Evening star., 1927-05-08

ington. After the surrender at York
town the French army under Roch-
ambeau marched through the county
| from Occoquan to Alexandria.
Fairfax. in fact. has played it's part
| in all American wars. Previous to the
Revolution it was the starting point
| for Braddocks ill-fated expedition.
One detachment of this force, COM
manded by Sir Peter Halket, marched
| through Falls Church and Dranesville
| camping at the latter village for a
time. Thence the troops continued by
way of Leesburg to their fatal rendez-
vous with the main force.
House Recently Burned.
| In the War of 1912 the county es-
| capped until the British forces captured
| Washington. They paused from time
to time on their way up the Potomac
| to repel local attacks. One of these
took place near the old Fairfax home.
Belvoir, which had been the seat of
the proprietor's family. The house
| recently had suffered disastrous fire
and British shells completed it's demo-
| Iition.
! IlG tOQHly SuppilcQ a COMPANY AOI
| the Mexican War commanded by
Capt. Henry Fairfax, a graduate of
West Point who was killed at Saltillo
| in 1S47. His body was brought home
| and buried near the old Episcopal
| Church at Falls Church, in the repair
of which he had been largely instru-
mental.
| The Civil War started at Fairfax
Court House. Between and 3 o'clock
| in the morning of June /, 1861. the
| inhabitants of this picturesque old viii
| lage We're reused from their beds by
the noise of musketry in the street.
1t was from the guns of a company
of United States Cavalry who had
come up from the forts outside Alex
andria and charged into the county
seat.
In field just back of the court
house were bivouacked the Warren
ton Rifles, in command of Capt. John
Quincy Marr-all the rawest sort of
recruits. who never before had heard
a shot fired in anger. MARI was awak-
ened by the rfling and fell fatally
wounded by a random shot when he
came out of his tent to learn the
cause of the excitement. 1t is gen
orally admitted, although the state
ment has been disputed, that he was
the first man in uniform killed on
either side of the great conflict that
for the next four years was to make
Fairfax County a chessboard of Mars.
The Warrenton men were leaderless
and helpless. The village was panic
stricken.
Former Governor Led Troops.
1t so happened that a former gov
ernor of Virginia, William Smith, had
come down from Warrenton the day
before to visit the men in camp and
was sleeping at the home of a friend.
Smith, then man of 65, ran to the
camp for the Rifles. He found the
captain missing and the soldiers in
confusion. Rallying them in the
darkness as best he could--it was q
sultry, starless night and still two
hours to dawn-he marched them out
to the pike leading through the town,
the old stage route between Alexan- ,
dria and Warrenton. There they en-
countered the cavalry company and
gave them a volley which forced the
horsemen to retire to the foot of the
hill, at the edge of the town. Smith
then deployed his men along the road |
side and when the horsemen charged !
again they were met with steady fir |
ing before which. nothing being at |
stake in the battle, they retired.
Three years later Fairfax Court |
house was the scene of one of the |
most sensational and boldest of i
Moseby's raids. On the night of |
March 8. 1853, he worked his way |
with q half dozen trusted followers !
for mile or more through the enemy |
lines and stole into the house, still |
standing where the Union general |
Stoughton and his aides were asleep. |
The raiders seized the astounded |
Stoughton and five members of his |
staff and succeeded in carrying them
back through the lines, where they
Were delivered safely as prisoners of
war to Gen. j. Z. B. Stuart near
Dranesville
During the course of the war the
entire county, crossed and recrossed
by warning troops, suffered intensely, |
as was inevitable for any region which
was the scene of hostilities. Fairfax |
was like a spearhead pointed at the
National Capital. During most of the
time there was heavy concentration
of soldiers on it's soil. Destruction of
dwelling houses and churches was
widespread. Live stock was com.
mandeered until it became almost an
unknown quantity. Many families
moved away to less disturbed terri
tory. Ine scars or the war even now
are just disappearing from the face
Of the countryside.
16 Battles in County.
Just how many battles and skir.
mishes were fought in Fairfax County
is somewhat questionable. Sixteen.
in addition to the opening skirmish
At the county seat, are officially listed. 1
Or them all, only the battle of (
Chantilly, following the second Bull
FUN. can be caIlaiderad of raa io,. In, I