Bristoe Station Battlefield Heritage Park

Bristoe Station Battlefield Heritage Park. .

Twice baptized in blood for Liberty's sake, it will be a place to which in after times pilgrimages will be made by those who reverence the glorious, though suffering, past. , , Chaplain Joseph Hopkins Twichell, November 1, 1863

, Bristoe Station Battlefield Heritage Park is one of Prince William County's most treasured open spaces. This hallowed ground features three miles of walking and equestrian trails, where wildlife abounds in the fields, woods, and ponds. Traces remain from the people who once occupied this land in the park's road traces, buildings, and cemeteries., War came to these peaceful fields in 1861, and for four grueling years the ground where you now stand endured significant military activity. Following the Confederate victory at Manassas, elements of the Southern army encamped here over the winter of 1861-'62. During that time hundreds of soldiers died from sickness and disease. A cemetery for the 10th Alabama Regiment, located a short walk down the main rail, remains a silent witness to the suffering of these young volunteers., Later in 1862, elements of the Union and Confederate armies clashed here during the Battle of Kettle Run, fought August 27, 1862. When Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's men raided Manassas Junction, Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker's Federal troops attacked the Confederate rear guard, commanded by Maj. Gen Richard S. Ewell. Ewell's men engaged in a fiercely contested battle that bought enough time for Jackson's troops to escape capture by the Federal army, forcing an even larger battle –Second Manassas, fought August 28-30. To learn more about this battle and visit the 10th Alabama Cemetery, take the mulch trail in front of you., The fighting returned in October of 1863 during a series of battles known as the Bristoe Campaign. Lt. Gen. A.P. Hill blindly committed his Confederate Corps to an attack upon Union forces near Bristoe Station. Maj. Gen. Henry Heth's men bore the brunt of this attack, marching on both sides of Bristow Road towards the Orange and Alexandria Railroad embankment that sheltered the Union II Corps. The result was a quick, bloody, and one-sided affair. Hill would lose approximately 1,400 men in this battle that marked the end of Robert E. Lee's last strategic offensive of the American Civil War. To learn more about this tragic battle, take the trail to your left., In 2000, Centex Homes purchased this land. Two years later, Centex Homes developed New Bristow Village and gave the battlefield parcel to the Civil War Preservation Trust. Prince William County acquired the 140-acre site in 2007. This park demonstrates how developers, residents, preservationists, and local governments can work together to save a vital historic resource.