No need to dig
around in the bushes.
On August 23rd, 1864, after an all night ride, Mosby and 200-300
of his men came down the Little River Turnpike from Fairfax Court
House. Grant and Lee were nearing their end game south of Richmond.
Jubal Early had just been repulsed from the outskirts of DC and was
fleeing up the Shenandoah valley. Yet Mosby's force was growing. In
these later months of the war, he had his largest forces and the
size of the force overlooking Annandale this foggy morning was one
of the larger forces he ever commended in one attack.
After driving in the pickets who were west of Accotink creek
(under the western part of the 495/236 cloverleaf), Mosby set up
his 12 pound Howitzer and a Napolean gun. Think of the bravado to
strike deep inside Union occupied territory with 300 men and two
(slow) guns!!
Up the sloping hill on the other side was the stockade. Not many
details of it exists but it seems to have been near the NW corner
of what is now Hummer Road and the LRT (the traffic light just
inside the Beltway). Inside were 160 men from the 16th NY.
Mosby sent Captain Richard Montjoy to ride up to the stockade
and ask for surrender. He was refused. Mosby opened up the
artillery at 4:47 am. It is odd he brought his howitzer down almost
to the Accotink creek which meant he had to fire uphill to the
stockade. He would have been better served staying on the heights
west of the creek and keeping a trajectory which would have
produced more accurate fire. After 45 minutes of shelling, there
were no real results except the wounding of one horse.
Mosby's men charged and surrounding the fort, they fired inside.
Again, no damage. And again a call to surrender.
The unknown commander of the Union forces replied in
McAuliffe-like fashion. To paraphrase: "'A German commands this
fort and he will never surrender. Come back again and we will shoot
holes in the white flag".
"Don't shoot that, sir. It's my only handkerchief" was the
Southern reply.
Afterwards Mosby's men broke off the attack and headed west.
Mary Rebecca Tennison, whose farm lay east of the stockade was
accused of aiding the Southerners. When it was pointed out she
aided men in need for both the north and south, she was released. A
year later, Tennison married Elhannan Wakefield of the 2nd Mass
Cavalry (see GC1MMJT- ALLH#14 Annandale Methodist cache). .