Only major Civil War battle site in Fairfax, VA preserved
Much to the satisfaction of local history buffs, the site of the only major Civil War battle fought in Fairfax County is finally being preserved as a historic park.
Members of the Chantilly Battlefield Association, led by Chantilly resident Ed Wenzel, and other Civil War historians lobbied hard as development encroached on the battlefield little by little.
But their dream of an Ox Hill Battlefield Park will be realized with a ribbon-cutting on Sept. 1 that is expected to draw uniformed men representing both sides.
“This was a fight against all odds to preserve the battlefield,” said John McAnaw, president of the Bull Run Civil War Round Table. “Civil War buffs consider this a big victory.”
President Abraham Lincoln had just made John Pope commander of the Union Army when it was defeated by the Confederates on the Rappahannock River, according to park historians.
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Members of the Chantilly Battlefield Association, led by Chantilly resident Ed Wenzel, and other Civil War historians lobbied hard as development encroached on the battlefield little by little.
But their dream of an Ox Hill Battlefield Park will be realized with a ribbon-cutting on Sept. 1 that is expected to draw uniformed men representing both sides.
“This was a fight against all odds to preserve the battlefield,” said John McAnaw, president of the Bull Run Civil War Round Table. “Civil War buffs consider this a big victory.”
President Abraham Lincoln had just made John Pope commander of the Union Army when it was defeated by the Confederates on the Rappahannock River, according to park historians.