Gainesville in Prince William County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Rock Fight

Photographed By Craig Swain, August 1, 2007

1. Rock Fight Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

In Aug. 1862, during the Second Battle of Manassas, Confederate Maj. Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson’s command occupied an unfinished railroad grade northeast of here, including “the Dump,” a gap in the grade heaped with construction stone. On 30 Aug., the Federals attacked, the 24th New York Infantry almost broke through. Out of ammunition, Confederates there and at Deep Cut to the west, began hurling rocks. Some startled Federals threw stones back before retreating as Jackson reinforced his line. The Rock Fight became a Southern legend.

Erected 2003 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number C-33.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources series list. A significant historical month for this entry is August 1862.

Location. 38° 47.412′ N, 77° 38.049′ W. Marker is in Gainesville, Virginia, in Prince William County. Marker is on Lee Highway (U.S. 29), on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Gainesville VA 20155, United States of America. Touch for directions.

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At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Bull Run Battlefields (here, next to this marker); Campaign of Second Manassas (here, next to this marker); Second Battle of Manassas (a few steps from this marker); The Macrae School (approx. 0.8 miles away); The Shirley Cemetery (approx. 1.4 miles away); In This Area Are Buried (approx. 1.4 miles away); St. Paul's, Episcopal (approx. 1.4 miles away); In Memory of the Union Soldiers (approx. 1.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gainesville.

More about this marker. A marker with this same number but titled “Second Battle of Manassas,” discussed the rock fight. It was erected in the late 1920s or early 1930s 3½ miles east of Gainesville on what is now US 29. It read “Half a mile north, along a railway cut, Stonewall Jackson held position, August 29-30, 1862, repulsing all of Pope’s assaults. When ammunition gave out on a section of the Confederate line, the soldiers used stones as missiles. Late in the afternoon of August 30, when Longstreet attacked, Jackson swept southward, completing the victory.” Its current location is nowhere near the rock fight. —Ed.

Also see . . . Action at the Deep Cut. A first hand account by Colonel Robert M. Mayo, 47th Virginia Infantry Regiment. (Submitted on August 7, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)

Four State Markers Along Lee Highway image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Craig Swain, August 1, 2007

2. Four State Markers Along Lee Highway

A Portion of the "Unfinished Railroad" Running Through the Battlefield image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Craig Swain, July 24, 2007

3. A Portion of the "Unfinished Railroad" Running Through the Battlefield

Credits. This page was last revised on August 26, 2020. It was originally submitted on August 6, 2007. This page has been viewed 2,545 times since then and 260 times this year. Last updated on August 25, 2020, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 6, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.