The Graffiti House, located at 19484 Brandy Road in the eastern end of the town of

Brandy Station, Virginia Brandy Station is an unincorporated area, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Culpeper County, Virginia, Culpeper County, Virginia, United States. It was first listed as a CDP in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census ...

, is believed by the Brandy Station Foundation to have been built in 1858. It is one of few dwellings in the village built before 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 ...

to survive intact to this day. The house is notable because of the Civil War era

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

on many of the walls. The graffiti found includes names, drawings, names of units, and inscriptions left by soldiers.

History

Because of its location on the Orange & Alexandria Railroad and the Carolina Road, the house, which was less than from the train depot, is thought by the Foundation to have been a commercial building as well as a dwelling. The Foundation reports that some graffiti has been removed or destroyed but considerable graffiti still remain. New graffiti were discovered as recently as December 2010. The house was owned by

James Barbour James Barbour (June 10, 1775 – June 7, 1842) was an American slave owner, lawyer, politician and planter. He served as a delegate from Orange County, Virginia in the Virginia General Assembly, and as speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates ...

(brother of the railroad's president John S. Barbour Jr.) during the Civil War but the Barbour family's main residence was on a ridge about to the south (and during the war was used by Confederate General

J.E.B. Stuart James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart (February 6, 1833May 12, 1864) was a United States Army officer from Virginia who became a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was known to his friends as "Jeb,” from the initials of ...

). Barbour served on the staff of

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Richard S. Ewell Richard Stoddert Ewell (February 8, 1817 – January 25, 1872) was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate general during the American Civil War. He achieved fame as a senior commander under Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. L ...

until January 1863. Because of its strategic location near the railroad, this house was used extensively by both the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

and

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

throughout the Civil War. Confederates used it as a field hospital during the

Battle of Brandy Station The Battle of Brandy Station, also called the Battle of Fleetwood Hill, was the largest predominantly cavalry engagement of the American Civil War, as well as the largest ever to take place on American soil. It was fought on June 9, 1863, aroun ...

and at other times when battles occurred in the area. It was probably used as a field hospital for wounded soldiers evacuated by train after the Battle of First Bull Run or First Manassas. The earliest known graffiti in the house date to the Second Manassas Campaign in August 1862, as the armies transited

Culpeper County Culpeper County is a county located along the borderlands of the northern and central region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 52,552. Its county seat and only incorporated community is Cul ...

. At the outset of the Gettysburg Campaign, the Battle of Brandy Station, the largest cavalry battle ever to take place in North America occurred on June 9, 1863, in the fields adjacent to the Graffiti House and extended to the heights on which the main house stood. After the fighting ended, the lower house was used as a Confederate field hospital. Later that year, Federal troops occupied the building when the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confede ...

camped in Culpeper County during the winter of 1863–64. The house was headquarters to

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Henry Prince, a division commander in the Third Corps of the Army of the Potomac during the Union Army pursuit of the

Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most oft ...

after its retreat from the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

, sometimes called the Rapidan campaign but this name could be confused with the beginning of the

Overland Campaign The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, in the American Civil War. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all Union ...

, and during the

Mine Run Campaign The Battle of Mine Run, also known as Payne's Farm, or New Hope Church, or the Mine Run campaign (November 27 – December 2, 1863), was conducted in Orange County, Virginia, in the American Civil War. An unsuccessful attempt of the Union ...

later in 1863.Warner, Ezra J. ''Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders.'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1964. . pp. 386–387 The plaster walls on the house's second floor are covered with an outstanding and unique collection of charcoal and pencil graffiti left by soldiers from both armies. In addition to their autographs, the soldiers drew elaborate pictures of men and women, and wrote inscriptions commemorating their units and their battles. After the war, new paint and wallpaper led to their being forgotten. The graffiti were rediscovered during a renovation in 1993. The Brandy Station Foundation purchased the house in 2002, and its website lists the days it is open for viewing. The house includes a small museum and serves as a headquarters for the Brandy Station Foundation and the Foundation's visitor center for the Brandy Station battlefield.

Graffiti that have been identified

Below is listed the names and units of those who have been identified in the Graffiti House: *Sergeant Allen Bowman, Co. E, 12th Virginia Cavalry *Private Michael Bowman, Co. H 7th Virginia Cavalry *Private Hamilton Boyd, Breathed's Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery *Private George Washington Butt, Norfolk Light Artillery (Huger's Battery) *Private James A. J. Cooper, Co. A, 35th Battalion Virginia Cavalry (White's Comanche's) *Captain Edwin Dillingham,

10th Vermont Infantry The 10th Vermont Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 10th Vermont Infantry was organized at Brattleboro, Vermont, and mustered in for three years service on September 1, 1862, un ...

*Private C. Benton Evans, Breathed's Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery *Private William Evans, Breathed's Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery *Colonel John Egbert Farnum, Commander, 70th New York Infantry *Lieutenant Lyman C. Gale, Co. K,

*Corporal Fayette Gibson, Breathed's Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery *Private Thomas 'Herb' Greenwell, Breathed's Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery *Private Uriah Haller, Breathed's Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery *Private William J. Haney, 24th Battalion Virginia Partisan Rangers *Private Henry 'Hal' Hopkins, Breathed's Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery *Private William Hopkins, Breathed's Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery *Private Bob Lewis, Norfolk Light Artillery (Huger's Battery) *Private George McCabe Jr., Breathed's Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery *Lieutenant William J. Marshall, Co. E, 12th Virginia Cavalry *Lieutenant Joseph Moore, Norfolk Light Artillery (Huger's Battery) *Private Edward Moreland, Norfolk Light Artillery (Huger's Battery) *Private A Muth, Breathed's Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery *Private George W. Orrison, Co. C, 35th Battalion Virginia Cavalry (White's Comanche's) *Private David Owens, Breathed's Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery *Private Robert Peed, Norfolk Light Artillery (Huger's Battery) *Private David Owens, Breathed's Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery *Private Dan Quinlan, Massachusetts Light Battery 'C' *Private Elijah Russell, Breathed's Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery *Maj. Gen.

, Commander, Army of Northern Virginia Cavalry *Sergeant Henry Thomas, Breathed's Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery *Private Harry Wagner, Breathed's Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery *Private Harry Wickes, Breathed's Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery *Private Thomas 'Frank' Yates, Breathed's Battery, Stuart Horse Artillery Below is listed the names of those who have not been identified in the Graffiti House: *Lewis Metta *Frank E. Kelly *M Rown *T.E. Kelly *Emanuel *A.L. Brynn

Notes on the names

*All the names of Breathed's Battery are found on the Maryland Scroll, created on March 16, 1863, the day before the Battle of Kelly's Ford, in which these artillery units participated. *William Haney is believed to have served in four separate units **

30th Virginia Infantry The 30th Virginia Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly in western Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Virginia.Krick, Robert ...

13th Virginia Infantry The 13th Virginia Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in central and western Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia. Its commanders w ...

**24th Battalion Partisan Rangers **35th Battalion Virginia Cavalry. It is likely that he signed the walls of the Graffiti House while serving in the 24th Battalion Partisan Rangers. *Robert Peed also identifies himself with Gannett's Artillery Battalion. Peed signed the walls in five locations. *Allen Bowman signed the walls in two locations

Units separately identified

* 2nd New York Militia *

Louisiana Tigers Louisiana Tigers was the common nickname for certain infantry troops from the State of Louisiana in the Confederate army during the American Civil War. Originally applied to a specific company, the nickname expanded to a battalion, then to a b ...

*2nd Division 3rd Corps *10th New Jersey Infantry *Stuart Horse Artillery *Army of the United States of America *Hill's Corps *Gannett's Battalion *Remember the Baltimore Artillery, September the 2nd, 1863

Events and locations identified

*Battle of Beverly Ford, April 16, 1863 (likely done by a member of either the 9th or 13th Virginia Cavalry) *June 8, 1863 (possibly done by a member of the 1st SC Cavalry) *"How are you Fort Sumter" (done by the 2nd NY Militia) *Petersburg *Rappahannock *March 16, 1863 *August 7, 1863 *Portsmouth, Virginia *Loudoun County *Washington, D.C. *Richmond *Baltimore

Drawings

Of the drawings found, only two have been identified: *Captain James Breathed * The Maryland Scroll.

=Other drawings

= *5 horses (one may be a mule) *a male civilian in coat and tails *an eagle/bird *a fort *a soldier in a slouch hat and mustache *a soldier in a slouch hat and beard *a young woman in a fancy dress, hat with ribbons, walking on a board or plank, saying "I am turned over to Lt. Gale" *an older woman smoking a long pipe *a young woman in a straw hat riding side-saddle *a young woman wearing a scarf carrying a basket *a bald man *a pair of women in coats and hats, with their arms in a muffler, saying "I am turned over to Capt. Dillingham" *a male civilian wearing a hat with a sword in his left hand. In the body of the man "President J. Davis good on the boots" *a man in a bowler (or derby), with mutton chops, saying he "smells a rebel." He is facing the rear of a horse. *a Federal soldier in a kepi

Gallery

Image:JEB Stuart's signature.JPG, Jeb Stuart's signature Image:Lieutenant William J. Marshall Signature.JPG, Lt. William J. Marshall's signature Image:Maryland Scroll.JPG, Maryland Scroll Image:Sergeant Allen Bowman signature.JPG, Sgt. Allen Bowman's signature

Notes

References

"Brandy Station Foundation".
Retrieved July 6, 2011. * * Warner, Ezra J. ''Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders.'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1964. .

External links

Brandy Station Foundation website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Graffiti House Houses in Culpeper County, Virginia Museums in Culpeper County, Virginia Military and war museums in Virginia Barbour family residences Houses completed in 1858 American Civil War museums in Virginia Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Culpeper County, Virginia