Preservation of History --
Historical Marker Dedicated:
On April 12, 2008, Frank Stringfellow Camp
# 822 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans joined with the City of Fairfax to dedicate a highway marker commemorating approval of the
first Confederate Battle Flag at the former Ratcliffe home. Mayor Robert
Lederer of Fairfax officiated at the dedication on the
corner of Main and Oak Streets.
The marker resulted from a
year-long collaboration between the City of Fairfax and the SCV, with
support from the Virginia Room of the City of Fairfax Regional Library, and
local historian Edward Trexler, Jr. On September 5, 2007, the Virginia
Department of Historic Resources approved this text for the marker:
During the First Battle of
Manassas, amid the smoke of combat, troops found it difficult to
distinguish between Union and Confederate flags. Generals P.G.T.
Beauregard, Joseph E. Johnston and Quartermaster General William L.
Cabell met near here in September 1861 and approved the first
Confederate battle flag: a square red flag, with blue diagonally
crossed bars, and 12 stars. This pattern was adapted for use in
other battle flags and was incorporated into the Confederate
national flag in 1863. Beauregard's headquarters also hosted the 1
Oct. 1861 Fairfax Court House conference, during which Confederate
President Davis and his generals plotted strategy.
This marker is the first
of many events the city will undertake before the 2011 sesquicentennial
commemorating America’s bloodiest war. The Ratcliffe home also served as
headquarters of Union Major General George B. McClellan. Fairfax witnessed
many other events during that war, including: first Confederate officer
killed; first Confederate soldier wounded; raids by Confederate Colonel
Mosby and his rangers; the espionage of Laura Ratcliffe; headquarters of the
Washington Defense Department, including a substantial force of Federal
soldiers; and the death of Union General Corcoran in 1863.
You may view the pictures by clicking below
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