Video Series Commemorates Historic Fairfax County, Virginia, Battle

Originally published October 2020 · p. 37

FAIRFAX, Va.—One of the more significant but oft forgotten events in the American Civil War took place Sept. 1, 1862 near Chantilly, Va., in what is remembered locally as the Battle of Ox Hill. There, in the only major military action during the Civil War in Fairfax County, two Union generals were killed in action. This event’s site was almost lost to history as the battlefield was all but sacrificed to economic development. “That ground on which Americans fought to decide whether the union would be preserved could be so easily forgotten was a shock and a wakeup call,” said Blake Myers, Preservation Committee Chair of the Bull Run Civil War Roundtable. By the actions of a few dedicated historians, a small portion of the battlefield was saved from development and is now a Heritage Resource Park. Union Generals Isaac Stevens and Philip Kearny were killed during this bloody battle. Two monuments commemorate their sacrifices. There have been many commemorative activities here over the years with speeches, music, and small living history events, but this year, the commemoration will take place over several days in a series of Internet releases.

Education and Awareness Drive the 2020 Commemoration The Bull Run Civil War Roundtable, a leader in educating the public about the Civil War, and the leading organization for Ox Hill’s recent commemorations, is moving the 2020 activities to an online and pre-recorded series of video productions. There will be seven video productions written, developed, recorded, and released on these topics: 1. Virtual Commemoration Announcement 2. Battle of Ox Hill Overview 3. General Stevens’ Attack & Death 4. General Birney’s Attack & General Kearny’s Death 5. General Reno’s Encounter East of Ox Road & Aftermath of the Battle 6. The Reid-Ballard Story and The Kearny & Stevens Monuments 7. Ox Hill Battlefield Preservation “These videos will be educational in nature and focus on the facts of the battle and the consequences of forgetting this battlefield and the historic military action that occurred here,” said Ed Wenzel, a local historian who helped preserve a small part of the battlefield. “History buffs, Civil War living history groups, other roundtable organizations, educational program providers focusing on the history of Fairfax County, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the American Civil War, public libraries, and others will benefit from these productions.”

Video Availability Videos will be published on Facebook™ and YouTube™, with the Virtual Commemoration Announcement of the series of videos available on the Sept. 1 anniversary. On Facebook, the videos will be posted at https://www.facebook.com/bullruncwrt. On YouTube, the videos can be accessed at: https:// www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bull+run+civil+war+round+table. Thereafter, the videos can be accessed at http://www.bullruncwrt.org/BRCWRT/Videos/ Videos.html. Founded in 1991, the Bull Run Civil War Roundtable (BRCWRT) brings together those who wish to expand and share their knowledge of the Civil War. We accomplish this goal in several ways: through lectures, research, field trips, and active participation in the preservation of Civil War sites. By regularly presenting knowledgeable, respected Civil War historians and scholars, writers, and lecturers, it is the intent of the BRCWRT to honor the memory of those who gave “the last full measure”. The BRCWRT is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.