BATTLE OF KETTLE RUN: Remembering Soldiers’ Courage and Sacrifice

By Carla Christiano

Located almost 8 miles from Manassas National Battlefield Park, the 140-acre Bristoe Station Battlefield Heritage Park off Bristow Road preserves some of the land associated with the lesser-known Battles of Kettle Run and Bristoe Station. Opened in 2007, the park is the kind of place where people walk their dogs along the trails and where neighborhood families from the adjoining New Bristow Village development bring the kids to run off some energy. Birds calling from the trees are drowned out occasionally by airplanes from nearby Manassas airport.

But on August 27, 1862, this once quiet farmland near a rail line was a different scene as thousands of Confederate and Union soldiers fought here at the Battle of Kettle Run. This year marks the 161st anniversary of the battle, which was a tactical Union victory. The Prince William County Office of Historic Preservation is commemorating the battle with tours and demonstrations that help visitors learn more about the events of that day and what soldiers on both sides endured.

What Happened at the Battle of Kettle Run?

In the summer of 1862, Union and Confederate forces had battled in and around Richmond for weeks. By August 1862, the fighting had pushed eastward toward Culpeper and there was a “stalemate along the Rappahannock River between Robert E. Lee’s Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and John Pope’s Union Army of Virginia,” said Kevin Pawlak, Historic Site Manager with the Prince William County Office of Historic Preservation, responsible for Ben Lomond Historic Site and Bristoe Station Battlefield Heritage Park. “In an effort to cut Pope off from his supply line, which was the Orange and Alexandria [O&A] Railroad that ran through Manassas Junction and Bristoe Station, Lee split his army in half and sent about 24,000 men under Stonewall Jackson’s command around Pope’s army and then behind it,” said Pawlak. They marched about 50 miles in about 36 hours.

“The night of August 26, they [Confederates] cut the O&A rail line at Bristoe Station by wrecking two trains. One train got through. They managed to wreck two locomotives and about 24 cars that were there. The next morning most of Jackson’s command moved onto Manassas Junction where they razed the Federal supply depot,” said Pawlak. Jackson left behind onethird of his force under the command of Richard Ewell, a Prince William native.

“Ewell’s objective was to hold off a Union attack coming up the rail line itself. Soon enough there would be,” said Pawlak.

John Pope moved his army of about 55,000 men from the Rappahannock River up the rail line and other adjacent roads to Manassas Junction. “In the afternoon of August 27 — a very hot afternoon of over 90 degrees — as Union troops under the command of General Joseph Hooker were moving back up the rail line towards Bristoe Station, they encountered Ewell’s men,” said Pawlak. After about two hours of intense fighting, it was all over. The Confederates withdrew to Manassas Junction.

“Though a relatively small engagement as compared to better known Civil War battles like Gettysburg, the Battle of Kettle Run was still a deadly contest, with about 600 casualties (dead, wounded and missing) on both sides,” said Union reenactor and park volunteer, Jeff Joyce. He also noted some of the dead are likely still buried on the battlefield.

The Battle of Kettle Run “set the stage for the Union defeat at Second Manassas just a few days later,” said Pawlak. Although a small battle, it was very important to those who experienced it and their families. “We think about Kettle Run as a small fight, but for people who lost loved ones on the battlefield, their lives were changed forever because of it,” said Pawlak.

Remembering the Battle of Kettle Run

On August 26, the park will hold a night-time tour where they will focus on Jackson’s raid on Bristoe Station. “We’ll do a sunrise tour the next morning, August 27, to focus on the Federal reconnaissance back to Bristoe Station that led to the fighting at Kettle Run. Then we’ll do Kettle Run tours throughout the day on Sunday, August 27,” said Pawlak. There will also be battle demonstrations and musket-firing demonstrations throughout the weekend.

Volunteers from the Bull Run Civil War Round Table will be on hand to help park visitors. Additionally, reenactors from the 2nd Maryland Infantry, 28th Massachusetts and the 49th Virginia will provide “living history.” “Visitors can walk through the encampments,” said Pawlak. They can also talk to the reenactors about “what clothing was like back during the Civil War, what did Civil War soldiers eat, how did they spend their downtime, how did they experience battle and how did they march from camp to camp.” Kids can try on Civil War uniforms and feel what uniforms were like. “It’s an immersive experience to understand and experience just what Civil War soldiers went through and what their daily lives were like,” he said.

During the commemoration, Union reenactor Joe Abernathy said he will conduct “several interactive demonstrations about how field music was used to tell time, communicate on the battlefield, and lift morale among the troops using authentic Civil War instruments.” Abernathy is participating “because I have a lifetime love of history and am passionate about sharing what I have learned with others.” Joyce said he will be participating “because I believe it's important to remember and honor the soldiers who fought and died there.”

“Visitors should come out for an appreciation for what happened during the Civil War and surely a desire to learn a little bit, not just about the Battle of Kettle Run but also about the Civil War in general,” said Pawlak.

What You Need to Know

The park is located at the corner of Iron Bridge Unit Avenue and Tenth Alabama Way in Bristow, VA. All activities for the Battle of Kettle Run program are free. Pawlak said activities are weather dependent and visitors should be prepared for the heat and the possibility of rain.

For more information, go to pwcva.gov/history and use the link for Bristoe Station Battlefield Heritage Park or visit the events calendar at pwcva.gov/department/historic-preservation/historicpreservation-events.

Carla Christiano is a native of Prince William, admitted history geek, and a technical writer for SAIC.