rooks, was later appointed Military Clerk of the Court of
the County of Fairfax, when Union forces took over the Town.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

IX. THE CIVIL WAR IN FAIRFAX

Among the representatives in Richmond in February of 1861 when
Virginia was debating secession from the Union was a young man (35
yrs. old) by the name of John Quincy Marr.

He was a graduate and former professor of Virginia Military
Institute. A tall, strong man with black hair and dark eyes, he was
an affable, witty and popular lawyer.

While the convention at Richmond still hesitated, Marr returned home
to Warrenton to raise a company of infantry, known as the "Warrenton
Rifles", who were being made ready to uphold the secession.

Late in May in 1861 the "Warrenton Rifles", after having been to
Dumfries, Fauquier Springs, Bristow Station and Centreville, found
themselves bivouacked in the Methodist Church building (Duncan's
Chapel) at Fairfax.

The village was under the command of Lt. Col. Richard S. Ewell, a
veteran recently resigned from the United States Army, whose
conversation was said to be so full of profanity "that an auditor
declared it could be parsed". He had two mounted companies (one from
Rappahannock County and one from Prince William County) who had
"very few fire-arms and no ammunition".

Although Colonel Ewell was absent scouting on the day of May 31st,
1861, William (Extra Billy) Smith, who was a neighbor and good
friend of Marr, arrived at Fairfax around supper time that evening.
After chatting with Marr for a while, he retired to the Joshua
Gunnell house (the Oliver Building) which was diagonally across from
the Chapel.

In the meantime, Lt. Charles H. Tompkins, Co. B, 2nd U. S. Cavalry
was riding with eighty men towards Fairfax Court House to
reconnoiter the country in the vicinity of the court house.

Tompkins was an Indian type fighter and he made no attempt to seize
the pickets who might warn Marr and his men. Instead, he and his men
rode wildly up and shot at them. One guard rushing into the chapel
shouted, "The enemy's cavalry are approaching". Marr hurried his men
into the surrounding clover fields where they fell in rank.

Governor Smith, hearing all the racket, jumped out of bed and ran to
join his friend, Marr. In his haste he left his coat behind and, it
is rumored, even his shoes, which were placed outside the bedroom
door to be polished by the old negro servant before morning.

Up