Battle of Fairfax Court House (1861) 1861
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 1 June 1861 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1861 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | United States | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | North America | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | American Civil War | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 38.8447, -77.3092 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Fairfax Court House was the first land engagement of the American Civil War with fatal casualties. On June 1, 1861, a Union scouting party clashed with the local militia in Fairfax, Virginia, resulting in the war's first deaths in action, and the first wounding of a field-grade officer.
The Union had sent a regular cavalry patrol under Lieutenant Charles H. Tompkins to estimate enemy numbers in the area. At Fairfax Court House, they surprised a small Confederate rifle company under Captain John Q. Marr, and took some prisoners. Marr rallied his unit, but was killed, and command was taken over by a civilian ex-governor of Virginia, William Smith, who forced the Union to retreat.
The engagement is judged to have been inconclusive. The Union did not gain the intelligence it was seeking, and had to delay its drive on Richmond, thus enabling the Confederates to build up their strength at Manassas in advance of the much larger bigger battle there, the following month. Tompkins was criticized for exceeding his orders, although they had been somewhat imprecise.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Fairfax Court House (1861) (revision 1379580630), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Fairfax Court House (1863) 1863 · 1 km
- Bog Wallow Ambush 1861 · 6 km
- Battle of Chantilly 1862 · 6 km
- Battle of Vienna, Virginia 1861 · 8 km
- Battle of Blackburn's Ford 1861 · 13 km
- Battle of Lewinsville · 14 km
Other battles of the American Civil War
- Battle of Aquia Creek 1861
- Battle of Arlington Mills 1861
- Battle of Athens (1861) 1861
- Battle of Ball's Bluff 1861
- Battle of Barbourville 1861
- Battle of Big Bethel 1861
- Battle of Blackburn's Ford 1861
- Battle of Bolivar Heights 1861
- Battle of Boonville 1861
- Battle of Camp Allegheny 1861
All 498 battles of the American Civil War →
Browse more: battles in United States · North America · 19th century battles