Mason's Hill

Mason's Hill. Strategic Location. Early in the U.S. Civil War, Mason's Hill was strategically important because of its high elevation and good views of nearby thoroughfares, Columbia Turnpike, and Little River Turnpike. Mason's Hill, Munson's Hill, and Bailey's Crossroads were especially significant., Confederate Col. J.E.B. Stuart and his men occupied Munson's Hill soon after the First Battle of Manassas, July 21, 1861 until September 21 of that year. It was the closest Confederate position to Washington, D.C., and from the White House, President Abraham Lincoln could see a Confederate flag flying there. Stuart's men used logs to build imitation cannons known as "Quaker Cannons" to mislead the Union Army and present an illusion of Confederate artillery strength, the first use of this tactic in the war., Stuart also had an outpost at Mason's Hill, where Col. Edward P. Alexander built a signal corps observation tower with a six-foot "astronomical glass" to observe Washington. Confederate spy E. Pliny Bryan had planned to signal messages to the tower from his Washington rooming-house window, but the Confederates abandoned Mason's Hill before this scheme could be implemented. The Union soon occupied this area., In the nearby fields between Munson's Hill and Bailey's Crossroads, Union Gen. George B. McClellan staged a military review on Nov. 20, 1861 to boost the morale of the army that was demoralized after its defeat at Manassas. Lincoln, his cabinet, and thousands of spectators attended. Observers were greatly impressed by the 65,000 well-trained and well-equipped soldiers whom McClellan, the new commander, had transformed into the Army of the Potomac., (captions) , Quaker gun battery, 1861 , Panoramic view of the village of Falls Church, Mason's Hill, and the surrounding country. From Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, October 26, 1861. , Gen. J.E.B. Stuart , Abraham Lincoln , Images courtesy of the Library of Congress and the Virginia Room, City of Fairfax Regional Library.