In Aug. 1862, during the Second Battle of Manassas, Confederate Maj. Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson’s command occupied an unfinished railroad grade northeast of here, including “the Dump,” a gap in the grade heaped with construction stone. On 30 Aug., the Federals attacked, and the 24th New York Infantry almost broke through. Out of ammunition, Confederates there and at Deep Cut to the west began hurling rocks. Some startled Federals threw stones back before retreating as Jackson reinforced his line. The Rock Fight became a Southern legend.
