Dec. 20, 1861 - Battle of Dranesville

Dec. 20, 1861

Battle of Dranesville

Fairfax County, VA


Union Brig. Gen. Edward O.C. Ord w/ a brigade of Pennsylvania Reserves

vs.

Confederate Gen. JEB Stuart w/ a mixed brigade of infantry, 150 cavalry troopers, and a four-gun Georgia Battery


* "First Federal Victory South of the Potomac"

* Some say this is the first time anywhere (in the Eastern Theatre) that the Union succeeds in driving off Confederates. The sign says, it is the "Federals['] first tactical success against Confederates in Virginia," which I will allow because I read it as implicitly acknowledging Federal successes in West[ern] Virginia, before this small but morale-raising victory.   



https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=115854

"In the fall of 1861, Fairfax County found itself between two large armies. Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston and his army occupied the Centreville area. The Federal army, still regrouping after the devastating defeat at the First Battle of Manassas, manned the growing line of fortifications protecting Washington, D.C. Union morale was low, and a battlefield victory was desperately needed.

Learning that Confederates were harassing Unionists near Dranesville, Gen. George McCall ordered Gen. Edward O. C. Ord with his Pennsylvania infantry and artillery forward to that place on December 19. Simultaneously, 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). On December 20, Ord’s troops arrived at the intersection of the Georgetown and Leesburg Turnpikes, a mile in front of you, where they took up defensive positions on a ridge facing south with the intersection at the center. When Stuart’s infantry and cavalry arrived, he quickly discovered the strength of the Federal position.

After repeated attacks and significant losses from artillery fire, Stuart ordered a retreat southward. Casualties totaled 68 Federals and 194 Confederates. 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 Federals achieved their first tactical success against the Confederates in Virginia. The engagement was small compared to future battles but 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."

Dranesville Tavern, built about 1820 was a popular stopping place for weary travelers and drovers taking livestock and farm produce to the Alexandria, Georgetown, and Washington, D.C. markets via the 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 because of the widening of the Leesburg Turnpike. It is restored to its 1850 appearance.

Dranesville Tavern 

And with that, the first year of the war comes to a close.

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/civil-war/battles/dranesville


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