As most people know, Prince William County was the site of two of the most important early battles of the Civil War; the First Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861, and the Second Battle of Bull Run on August 30, 1862. The location of both battles is National Historical Park located just outside the City of Manassas.
But there was another battle in Prince William County, just over one year after Second Bull Run in a little place called Bristoe Station:
The Battle of Bristoe Station was fought on October 14, 1863, between Union and Confederate forces in the American Civil War. The Union army was led by Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, the Confederates by General Robert E. Lee. Lee had stolen a march, forcing Meade to retreat toward Centreville. Maj. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren, commanding II Corps in Maj. Gen. Winfield S. Hancock’s absence, was following V Corps on this retreat. II Corps had two encounters with Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart’s cavalry near Auburn, one nicknamed “Coffee Hill.” (Confederate shells interrupted Federals who were boiling coffee.)
Lt. Gen. A.P. Hill, leading the Confederate Third Corps, reached Bristoe Station on October 14. (The town is variously called Bristoe, Bristow, and Bristo in contemporary newspapers.) Hill tried to harass the rearguard of V Corps, but he missed the presence of II Corps. Warren hid his forces behind a railroad embankment near Bristoe Station. Warren sprung a powerful ambush as Hill’s corps moved to attack the Federal rear guard. Maj. Gen. Henry Heth’s division suffered serious losses, including a battery captured in a Federal counterattack. But Warren, seeing Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell’s Second Corps coming up on his left, eventually had to withdraw. Lee is supposed to have cut off Hill’s excuses by saying, “Bury these poor men, general, and we’ll say no more about it.” (One of the casualties was Confederate Brig. Gen. Carnot Posey, who died of his wound.) The Union forces won the battle, but the Confederates destroyed a railroad during their retreat. Meade had to rebuild the railroad when he reoccupied the area around Bristoe Station. Warren won such reputation as a corps commander that he was given V Corps as a regular assignment after Hancock returned to the Army of the Potomac in 1864.
All in all, not a major skirmish in the war, and hardly a precursor for the major battles that would occur from 1864 until the war ended. Nonetheless, it is part of the County’s history and, this past weekend, Prince William County opened a Heritage Park on the site of the Bristoe Station battle, in what is now called Bristow:
Tucked behind rows of new single-family homes and town houses are approximately 134 historic acres now open to the public as Bristoe Station Battlefield Heritage Park in Bristow.
Historians and residents celebrated the park’s grand opening this weekend with tactical demonstrations, tours and living history exhibits.
Park visitors got to see what a Civil War field hospital would have looked like, complete with a field surgical chest, various medical tonics, a body cleaning area and other items.(…)
Sunday marked the 144th anniversary of the Battle of Bristoe Station.
On Oct. 14, 1863, Confederate Lt. Gen. A.P. Hill’s corps stumbled upon two corps of the retreating Union army at Bristoe Station and attacked without proper reconnaissance.
Union soldiers of the 2nd Corps, posted behind the Orange and Alexandria Railroad embankment, mauled two brigades of Henry Heth’s division and captured a battery of artillery.
Hill reinforced his line but could make little headway against the determined defenders.
After this victory, the Federals continued their withdrawal to Centreville.
Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Bristoe offensive sputtered to a premature halt.
The rail line that was a focal point of the battle exists, and remains in use, to this day.
Kellie and I walked a good part of the park Sunday morning and, while there aren’t many markers indicating what took place where, the remains of a Confederate Cemetery could still be seen, and history was clearly in the air.
If you’re in the area, check it out.
