Bog Wallow Ambush on Braddock Road

Michael Mitchell's "The Bog Wallow Ambuscade" is an in-depth account of the December 4, 1861 ambush by New Jersey infantry of Georgia cavalrymen on Braddock Road. Mitchell draws on participant reports, maps, official Civil War records and newspaper articles to tell the compelling story. He begins by describing area conditions, combatant strategies and events leading up to the ambush. He rounds out the account by following several key participants in the days and years after the ambush. The earlier November 1861 skirmish at Oak Hill, which involved a few of the same participants and is described briefly, is presented in full detail in Mitchell's article "Oak Hill Kitchen Skirmish."

Michael S. Mitchell

"The Bog Wallow Ambuscade" article copyrighted material not to be reproduced without permission of owner, Michael Mitchell

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Historical Marker: Bog Wallow Ambush

The historical marker reads: "BOG WALLOW AMBUSH...On 4 December 1861, fifty-five men of the 3rd New Jersey Infantry, Col. George W. Taylor commanding, set an ambush nearby in retaliation for attacks on Union pickets. They stretched two telegraph wires across Braddock Road at the eastern end of a “perfect bog hole” to dismount riders. Near midnight, twenty-four Georgia Hussars cavalrymen, led by Capt. J. Fred. Waring, entered the trap from the west. A “sheet of fire” erupted from the tree line along the swamp's edge. The Confederates returned fire and escaped with four men wounded and one captured. Union losses were one killed, two wounded and one captured."

The marker is located at the intersection of Braddock Road and Dunleigh Drive. It commemorates the early Civil War action that occurred a short distance eastward on Braddock Road approaching Rolling Road. A spring-fed pond on the south side of the road is evidence of the water source that would have produced the swamp-like conditions.

Photo by John Browne

Oak Hill: Civil War Skirmish

On the night of November 5, 1861, a shootout occurred between three Union scouts and four Confederate cavalrymen at Oak Hill. It was seven months after the start of the Civil War and four months after the Confederate victory in the First Battle of Bull Run/Manassas. Confederate forces occupied Fairfax Courthouse (today's City of Fairfax) and Union Army camps were within 10 miles near Alexandria. Located between the lines of the two armies, Oak Hill was in an area where they tested each other and probed with frequent patrols.

In "Oak Hill Kitchen Skirmish" (access the article in the File(s) list) Michael Mitchell reconstructs the brief firefight from several sources. The sources range from official reports and personal letters written within days of the event to correspondence and newspaper and book articles written decades later.

Private Edward S. E. Newbury of the Third Regiment New Jersey Infantry was a principal figure in the event and probably the most reliable source of what occurred. Photographs of Newbury, who later advanced to the rank of Captain, show him in his Union Army uniform and as a much older man after 1900.

Researcher and author Michael Mitchell was born and raised in Annandale and enjoys pursuing his interest in local Civil War history.

In addition to Mike's article "Oak Hill Kitchen Skirmish," included in the list of files are copies of sections from four sources cited therein:

--- News item from Trenton State Gazette newspaper erroneously reporting death of Newbury and T. P. Edwards.

--- Appendix C from Roll of Officers and Members of the Georgia Hussars and of the Cavalry Companies, of which the Hussars are a Continuation, with Historical Sketch Relating Facts Showing the Origin and Necessity of Rangers or Mounted Men in the Colony of Georgia from Date of its Founding (1906). Includes accounts of the Oak Hill skirmish as well as detailed analysis of an ambush that occurred nearby on Braddock Road a month later. (access full document at: http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/meta/html/dlg/zlgb/meta_dlg_zlgb_gb5065.html?Welcome)

--- "Gallant Union Scout" from Historical Sketches of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars (1908) by J. Madison Drake (access entire book at http://archive.org/details/historicalsketch00drakiala)

--- "The Spy Who Was Trapped Inside Enemy Lines" newspaper article, New York Herald Co. (1911)

Michael S. Mitchell

"Oak Hill Kitchen Skirmish" article copyrighted material not to be reproduced without permission of owner, Michael Mitchell

Trenton State Gazette erroneous report.jpg copyrighted material; image used with permission from GenealogyBank.com

Edward S.E Newbury_in uniform.jpg image , New Jersey State Archives

Edward S.E Newbury_late in life.jpg image , Mrs. Ray S. Newbury Collection, Civil War Photos. Record Group 98. Military History Institute. Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania (Newberry, 1st Lt. Edward S. E. (Newbury). Photograph. ca. 1900-1920)

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Ravensworth Replacement House

On August 1, 1926, the Ravensworth Mansion mysteriously burned down, though the adjacent outbuildings survived. Subsequently, Dr. George Bolling Lee built this smaller farm house on the property. In 1956, the property and buildings were considered as a possible location for the Northern Virginia University - the future George Mason University, which eventually was built near Fairfax City. The property was later sold and developed into the Ravensworth subdivision. The Lee farm house was demolished to make way for the Ravensworth shopping center and industrial area.

The original Ravensworth Mansion was built c. 1797 and became home to William Henry Fitzhugh and his wife Anna Maria. Henry had inherited the Ravensworth property in 1809, while still a minor, upon his father William Fitzhugh's death. Anna Maria's niece, Mary Lee and her husband, Robert E. Lee honeymooned at Ravensworth. During the Civil War, Mary Lee and her children briefly stayed at Ravensworth, but fearing for the safety of her relatives, they moved south to eventually settle in Richmond.

The Fitzhughs, who were childless, had willed the 8,000-acre Ravensworth property to their niece. Mary Lee's death in 1873 preceded Anna Maria's in 1874. Therefore, the estate was divided among the five surviving Lee children. William Henry Fitzhugh Lee inherited the mansion and 500 surrounding acres. By 1922, W. H. F. Lee's property had passed to his son Dr. George Bolling Lee, who used the residence as a summer home and hired overseers to operate the farm.

Washington Star Photograph Collection, Washingtoniana Division, District of Columbia Public Library

Star Collection, reprinted by permission of the DC Public Library; © Washington Post.

Oral History, Part 2: Lee Hubbard

Part 2 of two parts. Lee Hubbard's family can trace its roots in Fairfax County to the 1700s. He discusses his childhood and milestone events. Lee Hubbard became a member of the police department and he talks about criminal cases, traffic, and the growth, administration, and operation of the police department.

Slide Show: Burke Historical Society Slide Presentation

The history of Burke, Virginia is told in 80 captioned images, from the village's start in the 1850's as a railroad depot to the early 1990's. The slide set was originally put together by the Burke Jaycees for the U. S. Bicentennial Celebration. The slides were taken and organized originally during 1974-76. The slide set was given to the Burke Historical Society in 1978. From 1988 to 1990, the slides were updated and more were taken in the early 1990's. The slides subsequently were archived and organized by Tom Giska. The slides were digitally scanned, edited and "recreated" by Gil Donahue in 2005-2006, and some of them were used in Braddock's True Gold: 20th-Century Life in the Heart of Fairfax County, which was published by the County of Fairfax in June 2006.

The slide show has been divided into six numbered parts to keep file sizes low for faster download and viewing. They are best viewed in sequence from part one to six.

Tom Giska was a member and president of the Burke Historical Society. The Society, which was inactive for many years, resumed operations under a new charter and leadership in May 2010.

Courtesy Tom Giska

Jerusalem Baptist Church

The Jerusalem Baptist congregation of Fairfax Station formed on May 17, 1840. Charter members worshiped every third Sunday at the Upper Church (Payne's Church), an original colonial Anglican church, which was located south of the courthouse on Ox Road. During the Civil War, Confederates used the church building as a hospital. Later Union troops dismantled the church and used the bricks to build chimneys for their winter quarters. This white frame church opened on Ox Road in January 1867, and its membership of blacks and whites remained steady through the years. Baptisms were held in local streams or ponds.

Courtesy Lee Hubbard

Historic Survey Report: Wakefield Chapel

Survey description of Wakefield Chapel, dated February 17, 1971, for the Historic American Buildings Survey Inventory.

Historic Survey Report: King's Grant

Survey description of King's Grant, dated July 17, 1974, for the Fairfax County Department of Historic Resources Reconnaissance Level Survey.

Historic Survey Report: Aspen Grove

Survey description of Aspen Grove, dated September 1, 1970, for the Historic American Buildings Survey Inventory.