Hearing the train in the distance every day, I imagine battles between the Confederates and the Union forces.
Three miles from my home, Civil War battles were fought at Bristoe Station.
BRISTOE STATION BATTLEFIELD HISTORICAL PARK
Since it was Memorial Day weekend, my kids and I explored the Bristoe Station Battlefield Historical Park, which was recently established.
When we arrived in the parking lot we were met by a tour guide who offered a private tour!
ORANGE & ALEXANDRIA RAILROAD
Running from Alexandria (on the Potomac River near Washington DC) to Gordonville (north of Charlottesville in central Virginia), the Orange and Alexandria Railroad was established by the General Assembly in 1848 and was completed in 1854.
This commercial success allowed farmers to more cheaply transport their goods to Alexandria, which helped Alexandria become a thriving port and manufacturing center.
With an extension of the railway completed in 1860, passengers more easily traveled from Alexandria to Lynchburg (south of Charlottesville) in 8 hours by train as opposed to the previous 3 day journey by stagecoach.
It has been argued that the Orange & Alexandria Railroad was the most fought over railroad in Virginia during the Civil War.
1863-1864 PENNSYLVANIA ENCAMPMENT
The first part of the trail took us to this hut, a replica of those built by the Pennsylvania regiment to endure the winters of 1863 to 1864.
One account from April 1862 is of days of rain that turned to snow, accumulating to over a foot, which after it melted turned the mud into a near 3′ deep quagmire.
1861 ALABAMA CEMETERY
The tour guide led us to one of the many cemeteries of the 1861 encampment.
Many died at these camps due to unsanitary conditions.
The regiments of the different states formed their own cemeteries.
The better marked cemeteries were primarily those of Alabama and some of Mississippi. The others are mostly unmarked and defy identification.
Burial of the dead was a daily occurrence at Bristoe; military homage was paid to the remains of each departed soldier by the comrades discharging musketry volley over the grave of the deceased at the interment. Reports of musketry could be heard throughout the camping grounds of the entire brigade and it was a signal well understood. -Pvt. Bailey George McClelen, Co. D., 10th Alabama Infantry
1862 BATTLE OF KETTLE RUN
The tour guide now led us to the portion of the trail where the Battle of Kettle Run was fought in August 27, 1862…so let’s set the stage.
In June 1862, fighting centered in the Confederate capitol of Richmond, Virginia.
When Union Gen. Pope took the newly formed Army of Virginia to the Orange & Alexandria railroad junction in Gordonsville, Gen. Lee sent General Jackson with 25,000 men to challenge the new opposition.
Union Gen. McClellan led his 90,000 men (Army of the Potomac) north, leaving Lee with his 55,000 men in Richmond.
Because the Union threat left Richmond, Lee led his men west to the Rappahannock to await McClellan.
Recent rains flooded the Rappahannock, preventing Lee’s ability to cross the river.
Lee sent Jackson to destroy Pope’s communications to Washington DC along the Orange & Alexandria, in order to force Pope’s retreat.
On August 26, 1862, Jackson and his men arrived at Bristoe Station where they cut the telegraph lines and tore apart the O&A railroad, then the Confederates awaited empty freight trains coming from Warrenton Junction.
Four Union trains appeared.
While the first train somehow escaped with only bullet holes, the second train plunged over the embankment.
After a third train crashed into the second train, a fourth train realized what was happening and reversed course to Catlett Station.
Our tour guide told us that one of the Union soldiers, who had crashed, discovered the severed telegraph line, repaired it, and alerted the Union forces to stop the trains headed to Bristoe Station and Manassas Junction.
On August 27, 1862, the Battle of Kettle Run was led by Gen. Stonewall Jackson and Union Maj. Gen. Hooker.
In the distance we heard a modern train whistling on the old Orange & Alexandria line, for which this battle ensued.
The Battle of Kettle Run is considered a prelude to the Second Battle of Manassas, that was fought the next day, August 28-30, 1862.
A tactical error by Hooker led to the Union defeat at Second Manassas.
1863 BATTLE OF BRISTOE STATION
We then took the trail for the namesake Battle of Bristoe Station, fought October 14, 1863.
While the tree line is where the train tracks run, behind those tracks is where the American Battlefield Trust hopes to gain another 118 acres, which I think includes the Union position.
The Battle of Bristoe Station has an interesting turn of facts.
On October 14, 1862, Gen. A.P. Hill saw two Union corps crossing the nearby Broad Run and attacked, presuming they were the last of a long line of Union troops passing through.
(The tour guide told us that Gen. A.P. Hill’s position was on top of a hill…today’s Harris Teeter at the corner of Linton Hall and Nokesville Rd.)
Meanwhile Union Gen. Warren’s Second Corps was posted nearby, behind an embankment of the Orange & Alexandria Railroad.
After Warren’s men destroyed two brigades and captured a battery, Hill reinforced his line but to no avail.
As darkness descended, the Union army continued on to Centreville.
Due to lack of supplies in Bristoe Station, the Confederates continued to the Rappahannock, destroying railroad track of the Orange & Alexandria as they marched.
We’ve grieved, we’ve mourned, we’ve wept, we’ve never blushed before. -Gen. Lee
Moving far too cautiously, Union General Meade followed Lee, repairing track as his men marched.
More engagements led to more defeats for the Confederates.
The Bristoe Campaign, the last of Lee’s offensive campaigns, ended on November 7.
Lee’s march to Bristoe Station was his last in Northern Virginia.
Meade’s retreat led to Lincoln seeking a more aggressive replacement.
FATE OF ORANGE & ALEXANDRIA RAILROAD
After the Orange and Alexandria Railroad changed hands several times during the last half of the 19th century, it was acquired by The Southern Railway in 1914, who later joined the Norfolk and Western Railway.
Today Amtrak and the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) operate on these tracks as well.
(On a side note, the modern day Manassas line of the metro is the Orange Line which runs from Washington DC to Manassas in the west. Wonder if it was named as such in memory of the Orange and Alexandria?)
COMMENTS FROM MY OLD BLOG
Anonymous – January 3, 2023 at 2:11 PM – I have yet to visit this Battlefield, but after seeing your pictures and reading your stories, I have to get there soon! Many thanks!
