The Lay of the Land
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Topographical Map was published in 1944 by the U.S. Army Map Service.
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It's fascinating to see that in 1944 not much had changed from when the Battle of Ox Hill (Chantilly) was fought 82 years earlier. The colorized version pictured above was contributed by local resident Diane Smith to better visualize how the topographical features (especially the two ridgelines that run from north to south) played such an important role in the battle. The town of Centreville is also on a similar north/south ridgeline but wasn't colored in. It is readily apparent that the ridgelines and road system were important considerations as the Union and Confederate armies maneuvered through the Virginia countryside. As the Union forces began an orderly retreat from the plains of Second Manassas they regrouped along the first ridgeline at Centreville. General Pope then sent a small force ahead to fortify the ridge at Germantown in order to protect the vital crossroads and keep his supply (escape) route open. When Stonewall Jackson circled around Centreville in his attempt to outflank Pope, he used the opposite ridge (that Ox Hill is a part of) to launch his attack on Germantown. Obviously all three of the north/south ridges played a vital role in the tactical movements of both armies. |
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