The Bog Wallow Ambush was a small unit action during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

that took place between

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

forces under Captain J. Fred. Waring and Union forces under Colonel George W. Taylor on December 4, 1861, in Fairfax County, Virginia, as part of

Maj. Gen. Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

George B. McClellan George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American soldier, Civil War Union general, civil engineer, railroad executive, and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey. A graduate of West Point, McCl ...

's operations in northern Virginia. The Union force set up an ambush for the Confederate force on the Braddock Road. The action resulted in a Union victory.

Background

Following the

Battle of Ball's Bluff The Battle of Ball's Bluff was an early battle of the American Civil War fought in Loudoun County, Virginia, on October 21, 1861, in which Union Army forces under Major General George B. McClellan suffered a humiliating defeat. The operation wa ...

on October 21, 1861, major offensive action was halted in the eastern theater, as both armies went into winter quarters. Small detachments were still occasionally sent out to probe the enemy's position and to obtain

forage Forage is a plant material (mainly plant leaves and stems) eaten by grazing livestock. Historically, the term ''forage'' has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used ...

. On the night of November 5, 1861, a shootout occurred between members of the units later involved in the ambush at Oak Hill mansion, in an area of such probing and patrolling. Members of the Union force also intended to retaliate for the Confederate force's attacks on Union pickets.

Opposing forces

Confederate

Commander: J. Fred. Waring

Georgia Hussars The Georgia Hussars are a cavalry unit founded before the American Revolution that continues today as part of the Georgia National Guard. The Hussars served the State of Georgia as part of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil Wa ...

(later

Jeff Davis Cavalry Legion The Jeff. Davis Legion (also known as the Jeff Davis Legion, Mississippi Cavalry) was a cavalry regiment of the Confederate States Army. Made up of companies from Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia; it fought primarily in the Eastern Theater o ...

, Company 'F')

Union

Commander: Col George W. Taylor 3rd New Jersey Volunteer Infantry, part of the

First New Jersey Brigade The First New Jersey Brigade (also called the First Jersey Brigade and Kearny's New Jersey Brigade) is the common name for an American Civil War brigade of New Jersey infantry regiments in the Union Army of the Potomac. Its official designation thro ...

The action

On December 4, 1861, 3rd New Jersey Infantry troops stretched two telegraph wires across Braddock Road at the eastern end of a "perfect bog hole" to dismount riders of the Georgia Hussars in the middle of the night. A "sheet of fire" erupted from the tree line along the swamp's edge when this happened; the Confederates returned fire and escaped, with casualties on both sides.

Results

This was a small unit action of no strategic importance and resulted in only light casualties. However, it is representative of many such actions in northern Virginia during the early part of the American Civil War.

Commemoration

A new historic marker was unveiled May 5, 2013 at the intersection of Braddock Road and Dunleigh Drive in

Burke Burke is an Anglo-Norman Irish surname, deriving from the ancient Anglo-Norman and Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty, the House of Burgh. In Ireland, the descendants of William de Burgh (–1206) had the surname ''de Burgh'' which was gaelicised ...

to commemorate the “Bog Wallow Ambush.” The marker is just outside Annandale, between Rolling Road and Guinea Road.Annandale VA Historic marker commemorates Bog Wallow Ambush
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Notes

References

*Salmon, John S. ''The Official Virginia Civil War Battlefield Guide.''Stackpole Books; Mechanicsburg, Pa. 2001. *Evans, Thomas J and James M. Moyer. ''Mosby's Confederacy:A Guide to the Roads and Sites of Colonel John Singleton Mosby.'' White Mane Publishing Company, Inc. Shippensburg, Pa. 1991.

External links

Bog Wallow Ambush Historical Marker Fairfax County History Commission

A Look Back at Braddock District Fairfax County, Virginia Historical Marker: Bog Wallow Ambush

A Look Back at Braddock District Fairfax County, Bog Wallow Ambush on Braddock Road

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bog Wallow Ambush Battles for McClellan's Operations in Northern Virginia of the American Civil War Battles of the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War Union victories of the American Civil War Fairfax County in the American Civil War 1861 in Virginia 1861 in the American Civil War Battles of the American Civil War in Virginia December 1861 events Conflicts in 1861