Near Haymarket in Prince William County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Ambush at Ewell’s Chapel
His Men Quickly Scattered
Photographed by Craig Swain, February 4, 2007
1. Ambush at Ewell's Chapel Marker
Acting on good intelligence, Union Gen. George G. Meade ordered a trap set here for Maj. John Singleton Mosby and his band of partisan rangers on the morning of June 22, 1863. With a small detachment of the 17th Pennsylvania Cavalry exposed as bait, a company of the 14th U.S. Infantry hid in the rear of Ewell's Chapel and along a farm lane that entered the Old Carolina Road near the chapel. Coming from the Bull Run Mountains and passing through the Ewell Farm, Dunblane, Mosby and about 25 of his men saw the Union cavalry and attacked according to plan. The concealed U.S. infantry, however, delivered poorly directed fire as the Confederates approached the chapel. Mosby and his men quickly scattered and escaped with only three wounded. Mosby himself allegedly shot and killed Sgt. Martin Aumiller of the 17th Pennsylvania Cavalry, posted as a lookout in a tree and the only Union casualty. He was buried near the chapel.
[Sidebar:]
Dunblane, the home of Dr. Jesse Ewell, served as a convalescent facility for his cousin, Confederate Gen. Richard S. Ewell, who was severely wounded in the left knee during an engagement at Groveton on August 28, 1862. After the general’s leg was amputated at the Arris Buckner house, Auburn, five miles north of the battlefield, Ewell was brought to Dunblane to recuperate under
this page online
“Prettiest chance… to dispose of Mr. Mosby” —Gen. George G. Meade
Erected by Virginia Civil War Trails.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Religion & Religious Structures • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical date for this entry is June 22, 1863.
Location. 38° 54.738′ N, 77° 37.771′ W. Marker is near Haymarket, Virginia, in Prince William County. It is at the intersection of Loudoun Drive (County Route 615) and Largo Vista Drive, on the right when traveling west on Loudoun Drive. Located approximately 200 yards East of U.S. 15. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2400 Loudoun Dr, Haymarket VA 20169, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area, in Northern Virginia, and in the Piedmont. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Loudoun County / Prince William County (approx. 1.4 miles away); Simon Kenton’s Birthplace (approx. 2.9 miles away); Fair Oaks (approx. 3½ miles away); The Carolina Road (approx. 3½ miles away); The Mosby-Forbes Engagement July 6, 1864
Photographed by Craig Swain, June 23, 2007
2. Ewell's Chapel Site
The chapel stood in the thicket beyond the fence, behind the marker location.
More about this marker. The main picture on the marker is a picture of Ewell’s Chapel with the caption, “Ewell’s Chapel, constructed for members of the Methodist Episcopal Church about 1847 on land donated by Dr. Jesse Ewell, was abandoned in the 20th century and stood until the 1980s. First called Rescol, by the time of the war, it was known as Ewell’s Chapel and afterward as Grace Episcopal Chapel. —Courtesy Virginia Department of Historic Resources.
In addition the marker displays portraits of Gen. George G. Meade and Maj. John S. Mosby as well as a small painting of Dunblane in the sidebar.
Also see . . . Biography of John S. Mosby. (Submitted on July 5, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 10, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 5, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 4,672 times since then and 81 times this year. Last updated on July 30, 2022, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 5, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
