Ox Hill Battlefield Park

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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 m²), about 1.5% of the roughly 300 acres (1.2 km²) 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.^[1]

Contents 1 Battle 2 History of the park 3 Events 4 Features 4.1 Kearny and Stevens memorial 4.2 Stone markers 4.3 Signage 5 References 6 External links

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.^[2]

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.^[3][1][4]

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.^[2] These plans were approved in January 2005, to be implemented in stages as funding became available.^[5] As of late 2007, these efforts had not begun, although behind-the-scenes progress had been made.^[6]

[edit] Events

Two or three times a year, groups gather for memorial, commemorative, or historic reenactment special events held at the park. These are typically held on or near significant dates, usually Memorial Day, September 1 (the anniversary of the battle), and Veterans Day.^[2]

On Memorial Day, usually at 1 PM, the Ancient Order of Hibernians sponsors a wreath laying ceremony, which includes a color guard performed by civil war re-enactors.^[7][2][8]

For several years, the 28^th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, Company B, held a commemoration on a weekend near September 1 which included living history presentations by Civil War re-enactors local historians, demonstrations of infantry and medical activities with military and musket firing, displays of tents and gear, and cooking by the soldiers.^[2][9]

[edit] Features

[edit] Kearny and Stevens memorial

The memorial to Generals Kearny and Stevens are two granite monuments, surrounded by an iron rail with granite posts.^[2] 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.^[10] The plaques read:

Stevens	Kearny
Here Fell Major General Isaac Ingalls Stevens With the Flag of the Republic In His Dying Grasp September 1, 1862	Major General Philip Kearny Killed on this spot September 1, 1862 The tributes of Kearny's First New Jersey Brigade and friends

Note: Stevens was a brigadier general at the time of his death; he was posthumously promoted to major general.^[11]

[edit] 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.^[2]

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.^[2]

[edit] 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.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Fairfax County Park Authority park page
  • Park Authority planning documents
• Website on the battle and preservation efforts
• Photos of the park
• The Battle of Chantilly (Ox Hill), a docudrama about the battle with scenes at the park
• Virginia Historical Marker B-13, Battle of Ox Hill (Chantilly)
• Virginia Historical Marker B-29, Maryland (Antietam/Sharpsburg) Campaign

• Ox Hill Battlefield Park is at coordinates 38°51′52″N 77°22′10″W / 38.86451, -77.36949 (Ox Hill Battlefield Park)Coordinates: 38°51′52″N 77°22′10″W / 38.86451, -77.36949 (Ox Hill Battlefield Park)