Bristow in Prince William County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Battle Along the Railroad
Bristoe Station
Across the railroad, the 5th New Jersey Infantry moved up along the tracks. They now gained a perfect line of fire down on the 60th Georgia and wasted little time in making their shots count. The outflanked Georgians could no longer hold their line and broke for the safety of their main line of defense along the Brentsville Road. The sight of fleeing Confederates brought Taylor’s men to their feet in a charge, planting their colors on the railroad.
(Sidebar): [O]ur color bearer was ordered to raise our flag over the bank, which was done. The firing did not cease however until the flag had been shown two or three times, and their officers told them repeatedly that they were firing on their own men…our color bearer had a very narrow escape while he stood halfway up the bank with the flag raised. A ball struck the flag cutting it half off… — Corp. Alfred Bellard, 5th New Jersey Infantry
Erected 2012 by Prince William County Department of Public Works, Historic Preservation Division.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil.
Location. 38° 43.232′ N, 77° 32.61′ W. Marker is in Bristow, Virginia, in Prince William County. Marker can be reached from Iron Brigade Unit Ave.. Marker is located on the 1861-1862 Trail at Bristoe Station Battlefield Heritage Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Bristow VA 20136, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Deadly Day for Excelsior Brigade (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Preparing for Battle (about 400 feet away); The "Tigers" of Louisiana (about 700 feet away); “We Shall Bag the Whole Crowd” (approx. 0.2 miles away); Fight for a Pine Thicket (approx. 0.2 miles away); Confederates in Bristoe (approx. ¼ mile away); Davis Family Farmstead (approx. ¼ mile away); "We are in hell and fire on all sides" (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bristow.
More about this marker. On the upper center of the marker is a portrait captioned Pvt. Alfred Bellard, 5th New Jersey Infantry Courtesy of Gone For a Soldier. The bottom of the marker displays (Far Left) Gen. Nelson Taylor's hand-drawn map of Bristoe Battlefield. Courtesy of the Ohio Historical Society and (Left) James Dover Bailey, 60th Georgia Courtesy of Cary Dover.
The marker also displays a map of the battlefield indicating troop positions and movements.
Also see . . . Report of Brig. Gen. Nelson Taylor. From the Official Records, pg 443-444. (Submitted on September 11, 2012.)
Credits. This page was last revised on June 10, 2020. It was originally submitted on September 11, 2012. This page has been viewed 847 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 11, 2012. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.