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April 16, 2007

In memory of those who tried to enrich our lives through knowledge...

11/11/2006
On this Veterans Day 2006...

 

Over the past 30 years and just 15 miles west of our Nations Capitol, I watched in horror as our politicians allowed developers to bulldoze the hallowed ground of a Civil War battlefield....

 

A Vermont soldier in passing by the Battlefield of Ox Hill (Chantilly) just before Christmas 1862 remarked...

 

"I have paid a visit to the old Chantilly battle field, two miles from here, (Fairfax Courthouse) and in which engagement the noble Kearney and the gallant Stevens fell. In passing over the field, what horrible scenes were presented to my view; I pray to God that I may never witness the like again. Human bones lay in every direction, half covered bodies met my gaze, showing that no pains had been taken in their burial, and revealing the horrors of a battle field, stamping indelibly upon my mind impressions that time can never eradicate."  

 

It was from these beginnings that the roots of our military traditions began the practice of not leaving our dead and wounded behind (after ambulance drivers skedaddled leaving the wounded to fend for themselves). Over a period of ten days after the battle, outraged citizens and military personnel went back to the battlefields of Second Manassas which included the Battle of Ox Hill (Chantilly), to find those who may still be alive. Under a flag of truce they began to collect the wounded who had been abandoned for as long as ten days... (with some already having starved to death) and bury as many of the dead as was possible.

 

On this Veterans Day I give this "Last Salute" to all who have served... regardless of where and when you have carried our Flag of Freedom into battle. To those and their families who have given so much in this current war on terrorism... we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your selfless sacrifice... You represent the core values of who we are as a people.

 

We shall never forget, whether it was yesterday, or... 144 years ago.

09/11/2006
On this the 5th anniversary of 911...

 

we salute those who have given their lives in our war on terror.

 

09/01/2006
On this the 144th anniversary of The Battle Of Ox Hill (Chantilly)...

 

we are still trying to finish writing the history of The Battle of Ox Hill (Chantilly) based on the only archeological survey (1976-1986) conducted of the battlefield before it was developed. As we have all witnessed recent weather related disasters like Katrina, it reminded us of what Clara Barton reported during the battle...

 

"With what desperation our men fought hour after hour in the rain and darkness...

....And the courage of the soldier who braved death in the darkness of Chantilly let no man question."

We had always been puzzled by the degree of darkness reported by eyewitnesses in the sparse historical record.

After patiently waiting several years we were finally able to video a similar weather pattern that followed the same chronology of the battle on its anniversary.

Much to our surprise you could clearly see in the thick woods where by the end of the battle the combatants could only see their foe by the flash of lightning or fired muskets. After some quick research, we discovered in all the modern interpretations concerning the timing of the battle, nobody had realized that daylight savings time didn't exist during the Civil War!

 

September 1st 2002
140th Anniversary

 

On this 140th anniversary of the Battle of Ox Hill (Chantilly) I thought it would be appropriate to add to the courageous story of the 21st Massachusetts Volunteer Militia. When General Reno ordered the regiment into the eastern woods to help take the pressure off of Stevens' main attack, the men of the 21st never imagined they would be facing an entire Confederate division... In a letter written shortly after the battle, Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross, recognized the courage of these American heroes whose history has now been all but forgotten...

We sat down in our tent and waited to see them break in, but Reno's forces held them back. The old 21st Massachusetts lay between us and the enemy and they could not pass."

"With what desperation our men fought hour after hour in the rain and darkness! How they were overborne and rallied, how they suffered from mistaken orders, and blundered and lost themselves in the strange mysterious wood. And how, after all, with giant strength and veteran bravery, they checked the foe and held him at bay, is an all-proud record of history.

And the courage of the soldier who braved death in the darkness of Chantilly let no man question."

Although the battlefield has been substantially developed,  a small but significant section of the battleline, where the 21st Massachusetts and 51st New York fought 140 years ago has  survived... Our survey documented the exact location of the combatants in the east woods which had previously never been found and is the only remaining section of the eastern woods that still exists today.

To read more about the 21st Massachusetts and their encounter with Jackson's Division on the east side of the battlefield (includes updated maps) click here... The East Woods.

To better understand who these courageous American soldiers were, we've also included newly discovered letters written by Pvt. Henry Brown of the 21st Massachusetts. 

The Letters of Henry Brown is a collection of previously unpublished war time letters that were contributed by Pvt. Brown's great nephews John Proctor and Henry Brown. The letters give a good description of life in the 21st Massachusetts from the day it was first formed, to it's darkest day, when the regiment suffered it's heaviest loss of life at Ox Hill...