Battle of Fairfax Court House – First Battle of the Civil War?
So while the Battle of Manassas or Bull Run, depending on whether you are from the South or North, is considered the first major battle of the U.S. Civil War, there were two land engagement prior to that battle. The first land engagement of the war happened on June 1, 1861 at the Fairfax Court House in Fairfax, Virginia. .
Before we find out what happened let’s find out where the Historic Fairfax County Court House is located. A Google search for the location of the Court House indicates that its address is 4000 Chain Bridge Road in Fairfax, Va. Here is a map of its location….
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The Court House is located not that far southwest of Washington.
So what happened at the Battle of Fairfax Court House. Actually it was not much of a battle. A Union scouting party met with the local militia. The battle did result though in the first death in action of a Confederate officer (Captain Marr) and the first wounding of Confederate officer ( Lt. Col. Ewell,) of field grade. From Wikipedia…
The Union had sent a regular cavalry unit under Lieutenant Tompkins to estimate enemy numbers in the locality. At Fairfax Court House, they surprised a small Confederate rifle company under Captain Marr, and took some prisoners. Marr rallied his unit, but was killed, and command was taken over by a civilian ex-governor of Virginia, William “Extra Billy” Smith, who forced the Union to retreat.
The engagement is judged to have been inconclusive. The Union did not gain the intelligence it was seeking, and had to delay its drive on Richmond, thus enabling the Confederates to build-up their strength at Manassas in advance of the much-bigger battle there, the following month. Tompkins was criticised for exceeding his orders, though these orders were somewhat imprecise.
While this wasn’t actually a battle it was the first engagement of the war. The second battle,which occurred two days later on June 3rd, was actually the first organized land action. Again from Wikipedia
The Battle of Philippi formed part of the Western Virginia Campaign of the American Civil War, and was fought in and around Philippi, Virginia (now West Virginia) on June 3, 1861. A decisive Union victory, it was the first organized land action of the war, though generally viewed as a skirmish rather than a battle
So neither of these two land engagements while being labeled as “battles” was really a battle so I guess that the Battle of Manassas, which began on July 21st of 1861 can still be correctly considered the “first battle” of the Civil War.
A second battle was fought a Fairfax Court House in June of 1863. This battle was a little more substantial than the first one. From Wikipedia.
The Battle of Fairfax Court House (June 1863) was fought during the Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil War by a small Union Army cavalry detachment of two companies (87 troops) of the 11th Regiment New York Volunteer Cavalry and advance units of Confederate Major General J.E.B. Stuart’s Cavalry Corps, Army of Northern Virginia. Stuart’s lead unit on the day of the battle was the 1st North Carolina Cavalry Regiment (9th State Troops) of Major General Wade Hampton’s division of 2,000 men.[2][6] The main body of three divisions, often still referred to at this time as brigades, of the Confederate Cavalry Corps, about 40 percent of the total troops, was moving toward the Potomac River, soon after the start of the ride of his best divisions through and around the Union Army of the Potomac on their way to Pennsylvania. The skirmish occurred near the village of Fairfax Court House in Fairfax County, Virginia on June 27, 1863. Read More
Links
Wikipedia: Battle of Fairfax Court House
Wikipedia: Battle of Philippi.
Wikipedia: First Battle of Bull Run
Featured Image: Fairfax Court House, Virginia by Matthew Brady From U.S. National Archives