The Washington herald., 1911-06-02

To reverently observe the fftieth
anniversary of the first land en-
gagement of the civil war; to do
honor to the memory of Capt. John
Quincy Mari, c. S. A., the first
man to fall in the four years strug-
gle, and to fttingly commemorate
the deeds of the Confederate forces
which operated in that vicinity, the
citizens of Fairfax Court House,
Va, and of Fairfax County in gen.
.eral yesterday held simple but i'm
pressive exercises at the ancient
colonial town.
NOTABLES IN CROWD.
With Gov. William Hodges Mann, Lieut.
Gov. J. Taylor Ellyson, Maj. Robert W.
Hunter, r. Walton Moore, Robert E.
Lee, jr., Col Thomas Smith, and many
other prominent Virginians on the speak,
ers' stand; with a section of the United
States Fifteenth Cavalry Band in at
tendance, besides other features Of minor
Importance, 5000 stanch virginians with
Confederate leanings celebrated the an
niversary of day in their history which
is rife with a full meaning to all.
A smiling sky and a light, cool breeze
favored the holiday makers. Long be-
fore 10 o'clock the first of the folk of
the countryside came driving into town,
and by the time the first speaker was
announced, there was a horse tied to
every post and the streets, lined with
dull red brick houses, were thronged
r. Walton Moore occupied the chair
on the speakers stand. which had been
erected in the courthouse grounds. AT
10 o'clock he addressed the crowd which
had congregated- On the extensive cam
pus. Mr.. Moore then introduced Gov.
Mann, who spoke at some length.
Orator of the Day.
Maj. Robert ". Hunter, orator Of the
day, spoke for nearly an hour and a
half. reviewing the history of Fairfax
Court House from the time when Gen
George Washington filed his will there
to the present. He spoke of the sacred
traditions of the community and of the
ideals of the South in general, defend
ing the position assumed by the people
OF Virginia in 1861 and extolling the
virtues of the Confederate soldiers and
praising their deeds
A recess was then taken for dinner
which was served by the women of the
town. Mr.. Moore. Mr.. Keith, and sew
eral other Fairfax residents entertained
the prominent guests at their homes.
J. Ellyson Taylor. lieutenant governor
of Virginia. was the first speaker of the
afternoon. He was followed by Col
Thomas Smith, of Warrenton, son of
William Smith. better known to Virgin
fans as Extra Billy Smith" one of the
war governors of the State. Col Smith
spoke in a reminiscent vein, having
served as colonel in the Confederate
army himself.
The speech of Col William A. Gordon,
of Warrenton, was of the same charac-
ter
At this juncture in the programme Mr..
Moore read an extract from the diary
kept, he said. by a woman who lived in
q house which was in the very center
OF the fight at Fairfax fifty years ago.
The simple words of the diary described
the engagement, and told how the writer
stood through the night in her dark
ened house. holding her baby son in
her arms. while the bullets OF the Fed
eral forces rained upon the building.
AS Mr.. Moore concluded his reading of
the extract, Col. Gordon addressed the
audience, and stated the writer Of the
diary, just read, was Mr.. Moore's moth
er. and that the child referred to in the
text was Mr.. Moore himself, at that
time only two or three years Of age.
Composed of Boys.
Capt. John Quincy Marr. Of the War
renton Rifles. one Of the first Of the Con-
federate military organizations, was
Quartered. on the night Of May 81, 1861,
in buildings across the road from the
house occupied by Mr.. Moore's mother.
The Warrenton Rifles numbered 1o0, COM
posed mostly of raw boys under twenty
years OF age. =
Shortly after midnight the Confederate
pickets rushed In and gave the alarm
that the Federals were attacking Capt.
Marr called his men to order, and went
into an adjacent field, where he intended
to draw them up In fighting order. when
a bullet from a Federal pistol struck him
over the heart His men fought through
the night, and about dawn repulsed the
Federals. While q few Of the men were
wounded, none was killed, but Capt Marr
was missing. A search was instituted,
and finally a young negro slave, the
property of Mr.. Moores father. discov-
cred the body OF Capt. MARI in the field
where he had fallen.
After Mr.. Moore finished reading his
mothers diary he called to an old griz-
zled negro, who stood at the back Of the
stand, and announced he was the slave
who had found the body OF Capt. Mari.
The Rev. Mr.. Jett. OF New Jersey, who
during the war served with the Rap