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)

Document

Oak Hill: Aerial Views 1966-1969

These two aerial photographs, taken between 1966 and 1969, show Oak Hill as suburban development was encroaching close to its borders. Richard Fitzhugh built Oak Hill circa 1790 on his inherited portion (2524 acres) of the Ravensworth plantation. Washington lawyer Edward Howrey and his wife Jane bought Oak Hill in 1935 and renovated the house for a country home. They sold in 1968 to a development company, builder of the Oak Hill subdivision.

Aerial Photo 1. Queen Elizabeth Blvd runs horizontally in the foreground. Little River Turnpike (LRT) runs horizontally across the top of the photo, and its interchange with the Beltway I-495) is at top right. Northern Virginia Community College's Annandale campus is under construction: the large area of cleared land in the upper center adjacent to LRT.

Aerial Photo 2. Queen Elizabeth Blvd runs horizontally in the foreground, ending near Private Lake in the lower right corner. Braeburn Dr angles into and dead ends at the northwest corner of the cleared Oak Hill land.

By 1970, houses had been built or were under construction on all sides of Oak Hill, which was saved from development on its present reduced tract of less than three acres.

Aerial photos courtesy of Amanda Scheetz

Oak Hill: Exterior View

Oak Hill mansion, built in 1790, is the only remaining home of the three manor houses of the Fitzhugh dynasty built on the Ravensworth plantation. Richard Fitzhugh, great grandson of the original Ravensworth owner, built Oak Hill in the late Georgian style.

The originial house was two stories with a center hall and four rooms - two upstairs and two down. It was remodeled in the Colonial Revival Style in the 1930s. A succession of owners expanded the house upward and outward, adding a third story and additional rooms on all floors.

The photo is of the house as it appeared in March 2006. It was taken from a position near the historic boxwood-lined walkway that has greeted visitors since 1790.

Photo by Gil Donahue

Copyrighted material, not to be reproduced without permission of owner, Gilbert Donahue

Historic Survey Report: Oak Hill

Survey description of Oak Hill, dated February 13, 1970, for the Historic American Buildings Survey Inventory.

Oak Hill Memories: Bernice Watt Montgomery

Bernice Watt Montgomery lived the first ten years of her life at Oak Hill when it was a 50-acre working farm. Her grandfather had purchased the property in 1889 for $900. She tells of her family and remembers her childhood on the historic property until its sale in 1935.

Oak Hill Memories: Mary Grace Watt Pulley

Mary Grace Watt Pulley lived the first seventeen years of her life at Oak Hill when it was a 50-acre working farm. Her grandfather had purchased the property in 1889 for $900. She tells of her family and remembers her childhood on the historic property until its sale in 1935. Her sketch shows the layout of the buildings and grounds as she remembers them.

Oak Hill: Interior Views

Oak Hill mansion, built in 1790, is the only remaining home of the three manor houses of the Fitzhugh dynasty built on the Ravensworth plantation. Richard Fitzhugh, great grandson of the original Ravensworth owner, built Oak Hill in the late Georgian style. The mansion was remodeled in the Colonial Revival Style in the 1930s. A replica Federal period mantle, decorative carved medallions, and a marble hearth are among the Revival features. Outside, original boxwoods line the driveway.

Photos by Gil Donahue

Copyrighted material, not to be reproduced without permission of owner, Gilbert Donahue

Fairfax County Supervisors, circa 1970

Former Annandale District Supervisor Audrey Moore, second from left, with some fellow Fairfax County Supervisors, many of whom are holding pictures of historic buildings. Ms. Moore holds a photograph of Oak Hill, a historic home in the Wakefield Chapel area of Braddock District. Annandale District was renamed Braddock District in 1992.

Photograph from Fairfax County Public Library, Virginia Room, Photographic Archive

Oral History: Clara Greinke

Clara Greinke, her husband and three sons moved to the Braddock District in 1960. Roads were narrow and often still dirt-covered. She notes how the area has changed from a woodland rural countryside dotted with ponds for fishing and skating. Active in civic organizations, Clara Greinke remembers working to preserve a strong community as the area developed.