The Battle of Dranesville

The Battle of Dranesville. First Federal Victory South of the Potomac. In the fall of 1861, Fairfax County found itself between two large armies. Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston and his troops occupied the Centreville area. The Union Army was manning a growing line of fortifications protecting Washington D.C. after suffering a devastating defeat at the first Battle of Manassas. Union morale was low, and a battlefield victory was desperately needed., On Dec. 19, Union Gen. George McCall ordered Gen. Edward O.C. Ord and his Pennsylvania infantry and artillery to move forward to Dranesville after learning that Confederates were harassing Union soldiers there. At the same time, Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart received orders to protect Confederate foraging parties gathering supplies for the winter, and marched toward Dranesville on Centreville Road (now Reston Avenue)., Ord's Union troops arrived the next day at the intersection of Georgetown and Leesburg Turnpikes, one mile in front of you, where they took up defensive positions on a ridge facing south with the intersection at their center., When Stuart and his Confederate infantry and cavalry arrived, they quickly discovered the strength of the Union position. After repeated attacks and significant losses from artillery fire, Stuart ordered a retreat southward. Casualties totaled 68 for the Union and 194 for the Confederate armies. Ord returned to the Union lines, and Stuart came back to the battlefield the next day to recover his dead and wounded., Although each side claimed victory at Dranesville, the Union Army achieved its first tactical success against the Confederates in Virginia. The battle was small compared to future conflicts, but it boosted Union morale. U.S. Secretary of War Simon Cameron wrote afterward, "It is one of the bright spots that give assurance of the success of coming events.", (sidebar) , Dranesville Tavern , Dranesville Tavern, built about 1820, was a popular stopping place for weary travelers and drivers taking livestock and farm produce to Alexandria, Georgetown, and Washington, D.C. markets via Leesburg Turnpike. It was described in 1865 as "one of the best roadside inns in the State of Virginia." The tavern was moved about 125 feet southwest to its current location in 1968 to enable Leesburg Turnpike to be widened. The tavern is restored to its 1850 appearance., (captions) Gen. Edward O.C. Ord . Gen. J.E.B. Stuart . Images courtesy of the Library of Congress