Civil War Sesquicentennial Program Highlights Civil War History in Fairfax County

The Commonwealth of Virginia has more Civil War sites than any other state and several of those sites are here in Fairfax County. Last week, some of those battles and skirmishes in the county and Northern Virginia area were highlighted at the monthly meeting of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association chapter 1159.

Held in Annandale the Mason District Governmental Center, the meeting also discussed the Civil War Sesquicentennial since 2011 marked the start of the 150th Anniversary of the American Civil War and Emancipation.

According to featured speaker, Dr. Elizabeth Crowell, manager of cultural resources, management and protection division of the Fairfax County Park Authority, the focus of the Sesquicentennial in Virginia is to commemorate the Civil War "as a whole", not to celebrate the war, looking at life and material culture and not only the military aspects.” Cromwell is also the co-chair of the Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee for Fairfax County and president of the Council of Virginia Archaeology.

Much of the meeting’s presentation included battles in the Fairfax County and Northern Virginia area. Throughout the early years of the war from 1861-1862, there were 40,000 troops throughout Northern Virginia.

Cromwell spoke about several battles within the county including the battle of First Manassas/Bull Run on Jul. 21, 1861. A Confederate victory, Cromwell said many people came to watch the battle, arriving in their horse-drawn carriages from Washington, D.C. This year, Jul. 21, 2011, the Commission and the National Park Service will commemorate this battle at the Manassas National Battlefield Park. The main battles in our area were the Battle of Ox Hill/Chantilly on Sept. 1, 1862 and the Battle of Dranesville.

Several events are being planned to commemorate these battles, with re-enactors contributing their talents and making connections to the present. For example, a blood drive will include a Clara Barton re-enactor. Barton was a Civil War nurse who later founded the American Red Cross.

Those in attendance at the meeting also received a brochure developed by Fairfax County, "Conflict and Courage in Fairfax County, Sites and Stories of the Civil War," with information, photos and a map with an overview of Fairfax County’s connection to the Civil War. Of interest to Annandale residents is the information about Captain John Q. Marr, the namesake of John Marr Drive, who was the first Confederate officer to die in combat. Marr was killed in a skirmish near the Courthouse on Jun. 1, 1861 and to commemorate him, a monument was erected on the grounds of the Old Fairfax Courthouse in 1904.

Thanks to sketches and documentation by people who were involved in the Civil War and private manuscripts or other shared historical material, a lot of information about the war has already been made public. Still, residents have several opportunities to learn more about the Civil War throughout the state.

Last month an exhibition opened in Richmond at the Virginia Historical Society, "An American Turning Point: The Civil War in Virginia." Starting in 2012, this exhibition will tour in Virginia. Details about the exhibition can be found on the Virginia Civil War website. Back in 2006, the Virginia General Assembly created the Civil War Sesquicentennial with the goal of developing programs to "understand our past, and embrace our future.” Conferences were held in 2009 and 2010 and this year's annual conference, titled "Military Strategy in the American Civil War," is scheduled for May 21, 2011 at Virginia Tech. 

For more information about Fairfax County's connection to the Civil War, visit http://www.fxva.com/150/