The New York Times September 3, 1862; The Battle of Ox Hill (Chantilly).

The Battle of Ox Hill (Chantilly), had yet to be named when it made the headlines in the New York Times two days after it was fought. Newspaper reporters had just been banned from reporting on army operations and details of the battle were sketchy at best. This hard fought battle was also quickly overshadowed by Lee's decision to invade the north. These events, along with Pope's demoralized army disbanding immediately after the battle, have largely contributed to the battle's poor documentation.
On the Confederate side, Jackson downplayed the battle because of his dissatisfaction with the performance of his troops. There is no doubt that Jackson didn't want to highlight a battle where Union forces not only surprised him, but also pinned his army down while Pope escaped. Jackson must have also discovered that he outnumbered his Union attackers three to one. For Stonewall Jackson to realize he held superior defensive positions on high ground and that the under strength Union forces were still able to break through the center of his line, must have been a bitter pill to swallow. Some of the other circumstances that contributed to the poor documentation were... - The low morale of the enlisted men and officers after the Union defeat at Second Manassas. Many of the surviving unit commanders never bothered to file required after-action reports. - Confusion over where the battle was fought. The fact that the battle was initially called the Battle of Chantilly, a name that persisted until present day, shows how the Union Commanders were unaware of their location. In 1862 the area referred to as Chantilly was well in the rear of Jackson's army. The battle was actually fought on the south slope of Ox Hill as Jackson was attempting to outflank Pope by advancing on the crossroads at Germantown.	Scanned from an original issue of the New York Times.
- The bitter politics between McClellan and Pope had a severe effect on Popes army which not only overshadowed the battle but also the plight of the wounded who were left behind. While Pope gave his full time and attention to retaining command, his demoralized army ceased to exist as they reached the outer defenses of Washington and were absorbed into McClellan's army. Because of the low morale and inattention of the competing factions, many of the Union wounded were neglected and suffered horribly on the battlefields from Bristoe Station to Ox Hill. The cowardice of drunken ambulance drivers stampeding from the field of battle also left many of these unfortunate wounded to fend for themselves. - The three Union commanders, (Stevens, Kearny and Reno), along with many key officers from both sides, were either killed at Ox Hill or shortly afterwards at Antietam. Many of the principle Confederate commanders were also recuperating from wounds received at Second Manassas and were not in actual command of their respective units during the battle. Their subordinates in many cases never filed a report. - The battle was fought during a series of line storms some of which were a "Class 6" (the most severe). Most of the combatants were unaware of what was happening elsewhere on the battlefield because of the low visibility from the raging storms. In some cases the soldiers were as alarmed by the storms intensity as they were with the man-made version raging about them.