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The Battle of Chantilly (or Ox Hill, the Confederate name) took place on September 1, 1862, in Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County, Virginia

Fairfax County is a County in Northern Virginia Virginia, in the United States. , the estimated population of the county is 1,077,000, making it by far the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the most populous jurisdiction in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
, as the concluding battle of the Northern Virginia Campaign
Northern Virginia Campaign

}|-||}The Northern Virginia Campaign, also known as the Second Bull Run Campaign or Second Manassas Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during August and September 1862 in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War of the American Civil War....
 of the American Civil War
American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
.

ated in the Second Battle of Bull Run
Second Battle of Bull Run

The Second Battle of Bull Run, or, as it was called by the Confederate States of America, the Battle of Second Manassas, was fought August 28–30, 1862, as part of the American Civil War....
 on August 30, Union
Union Army

The Union Army was the army that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S....
 Maj. Gen.
Major General

Major General or Major-General is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of Sergeant Major General. A Major General is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of Lieutenant General and senior to the ranks of Brigadier and Brigadier General....
 John Pope
John Pope (military officer)

John Pope was a career United States Army officer and Union Army general in the American Civil War. He had a brief but successful career in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, but he is best known for his defeat at the Second Battle of Bull Run in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War....
 ordered his Army of Virginia
Army of Virginia

The Army of Virginia was organized as a major unit of the Union Army and operated briefly and unsuccessfully in 1862 in the American Civil War. It should not be confused with its principal opponent, the Confederate States Army Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by Robert E....
 to retreat to Centreville
Centreville, Virginia

Centreville is an unincorporated community in Fairfax County, Virginia, Virginia, United States. Recognized by the United States Census Bureau as a Census Designated Place , the community population was 48,661 as of the 2000 census and is approximately 20 miles from Washington, DC....
. The movement began after dark, with Maj. Gen. Irvin McDowell
Irvin McDowell

Irvin McDowell was a career United States United States Army, famous for his defeat during the First Battle of Bull Run, the first large-scale battle of the American Civil War....
's III Corps
III Corps (ACW)

There were four formations in the Union Army designated as III Corps during the American Civil War.Three were short-lived:*Army of Virginia:...
 providing cover. The army crossed Bull Run and the last troops across, Franz Sigel
Franz Sigel

Franz Sigel was a German military officer and immigrant to the United States who was a teacher, newspaperman, politician, and served as a Union Army Major general in the American Civil War....
's I Corps
I Corps (ACW)

I Corps was the designation of three different corps-sized units in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The units served in the following armies:...
, destroyed Stone Bridge behind them.






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} |- | |}

The Battle of Chantilly (or Ox Hill, the Confederate name) took place on September 1, 1862, in Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County, Virginia

Fairfax County is a County in Northern Virginia Virginia, in the United States. , the estimated population of the county is 1,077,000, making it by far the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the most populous jurisdiction in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
, as the concluding battle of the Northern Virginia Campaign
Northern Virginia Campaign

}|-||}The Northern Virginia Campaign, also known as the Second Bull Run Campaign or Second Manassas Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during August and September 1862 in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War of the American Civil War....
 of the American Civil War
American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
.

Background

Defeated in the Second Battle of Bull Run
Second Battle of Bull Run

The Second Battle of Bull Run, or, as it was called by the Confederate States of America, the Battle of Second Manassas, was fought August 28–30, 1862, as part of the American Civil War....
 on August 30, Union
Union Army

The Union Army was the army that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S....
 Maj. Gen.
Major General

Major General or Major-General is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of Sergeant Major General. A Major General is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of Lieutenant General and senior to the ranks of Brigadier and Brigadier General....
 John Pope
John Pope (military officer)

John Pope was a career United States Army officer and Union Army general in the American Civil War. He had a brief but successful career in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, but he is best known for his defeat at the Second Battle of Bull Run in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War....
 ordered his Army of Virginia
Army of Virginia

The Army of Virginia was organized as a major unit of the Union Army and operated briefly and unsuccessfully in 1862 in the American Civil War. It should not be confused with its principal opponent, the Confederate States Army Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by Robert E....
 to retreat to Centreville
Centreville, Virginia

Centreville is an unincorporated community in Fairfax County, Virginia, Virginia, United States. Recognized by the United States Census Bureau as a Census Designated Place , the community population was 48,661 as of the 2000 census and is approximately 20 miles from Washington, DC....
. The movement began after dark, with Maj. Gen. Irvin McDowell
Irvin McDowell

Irvin McDowell was a career United States United States Army, famous for his defeat during the First Battle of Bull Run, the first large-scale battle of the American Civil War....
's III Corps
III Corps (ACW)

There were four formations in the Union Army designated as III Corps during the American Civil War.Three were short-lived:*Army of Virginia:...
 providing cover. The army crossed Bull Run and the last troops across, Franz Sigel
Franz Sigel

Franz Sigel was a German military officer and immigrant to the United States who was a teacher, newspaperman, politician, and served as a Union Army Major general in the American Civil War....
's I Corps
I Corps (ACW)

I Corps was the designation of three different corps-sized units in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The units served in the following armies:...
, destroyed Stone Bridge behind them. Gen. Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee

Robert Edward Lee , was a career United States United States Army officer , an engineer, and among the most celebrated generals in American history....
 decided not to press the advantage gained that day, largely because he knew his Army of Northern Virginia
Army of Northern Virginia

The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War of the American Civil War....
 was exhausted from two weeks of nearly constant marching and nearly three days of battle, so the Union retreat went unmolested. Lee's decision also allowed the Army of Virginia's II Corps
II Corps (ACW)

There were five corps in the Union Army designated as II Corps during the American Civil War.* Army of the Cumberland, II Corps commanded by Thomas L....
, under Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks, to consolidate with the bulk of Pope's army, marching in from Bristoe Station, where they had been guarding the army's trains. More importantly, Lee's decision bought time for the Union to push to the front the Army of the Potomac's II, V
V Corps (ACW)

The V Corps was a unit of the Union Army Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War....
, and VI Corps
VI Corps (ACW)

The VI Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War....
, which had been brought from the Peninsula
Peninsula Campaign

The Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War....
 and—much to Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan
George B. McClellan

George Brinton McClellan was a Major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army....
's dismay—placed under Pope's command.

By the morning of August 31, Pope seemed to be losing his grasp on command of his force. The defeat at Second Bull Run seemed to have shattered his nerve and Pope was unsure what to do next; he knew Washington
Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the Capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790....
 wanted an attack but he feared Lee might strike first and shatter his reforming force before it was ready to fight again. Calling a conference of his corps commanders—something he had been loath to do previously in the Virginia Campaign—in his Centreville headquarters, Pope agreed with their decision to retreat further into the Washington defenses. But a message from General-in-Chief Henry W. Halleck directed him to attack and he ordered an advance on Lee's forces on the Manassas field.

Lee, however, had already set in motion his own plan that would rob Pope of the initiative to attack. Lee directed Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson
Stonewall Jackson

Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson was a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War, and probably the most well-known Confederate commander after General Robert E....
 to march his troops around Pope's right flank to get behind the Union position at Centreville. Leading the way and scouting for any Union blocking force was Confederate cavalry under the command of Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart
J.E.B. Stuart

James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart was an American soldier from Virginia and a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was known to his friends as "Jeb", from the initials of his given names....
. Maj. Gen. James Longstreet
James Longstreet

James Longstreet was one of the foremost Confederate States Army General officers of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E....
's command would remain in place for the day to deceive Pope into believing that Lee's entire force remained in his front, while Jackson's command made their flanking march, north and then east, to take strategically important Germantown, Virginia
Germantown, Virginia

Germantown is a historic unincorporated area rural community in Fauquier County, Virginia, Virginia. It is the resting place of John Jacob Richter ....
, where Pope's only two routes to Washington—the Warrenton Pike (modern U.S. Route 29
U.S. Route 29

U.S. Route 29 is a north-south United States highway that runs for 1,036 miles from the western suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland, to Pensacola, Florida....
) and the Little River Turnpike (modern U.S. Route 50
U.S. Route 50

U.S. Route 50 is a major east-west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching just over 3000 miles from Ocean City, Maryland on the Atlantic Ocean to West Sacramento, California....
)—converged. Jackson's men, hungry and worn, moved slowly and bivouacked for the night at Pleasant Valley, three miles northeast of Centreville. As Pope settled down for the night on August 31, he was unaware that Lee was on the verge of turning his flank.

During the night two events occurred that would force Pope to change his mind. A staff officer arrived from the Germantown position to report that a heavy force of cavalry had shelled the intersection before retreating. Fortunately for Lee and Stuart, Pope dismissed the cavalry as little more than a patrol. But when, hours later, two Union cavalrymen reported seeing a large mass of infantry marching east down the Little River Turnpike, Pope realized that his army was in danger. He countermanded actions preparing for an attack and directed the army to retreat from Centreville to Washington; he also sent out a series of infantry probes up the roads that Lee might use to reach his troops as they pulled back.

Battle

On the morning of September 1, Pope ordered Maj. Gen. Edwin V. Sumner to send a brigade north to reconnoiter; the army's cavalry was too exhausted for the mission. But at the same time, he continued his movement in the direction of Washington, sending McDowell's corps to Jermantown (on the western border of modern day Fairfax City
Fairfax, Virginia

This article refers to the independent city of Fairfax, Va. For the surrounding unincorporated area of Fairfax County with a Fairfax postal address, please see Fairfax County, Virginia...
), where it could protect an important intersection the army needed for the retreat. And he sent two brigades of Maj. Gen. Jesse L. Reno
Jesse L. Reno

Jesse Lee Reno was a career United States Army officer who served in the Mexican-American War, the western frontier, and as a Union Army General officer during the American Civil War....
's IX Corps
IX Corps (ACW)

IX Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War that distinguished itself in combat in multiple theaters: the Carolinas, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi....
, under the command of Brig. Gen.
Brigadier General

Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General.The rank can be traced back to the militaries of Europe where a brigadier general, or simply a brigadier, would command a brigade in the field....
 Isaac Stevens
Isaac Stevens

Isaac Ingalls Stevens was the first governor of Washington Territory, a United States Congressman, and a Major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War until his death at the Battle of Chantilly....
, to block Jackson. Maj. Gen. Philip Kearny
Philip Kearny

Philip Kearny, Jr., was a United States Army officer, notably in the Mexican-American War and American Civil War. He was killed in action in the 1862 Battle of Chantilly....
's division followed later that afternoon.

Jackson resumed his march to the south, but his troops were tired and hungry and made poor progress as the rain continued. They marched only 3 miles and occupied Ox Hill, southeast of Chantilly
Chantilly, Virginia

Chantilly is an unincorporated community located in western Fairfax County, Virginia and southeastern Loudoun County, Virginia of Northern Virginia....
 Plantation, where they encountered Stevens's three brigades about 3 p.m. Despite being outnumbered, Stevens chose to attack across a grassy field against Brig. Gen. Alexander Lawton
Alexander Lawton

Alexander Robert Lawton was a lawyer, politician, diplomat and Brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War....
's division in the Confederate center. The Union attack was initially successful, routing one brigade and the flank of another, but was driven back following a counterattack by Jubal Early
Jubal Anderson Early

Jubal Anderson Early was a lawyer and Confederate States of America general in the American Civil War. The articles written by him for the Southern Historical Society in the 1870s established the Lost Cause of the Confederacy point of view as a long-lasting literary and cultural phenomenon....
's brigade. Stevens was killed during this attack about 5:00 pm by a shot through his temple.

Kearny arrived about this time with his division and deployed David B. Birney
David B. Birney

David Bell Birney was a businessman, lawyer, and a Union army General officer in the American Civil War....
's brigade on Stevens' left, ordering it to attack. Briney managed to maneuver close to the Confederate line but his attack stalled in hand-to-hand combat with A.P. Hill's division. Kearny mistakenly rode into the Confederate lines during the battle and was killed. As Kearny's other two brigades arrived on the field, Birney withdrew to the southern side of the farm fields, ending the battle.

That night, Longstreet arrived to relieve Jackson's troops and to renew the battle in the morning. The Union army withdrew to Germantown and Fairfax Court House that night.

The fighting was tactically inconclusive, but Jackson's turning movement was foiled and he was unable to block the Union retreat or destroy Pope's army. Two key Union generals were killed. Pope, recognizing the attack as an indication of continued danger to his army, continued his retreat to the fortifications around Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the Capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790....
. Lee began the Maryland Campaign
Maryland Campaign

The Maryland Campaign, or the Antietam Campaign, of September 1862 is widely considered one of the major Turning Point of the American Civil War of the American Civil War....
, including the Battle of Antietam
Battle of Antietam

The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern United States soil....
, after Pope retreated out of Virginia. The Army of the Potomac
Army of the Potomac

The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War of the American Civil War....
, under Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan
George B. McClellan

George Brinton McClellan was a Major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army....
, absorbed the forces of Pope's Army of Virginia
Army of Virginia

The Army of Virginia was organized as a major unit of the Union Army and operated briefly and unsuccessfully in 1862 in the American Civil War. It should not be confused with its principal opponent, the Confederate States Army Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by Robert E....
, which was disbanded as a separate army.

Battlefield today

The site of the battle, once rural farmland, is now surrounded by suburban development in Fairfax County. The intersection of the modern thoroughfares of Route 50 (Lee-Jackson Memorial Highway) and State Route 7100 (Fairfax County Parkway), as well as State Route 608 (West Ox Road) intersect near the location of the battle. A 4.8 acre (19,000 mē) memorial park, the Ox Hill Battlefield Park
Ox Hill Battlefield Park

Ox Hill Battlefield Park is a site in Fairfax, Virginia, where the Battle of Ox Hill was fought during the American Civil War. It was the only major battle of the war fought in Fairfax County, Virginia....
, is located off of West Ox Road and lies adjacent to the Fairfax Towne Center shopping area, and includes the site of the battle. The park is under the jurisdiction of the Fairfax County Park Authority
Fairfax County Park Authority

The Fairfax County Park Authority is a department of the Fairfax County, Virginia county government responsible for developing and maintaining the various parks, historical sites, and recreational areas owned or administered by Fairfax County....
; in January 2005, the Authority approved a General Management Plan and Conceptual Development Plan that sets forth a detailed history and future management framework for the site.

A small yard located within the nearby Fairfax Towne Center has been preserved to mark the area where Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee

Robert Edward Lee , was a career United States United States Army officer , an engineer, and among the most celebrated generals in American history....
 and his troops marched across to get to the Ox Hill Battlefield.

See also

  • Chantilly Confederate order of battle
    Chantilly Confederate order of battle

    The following Confederate States Army units and commanders fought in the Battle of Chantilly of the American Civil War. The Chantilly Union order of battle is shown separately....
  • Chantilly Union order of battle
    Chantilly Union order of battle

    The following Union Army units and commanders fought in the Battle of Chantilly of the American Civil War. The Chantilly Confederate order of battle is shown separately....


Further reading

  • Mauro, Charles V., The Battle of Chantilly (Ox Hill): A Monumental Storm, Fairfax, Virginia: Fairfax County History Commission, 2002, ISBN 0-914927-35-3.
  • Welker, David, Tempest at Ox Hill: The Battle of Chantilly, Da Capo Press, 2001.


External links