozen skirmishers in advance. The skirmishers encountered Forbes pickets just as the Federals were preparing to leave. Alerted by his pickets, Forbes quickly assembled his men into two lines in a field south of the pike and prepared to charges the oncoming Rangers. The shots of the skirmishers also alerted Ranger Sam Chapman manning the howitzer who let out a shot, which though not well aimed, caused disruption in the Federal line. Seeing that he could no longer order a charge, Forbes attempted to redeploy his lines to meet a charge. The disruption gave the Rangers time to dismantle a rail fence that stood between them and the Federals. Upon its removal the Rangers charged, delivering a deadly volley at the reforming Federal lines and startling the Federals' horses, sending their ranks into disarray.
The Federals broke southwest past the Skinner house and Mount Zion Church. For his part, Forbes attempted to rally his men, getting them to reform a line in the woods southwest of the pike. In the woods the two forces collided in fierce close range fighting. The Federals drew their sabers but found them ineffective against the Rangers pistol fire. In the close quarter fighting, Forbes encountered Mosby and attempted to stab him with his saber. Ranger Thomas Richards jumped in front of the blade, taking it in the shoulder and saving his commander. Mosby emptied his pistol, shooting out Forbes' horse from under him throwing him to the ground. Forbes quickly surrendered and the Federal resistance finally gave way. The Federals broke pell-mell into retreat with the Rangers in pursuit for several miles.
Results:
In the hour-long fight, the Rangers inflicted severe casualties, killing 12, including Captain Goodwin Stone, wounding 37, taking 57 prisoners, including Forbes, and capturing every horse not injured or killed in the fight. The Rangers suffered 1 killed and 6 wounded.
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