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RallyPigeon t1_itvt5wm wrote

Reply to comment by oladiamante in October 26, 1909 Major General Oliver Otis Howard passed away in Burlington, VT. He lost his arm to wounds from the Battle of Fair Oaks. His actions that day earned him the Medal of Honor. After the war, he worked in the Freedman’s Bureau and founded Howard University in Washington D.C. by Unionforever1865

Here is where things get confusing: the 1862 Battle of Fair Oaks (also known as Seven Pines) was actually fought on the outskirts of Richmond near the modern day Richmond airport. But Fair Oaks Mall actually is on the proximity border of another 1862 Civil War battlefield - the Battle of Chantilly (also known as Ox Hill).

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oladiamante t1_itw1vaq wrote

Very interesting! Side note that popped in my mind, my AP History Teacher was a reenactment extra in a small budget movie about the Battle of Chantilly, it premiered at Fair City Mall in 2006 and sold out, I went and got extra credit. Apparently there's a lot of local interest in that battle. Here's a story about it:

http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2006/mar/08/battle-of-chantilly-premieres/

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RallyPigeon t1_itw3lni wrote

Interesting! I had never heard of that movie before. But the story of the battle is particularly interesting. Two Union generals died, the Confederates lost a chance to cut off at least a portion of the Union army from Washington and it was fought in a thunderstorm which led to some short bursts of hand to hand fighting. There is no shortage of drama in the way events played out!

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oladiamante t1_itw8lbd wrote

I remember the storm effects from the movie! Sounds like the guys who made it really knew their stuff. Are there any worthy sites to visit that you're aware of? I'd imagine there's those black and white markers at least.

Love the Korean food spots around there.

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RallyPigeon t1_itwal29 wrote

The core area of a Union charge is still preserved at Ox Hill Battlefield Park. The rest of the battlefield has been lost to development unfortunately and the park only exists as a result of a deal between developers with local government. But I still recommend checking it out at least once. There are no shortage of places to visit in our area that are related to the Civil War. Start with the sites the National Park Service administers like Manassas, Fort Stevens, Fords Theater, Clara Barton's house, Harper's Ferry, etc then work your way out to county/state parks like Bristoe Station, Ball's Bluff, Cedar Mountain and look into non-profits or museums. The Civil War Interpretive Center in Fairfax is a hidden gem; be sure to go on a Saturday for a 1 pm tour so you can see all the graffiti drawn by Union soldiers. This weekend in Leesburg there is going to be tours + a reenactment at the 1861 Ball's Bluff battlefield park. I think the Civil War Medicine Museum in Frederick is one of the best museums on any topic in the area and you can tag on a visit to the Monocacy or Antietam battlefields with it too. The re-opening of the renovated African American Civil War Museum on U St is supposed to happen this winter too so keep an eye out for that.

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oladiamante t1_itwvuh8 wrote

You kind of blew my mind with the Interpretive Center, I had no idea that was there and it's my home town!

We've had Antietam on our list and would probably stop in Frederick to hit up a brewery on the way back anyway, that museum sounds great. Really appreciate the write up, lots of actionable stuff on here.

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RickBangkok t1_itw57lv wrote

Yes I take walks over there and there are a few markers there. Small parking lot, hardly anyone there to see history.

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RallyPigeon t1_itwb2oe wrote

I took a tour with the author of a book on the battle once.. That brought it to life for me more than my solo walk did. But I do agree what is preserved is very limited.

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