Brentsville

Brentsville, founded in 1820 as the Prince William County seat, was an important local center during the Civil War. In response to John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859, the Prince William Cavalry was formed on the courthouse lawn in January 1860, and the ladies of Brentsville made and presented the company’s flag. Other Confederate units from Prince William County, including the Ewell Guards, were also organized and drilled there. During the war, Brentsville suffered heavily from both armies. Confederate General Eppa Hunton, a Brentsville resident and lawyer, lost his house and other buildings, the Hampton Legion and other units were posted there on scouting missions, and several homes and churches were used as hospitals. The county clerk’s office was torn down for bricks to build camp chimneys, part of the circa 1822 courthouse roof was torn off, and many county records were destroyed or carried away by soldiers as souvenirs. In 1864, Captain Andrew McHenry of the 13th Pennsylvania Infantry wrote that the houses generally were in ruin. The Battle of Bristoe Station, fought three miles west on October 14, 1863, brought combat to Brentsville’s doorstep, and during the battle Federal General John Buford’s cavalry was stationed there to protect the Federal supply train. Confederate partisan units continued to operate in Brentsville until the end of the war. The town never fully recovered, and as the county’s economic center shifted to Manassas because of the railroad junction there, the county seat moved to Manassas in 1893. The circa 1822 courthouse and jail still stand.

Virginia · United States