Graffiti House
Encyclopedia
The Graffiti House, located at 19484 Brandy Road in the eastern end of the town of Brandy Station, Virginia
, is believed by the Brandy Station Foundation to have been built in 1858. It is one of few dwellings in the village built before the American Civil War
to survive intact to this day. Because of its location on the Orange & Alexandria Railroad and the Carolina Road, the house, which was less than 0.25 mile (0.402335 km) from the train depot, is thought by the Foundation to have been a commercial building as well as a dwelling. The Foundation reports that some graffiti has been removed or destroyed but considerable graffiti still remain. New graffiti were discovered as recently as December 2010.
The house was owned by James Barbour during the Civil War but his main residence was about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the south. Barbour served on the staff of Lieutenant General Richard S. Ewell
.
Because of its strategic location, the house was used extensively by both the Union Army
and Confederate States Army
throughout the Civil War. It was used as a field hospital by the Confederates during the Battle of Brandy Station
and at other times when battles occurred in the area. It was probably used as a field hospital for wounded soldiers evacuated by train after the Battle of First Bull Run or First Manassas. The earliest known graffiti in the house date to the Second Manassas Campaign in August 1862, as the armies transited Culpeper County.
At the outset of the Gettysburg Campaign
, the Battle of Brandy Station, the largest cavalry battle ever to take place in North America
occurred on June 9, 1863 in the fields adjacent to the Graffiti House. After the fighting ended, the house was used as a Confederate field hospital. Later that year, Federal troops occupied the building when the Army of the Potomac
camped in Culpeper County during the winter of 1863-64. The house was headquarters to Brigadier General
Henry Prince, a division commander in the Third Corps of the Army of the Potomac during the Union Army pursuit of the Army of Northern Virginia
after its retreat from the Battle of Gettysburg
, sometimes called the Rapidan campaign but this name could be confused with the beginning of the Overland Campaign
, and during the Mine Run Campaign later in 1863.
The plaster walls on the second floor of the house are covered with an outstanding and unique collection of charcoal and pencil graffiti left by soldiers from both armies. In addition to their autographs, the soldiers drew elaborate pictures of men and women, and wrote inscriptions commemorating their units and their battles. After the war, the graffiti were painted and papered over and forgotten. The graffiti were rediscovered during a renovation in 1993. The Brandy Station Foundation purchased the house in 2002. The graffiti may be viewed on certain days listed on the Foundation web site. The house includes a small museum and serves as a headquarters for the Brandy Station Foundation and the Foundation's visitor center for the Brandy Station battlefield.
Below is listed the names of those who have not been identified in the Graffiti House:
Brandy Station, Virginia
Brandy Station is an unincorporated community in Culpeper County, Virginia, United States. Its original name was Brandy. The name Brandy Station comes from the Orange and Alexandria Railroad station that was constructed in the 19th century....
, is believed by the Brandy Station Foundation to have been built in 1858. It is one of few dwellings in the village built before the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
to survive intact to this day. Because of its location on the Orange & Alexandria Railroad and the Carolina Road, the house, which was less than 0.25 mile (0.402335 km) from the train depot, is thought by the Foundation to have been a commercial building as well as a dwelling. The Foundation reports that some graffiti has been removed or destroyed but considerable graffiti still remain. New graffiti were discovered as recently as December 2010.
The house was owned by James Barbour during the Civil War but his main residence was about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the south. Barbour served on the staff of Lieutenant General Richard S. Ewell
Richard S. Ewell
Richard Stoddert Ewell was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate general during the American Civil War. He achieved fame as a senior commander under Stonewall Jackson and Robert E...
.
Because of its strategic location, the house was used extensively by both the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
and Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
throughout the Civil War. It was used as a field hospital by the Confederates during the Battle of Brandy Station
Battle of Brandy Station
The Battle of Brandy Station, also called the Battle of Fleetwood Hill, was the largest predominantly cavalry engagement of the American Civil War, as well as the largest to take place ever on American soil. It was fought at the beginning of the Gettysburg Campaign by the Union cavalry under Maj....
and at other times when battles occurred in the area. It was probably used as a field hospital for wounded soldiers evacuated by train after the Battle of First Bull Run or First Manassas. The earliest known graffiti in the house date to the Second Manassas Campaign in August 1862, as the armies transited Culpeper County.
At the outset of the Gettysburg Campaign
Gettysburg Campaign
The Gettysburg Campaign was a series of battles fought in June and July 1863, during the American Civil War. After his victory in the Battle of Chancellorsville, Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia moved north for offensive operations in Maryland and Pennsylvania. The...
, the Battle of Brandy Station, the largest cavalry battle ever to take place in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
occurred on June 9, 1863 in the fields adjacent to the Graffiti House. After the fighting ended, the house was used as a Confederate field hospital. Later that year, Federal troops occupied the building when 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.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
camped in Culpeper County during the winter of 1863-64. The house was headquarters to Brigadier General
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
Henry Prince, a division commander in the Third Corps of the Army of the Potomac during the Union Army pursuit of the 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, as well as the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed against the Union Army of the Potomac...
after its retreat from the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
, sometimes called the Rapidan campaign but this name could be confused with the beginning of the Overland Campaign
Overland Campaign
The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, in the American Civil War. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all Union armies, directed the actions of the Army of the...
, and during the Mine Run Campaign later in 1863.
The plaster walls on the second floor of the house are covered with an outstanding and unique collection of charcoal and pencil graffiti left by soldiers from both armies. In addition to their autographs, the soldiers drew elaborate pictures of men and women, and wrote inscriptions commemorating their units and their battles. After the war, the graffiti were painted and papered over and forgotten. The graffiti were rediscovered during a renovation in 1993. The Brandy Station Foundation purchased the house in 2002. The graffiti may be viewed on certain days listed on the Foundation web site. The house includes a small museum and serves as a headquarters for the Brandy Station Foundation and the Foundation's visitor center for the Brandy Station battlefield.
Graffiti that have been identified
Below is listed the names and units of those who have been identified in the Graffiti House:- Sergeant Allen Bowman, Co. E, 12th Virginia Cavalry
- Private Michael Bowman, Co. H 7th Virginia Cavalry
- Private Hamilton Boyd, Breathed’s Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery
- Private George Washington Butt, Norfolk Light Artillery (Huger’s Battery)
- Private James A. J. Cooper, Co. A, 35th Battalion Virginia Cavalry (White’s Comanche’s)
- Captain Edwin Dillingham, 10th Vermont Infantry10th Vermont InfantryThe 10th Vermont Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 10th Vermont Infantry was organized at Brattleboro, Vermont and mustered in for three years service on September 1, 1862 under the command of Colonel Albert Burton Jewett.The regiment...
- Private C. Benton Evans, Breathed’s Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery
- Private William Evans, Breathed’s Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery
- Colonel John Egbert Farnum, Commander, 70th New York Infantry
- Lieutenant Lyman C. Gale, Co. K, 10th Vermont Infantry10th Vermont InfantryThe 10th Vermont Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 10th Vermont Infantry was organized at Brattleboro, Vermont and mustered in for three years service on September 1, 1862 under the command of Colonel Albert Burton Jewett.The regiment...
- Corporal Fayette Gibson, Breathed’s Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery
- Private Thomas ‘Herb’ Greenwell, Breathed’s Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery
- Private Uriah Haller, Breathed’s Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery
- Private William J. Haney, 24th Battalion Virginia Partisan Rangers
- Private Henry ‘Hal’ Hopkins, Breathed’s Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery
- Private William Hopkins, Breathed’s Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery
- Private Bob Lewis, Norfolk Light Artillery (Huger’s Battery)
- Private George McCabe Jr., Breathed’s Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery
- Lieutenant William J. Marshall, Co. E, 12th Virginia Cavalry
- Lieutenant Joseph Moore, Norfolk Light Artillery (Huger’s Battery)
- Private Edward Moreland, Norfolk Light Artillery (Huger’s Battery)
- Private A Muth, Breathed’s Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery
- Private George W. Orrison, Co. C, 35th Battalion Virginia Cavalry (White’s Comanche’s)
- Private David Owens, Breathed’s Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery
- Private Robert Peed, Norfolk Light Artillery (Huger’s Battery)
- Private David Owens, Breathed’s Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery
- Private Dan Quinlan, Massachusetts Light Battery ‘C’
- Private Elijah Russell, Breathed’s Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery
- Maj. Gen. J.E.B. StuartJ.E.B. StuartJames Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart was a U.S. Army officer 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. Stuart was a cavalry commander known for his mastery of reconnaissance and the use...
, Commander, Army of Northern Virginia Cavalry - Sergeant Henry Thomas, Breathed’s Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery
- Private Harry Wagner, Breathed’s Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery
- Private Harry Wickes, Breathed’s Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery
- Private Thomas ‘Frank’ Yates, Breathed’s Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery
Below is listed the names of those who have not been identified in the Graffiti House:
- Lewis Metta
- Frank E. Kelly
- M Rown
- T.E. Kelly
- Emanuel
- A.L. Brynn
Units separately identified
- 2nd New York Militia
- Louisiana TigersLouisiana TigersLouisiana Tigers was the common nickname for certain infantry troops from the state of Louisiana in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Originally applied to a specific company, the nickname expanded to a battalion, then to a brigade, and eventually to all Louisiana troops...
- 2nd Division 3rd Corps
- 10th New Jersey Infantry
- Stuart Horse Artillery
- Army of the United States of America
- Hill’s Corps
- Gannett’s Battalion
- Remember the Baltimore Artillery, September the 2nd, 1863
Events and locations identified
- Battle of Beverly Ford, April 16, 1863 (likely done by a member of either the 9th or 13th Virginia Cavalry)
- June 8, 1863 (possibly done by a member of the 1st SC Cavalry)
- "How are you Fort Sumter” (done by the 2nd NY Militia)
- Petersburg
- Rappahannock
- March 16, 1863
- August 7, 1863
- Portsmouth, Virginia
- Loudoun County
- Washington, D.C.
- Richmond
- Baltimore
Drawings
Of the drawings found, only two have been identified:- Captain James Breathed and
- The Maryland Scroll.
Other drawings
- 5 horses (one may be a mule)
- a male civilian in coat and tails
- an eagle/bird
- a fort
- a soldier in a slouch hat and mustache
- a soldier in a slouch hat and beard
- a young women in a fancy dress, hat with ribbons, walking on a board or plank, saying "I am turned over to Lt. Gale"
- a older women smoking a long pipe
- a young women in a straw hat riding side-saddle
- a young women wearing a scarf carrying a basket
- a bald man
- a pair of women in coats and hats, with their arms in a muffler, saying "I am turned over to Capt. Dillingham"
- a male civilian wearing a hat with a sword in his left hand. In the body of the man "President J. Davis good on the boots"
- a man in a bowler (or derby), with mutton chops, saying he "smells a rebel." He is facing the rear of a horse.
- a Federal soldier in a kepi