"Battlefield Graves"

The battlefield graves were found adjacent to the fortifications in Centreville, Virginia. Originally built by the Confederate Army prior to the First Battle of Manassas, the fortifications changed hands several times during the beginning of the war. As the war progressed, they eventually became part of a defensive line of earthworks and cavalry outposts that protected Washington.

During the Battle of Ox Hill (Chantilly), Major General Pope retreated from the Centreville fortifications to Fairfax Court House. When the Confederate army occupied Centreville the next morning, they found that a medical inspector from the Surgeon General's office had remained to care for the wounded.

By September 9th, the inspector and his small staff had evacuated the last of the wounded from the Second Manassas battlefields. However, it appears that he was not aware (at least not initially) of 250 Union wounded that lay abandoned on the Ox Hill battlefield.  For at least three days, and possibly for as long as a week, the wounded lay scattered across the  battlefield entirely destitute with no medical care, food, water, or shelter. [Editor's Note: this is the first known public disclosure of this tragedy.]

Quite a few of these wounded lay in the thick undergrowth east of West Ox Road where the 21st Massachusetts had lost so many men. There are also reports that some had starved to death before they were discovered (on both battlefields). Some of these "forgotten" may have never been found... dying where they lay.

The next time you walk on what's left of our nation's battlefields or have an occasion to remember times past... remember those forgotten few. 

"A Last Salute" was originally constructed to help show how a forensic anthropological investigation was conducted and to document the spontaneous community effort that was involved. This historical preservation model has now been expanded to include a previous archaeological salvage survey (1976 - 1986) and history of the Ox Hill battlefield before it too was bulldozed. For a more in-depth study of the burials please see Historical Analysis.