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The Battle of Sangster Station
THE BATTLE OF SANGSTER STATION, DECEMBER 17, 1863
By Lynne Garvey-Hodge, Author and Historian
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So significant was the Battle of Sangster Station that in 1903 the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors received a letter petitioning the erection of a monument to the soldiers killed and wounded in the battle – from the Union Captain serving during this time and place. The “Tears and Love” monument was erected in 1904 near the County Poorhouse, which was located not far from the path of the O&A Railroad outside the newly incorporated Town of Clifton (1902). The Poorhouse had stood there at the time of the Battle of Sangster Station. Unfortunately, during the late 1950s and early 1960s, as the issue of Civil Rights heated up in the country, the monument was vandalized and subsequently taken down.
This battle was significant, as 65 Union soldiers faced approximately 700-800 Confederate cavalry. In defending Sangster Station Union Captain John McAnally, of Company I of the 155th New York suffered four wounded and nine captured, and eight of the captured died as prisoners of war. The monument indicated that the Confederates lost two soldiers from Brigade Commander Brigadier General Thomas Rosser’s “Laurel” Brigade, Company B of the 7th, 11th, 12th Virginia Cavalry.
The Union's resistance was broken during a fierce fight which ensued at 6:00pm in incredibly inclement weather – blinding and freezing rain, thunder and lightning. Soldiers from Company I reported that they buried four Confederate cavalry men the following day. The soldiers were buried at the scene of the engagement, and a member of Company I, Mike Casey, officiated at the funeral service.
Confederate General Rosser later claimed to have captured the colors of the 164th New York and a bugle (actually, he found the colors in a box and a bugle left at the Poorhouse) at the Sangster Station battle. However, no one of the 164th New York was present at the Sangster Station engagement on December 17, 1863. Rosser was barely able to escape out to the Shenandoah Valley with his troops after the battle was ended.
The "Tears and Love" Monument (All four sides of the monument are now placed permanently in the Fairfax Railroad Museum). The poem "The Blue and The Gray" by Francis Miles Finch (1827-1907) is quoted on the last plaque to the right.
John Singleton Mosby and his men. While Mosby was not directly involved in the Battle of Sangster Station, he knew this area of the Orange & Alexandria Railroad line well. Several of his men retired to the Clifton area after the Civil War and attended Clifton Baptist Church. The photo includes from left to right: Rangers Dickson, Watkins, Mosby, Thomas, Smith, Carlisle, Carter and an unknown Ranger. (photo courtesy of Don Hakenson and David Goetz)
The "Tears and Love" Monument c. 1958 before it was vandalized and removed.
A surviving gentleman of this battle, Union Captain John McAnally petitioned the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on July 4, 1903, from Buffalo, New York for a marker to be placed in what is now the property of Dr. Dyer on Fairfax Station Rd. – near the “Bunnyman Bridge".
The petition was recorded in the August 1903 Board of Supervisor’s minutes as follows:
Gentlemen,
I respectfully ask permission from Your Honorable Board to erect a monument on the grounds of the Alms House at Clifton in Fairfax County. Clifton was formerly known as Sangster’s Station, and was so known when my Company was engaged with General Thomas Rosser’s Brigade of Cavalry, on December the 17th, 1863. I beg to state in connection with my request, as above, that I have had some correspondence with Superintendent Ford, and if your Honorable Board could arrange a conference with Mr. Ford regarding the subject matter herein, I am sure that he could furnish gladly some very valuable information. When I wrote to Superintendent Ford requesting as to whom to apply for permission to erect the Monument, he informed me that he well remembered me, and refreshed my memory very pleasantly with some reminiscences that occurred during the time our camp was pitched at Sangster’s Station, and referred me to Your Honorable Board for the necessary permission. If I can succeed in my object, i.e., the obtainment of your very kind permission to erect this Monument, I will be highly honored and will be glad to meet your Honorable Board at its Dedication. Also I would be especially honored if I could meet at its
Dedication some of the members of the Brave and Gallant SEVENTEENTH VIRGINIA, with whom my Company had a sharp encounter at the siege of Suffolk on the morning of April 15, 1863. The members of the 17th Virginia were raised mostly in Fairfax County and I would esteem it a priceless privilege and great honor to greet them at the Dedicatory ceremonies. Should Your Honorable Board grant my request, I will be pleased to submit for your approval the details of the design and other information about the proposed Monument that Your Honorable Board may desire.
I beg to subscribe myself,
Very Sincerely Yours, John McAnally,
Late Captain, Company I, 155th New York Volunteers American Infantry Legion, No. 437, Breckenridge Street, Buffalo, New York
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Clifton and Fairfax Station: DEFENDERS OF THE OCCOQUAN!
By Margaret Fisher
As the population of Fairfax County rose
in the 1960s and 1970s, sewage and other pollutants began to compromise the Occoquan Reservoir. The reservoir provides drinking water to more than half of county residents, so action was needed. Sewage treatment and water purification facilities were improved, and much of the shoreline was protected by Fountainhead, Hemlock Overlook, and Bull Run regional parks.
In addition, 41,000 acres in western Fairfax County were down-zoned in 1982 to limit nutrient and sediment runoff. The resultant low-density development benefited the county budget, which could then concentrate government services on the east side of the county, but it also had huge benefits for the humans and other animals that make Clifton their home.
A visit to any of the parks along Bull Run and the Occoquan reveals hundreds of acres of beauty, including long stretches of Virginia Bluebells and other natural wonders, as well as recreational opportunities. A closer look, though, also reveals disturbing quantities of plastic and other garbage. The lucky human residents of our oasis within suburbia may be unaware of the downstream consequences resulting from what we do on our properties. It is rather interesting to see how far objects large and small can migrate just as a result of rainstorms. As they say, everything rolls downhill, including trash, debris, lawn chemicals, road salt, pet excrement and hazardous wastes. It is up to us to keep these things from reaching the creeks.
There are a number of steps residents can take to keep the water clean, so that it remains drinkable and aquatic life can flourish. It is obviously necessary to pick up trash, debris and dog poop and to take hazardous wastes to the county drop-off points. We should only use as much salt in the winter as we really need, because sodium levels in the local waterways have been increasing and water treatment plants cannot remove it. Our lawn practices are also important. We should limit the use of fertilizer as much as possible and time any applications of it so it is not washed away, as fertilizer causes excess growth of algae. The more trees
Two Geese Green Heron
and other native plants we have on our properties, and the less lawn, the more our stormwater will percolate into the ground water and be filtered before reaching the creeks. All these recommendations are detailed by the Northern Virginia Clean Water Partners at OnlyRain.org. Those of us who are fortunate enough to live near a pond, lake,
Virginia Bluebell floodplain, creek or intermittent stream have a particular responsibility. It is recommended that we refrain from mowing or other land-disturbing activities within 100 feet of waterways and that we maintain or create a wide buffer to capture stormwater and pollutants. In fact, it is illegal to do land-disturbing activities within Resource Protection Areas without a permit. If you are wondering whether any part of your property falls within such an area, you can go to the Waterways section of the Wild About Clifton website (www.wildaboutclifton.org) and follow the instructions to find the right map.
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