Near Fairfax in Fairfax County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Boulders and Quartz Stone
The Spot Where General Stevens Fell
— ★ The Battle of Ox Hill ★ —
January 10, 2009
1. Boulders and Quartz Stone Marker
The boulders and quartz stone beside this fence mark the location where Union General Isaac Stevens fell with the flag of the 79th New York “Highlanders” during the initial Union assault. Here, Stevens’ troops threw down the fence and drove Hay’s Louisiana brigade back through the woods.
In 1883, Hazard Stevens, the general’s son and adjutant, and Charles Walcott of the 21st Massachusetts, returned to this field and identified the places where generals Stevens and Kearny were killed. The farm was then owned by Confederate veteran John Ballard, who marked the spot where General Stevens fell with a mound of boulders and later added a white quartz stone.
In 1915, Ballard’s son would say of his father and this stone,
"…an ex-Confederate maimed in that great struggle, with weak hands but with a heart strong in respect for a brave fallen foeman, planted that stone to mark that spot… with no services other than the reverence one brave man has for another."
Erected 2008 by Fairfax County Park Authority.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1883.
Location. 38° 51.912′ N, 77° 22.208′ W. Marker is near Fairfax, Virginia
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Major General Philip Kearny (a few steps from this marker); Major General Isaac Ingalls Stevens (a few steps from this marker); Kearny and Stevens Monuments (a few steps from this marker); Kearny's Stump and the Monument Lot (a few steps from this marker); The Battle of Ox Hill (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Battle of Ox Hill (within shouting distance of this marker); Maryland (Antietam / Sharpsburg) Campaign (within shouting distance of this marker); The Attack and Death of General Stevens (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fairfax.
More about this marker. The left side of the marker features a sketch of John Ballard. On the right side of the marker is a photo captioned, Quartz Stone on the spot where Gen. Isaac Stevens was killed at Chantilly. Photograph from the Washington Sunday Star, November 13, 1921.
Also see . . .
1. Chantilly Battlefield. From Rantings of a Civil
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 18, 2014
2. Marker on the Battle of Ox Hill Battlefield
The boulder and quartz stone can be seen beside the fence in the background.
2. The Battle of Chantilly. Civil War Preservation Trust (Submitted on January 10, 2009.)
January 10, 2009
3. Boulders and Quartz Stone Marker
Photographed By Adam Margolis, December 21, 2022
4. Boulders and Quartz Stone Marker
Photographed By Adam Margolis, December 21, 2022
5. Boulders and Quartz Stone Marker
Marker is to the left of image.
Internet Archive
6. The Late Isaac I. Stevens
Harper's Weekly Sept. 20, 1862
Harper's Weekly Sept. 20, 1862
This engraving of Isaac Stevens, after a Brady photograph, accompanied his obituary in Harper's Weekly,.
January 10, 2009
7. The Modern Setting
Photographed By Bradley Owen, October 19, 2016
8. Monument To General Stevens At The Ox Hill Battlefield Park
Credits. This page was last revised on December 28, 2022. It was originally submitted on January 10, 2009. This page has been viewed 1,558 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on January 10, 2009. 2. submitted on April 20, 2014, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 3. submitted on January 10, 2009. 4, 5. submitted on December 22, 2022, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. 6. submitted on August 15, 2018, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 7. submitted on January 10, 2009. 8. submitted on February 17, 2021, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
