Area history events

Contributed Reports
Published: August 23, 2008

Join the United Daughters of the Confederacy
Do you have an ancestor who fought in the War Between the States? If so, would you like to join the United Daughters of the Confederacy? The United Daughters of the Confederacy is a heritage organization which was founded at Nashville, Tenn. in 1894.  If you are interested in membership or desire information about the UDC, please call the Chapter Registrar at: 547-3495 or send an e-mail to .

2008 Brandy Station Lecture Series
The Graffiti House hosts its 2008 lecture series from 2 to 3:15 p.m. Reservations are not required. Donations to the Brandy Station Foundation are welcomed and will be used for the operation and restoration of the house.

Aug. 31 – JEB Stuart and the 1857 Cheyenne Campaign by Melissa Wells Delcou.

Sept. 28 — Col. and Mrs. J. Egbert Farnum (portrayed by Ed and Mary Kelley) will reminisce about their War experiences, including writing his name on the wall at the Graffiti House.

Oct. 26 — Recovering the Remains of Capt. Farley – Archeological Perspective. Dale Brown will describe the process of exhuming Capt. Will Farley’s remains from the Fairview Cemetery that were reinterred in Laurens, S.C. Farley was one of JEB Stuart’s key scouts.

2008 Battle of Brandy Station Driving Tours
Kelly’s Ford & Stevensburg – Aug. 9
The second tour in the series begins with a discussion of the Union river-crossing at Kelly’s Ford, and then follows the route of march of the Union cavalry division.
commanded by Col. Alfred Napoleon Duffie, a deserter from the French army, to Stevensburg. The fighting at Stevensburg, a neglected aspect of the Battle of Brandy Station, is presented in detail. This tour concludes with a description of the mortal wounding of Cap. William Farley, JEB Stuart’s volunteer aide de camp.

Fleetwood Hill – Aug. 23
The third tour focuses on the fighting for Fleetwood Hill, the most intense and prolonged combat on June 8, 1863. At one point 12 regiments — six Union and six Confederate — struggled for control of the hilltop. Unlike most Civil War battles, the troopers fought from the saddle, mostly with sabers. One frustrated Rebel was heard to shout at his Yankee opponent, “Why don’t you Yankees put away your sabers, draw your pistols, and fight like gentlemen!”

Buford Knoll & Yew Ridge – Sept 6
The final installment in the series of tours presents the fighting that took place later in the afternoon of June 9 between Gen. Buford and Gen. W.H.F. “Rooney” Lee’s brigade. During the fighting, Rooney Lee, Robert E. Lee’s second son, was shot in the thigh and carried from the field.

Dates to remember
Sep. 13-14 — Living history presentation at the Graffiti House — by the 2nd US Infantry.
Sept. 27 — Brandy Station Foundation picnic at Rose Hill
Oct. 25 — “A Spirited Evening in Brandy Station” with Civil War ghost stories
Dec. 6 — Graffiti House Christmas Party