1907 Battlefield Photo

A 1907 photograph of the Ox Hill Battlefield looking south from the Confederate positions. The Confederate battleline stretched south from Rt. 50 and then turned west across West Ox Road following the woodline to the western side of the cornfield - over a half mile long!

The above photograph of the Ox Hill Battlefield is from the book "Industrial and Historical Sketch Of Fairfax County Virginia" published by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 1907. It shows  what the Confederate commanders were able to observe looking south from their positions along the tree line. 

On the horizon you can see the low hill where the Milan house was located and where the Union forces had started their advance. In the foreground and to the right, is the split rail fence that divided the grass field from the cornfield. If you follow the  fence to it's end, you can just make out the the Reid house among the shade trees that surround it. 
The following quotes from this "Historical Sketch", also illustrate how leaders of our community felt about preserving our heritage nearly a century ago.

In speaking of preservation...

"It is to be sincerely regretted that some one had not a century ago collected and recorded all the facts connected with the Colonial homesteads of Fairfax County... Everything now is but the "Scattered remnant of a vague tradition".

and on the Civil War...

"Survivors of the Civil War "come on pilgrimage", seeking the places where they fought and camped, and weep ofttimes at the wrong spot, and delight in "location assured'. Each year finds these pilgrims fewer in number and more bent in form, and soon, yea too soon, there will be left none to come."
Although this great generation of Americans have all been laid to rest, the descendents of those "survivors", still "come on pilgrimage". In the picture below, John Proctor follows the footsteps of his great uncle Henry Brown, who was a private in the 21st Massachusetts Volunteer Militia.
 The picture was taken looking south from the Confederate positions on the east side of West Ox Road. This is exactly where the 21st Massachusetts ran into the Confederate battleline and in Private Brown's words, "were murdered"  by a volley fired  at point blank range.

Note how the ridge drops off behind where John Proctor is standing. The Confederate battleline was not visible until the 21st Massachusetts crested the ridge. Also keep in mind that a fierce storm had 
just let loose and visibility was extremely poor. 

At the turn of the next century we hope some future Board of Supervisors will not once again say...  "It is to be sincerely regretted that some one had not a century ago collected and recorded all the facts connected with the Civil War in Fairfax County".

 

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