Redoubt at Farr’s Cross Roads

Hidden in plain sight on George Mason University’s campus, a Civil War-era redoubt built by the 5th Alabama Infantry has been preserved as part of a public history trail. This overlooked site offers a rare glimpse into the early days of the war and the soldiers who once defended a quiet crossroads in Virginia.

Colonel Robert E. Rodes organized the 5th Alabama Infantry Regiment in May 1861 and moved it into Virginia in mid-June. By June 22–23, the regiment was stationed at Farr’s Crossroads in Fairfax County, where it remained until just before the Battle of First Manassas (Bull Run).

Farr’s Crossroads, named after the family who farmed the surrounding land, sat at the intersection of Braddock and Ox Roads. Braddock Road ran east to west, while Ox Road, connecting Fairfax Station to Fairfax Court House, ran north to south.

This position was part of Confederate Brigadier General Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard’s forward line, intended to provide early warning of any Union advance. The 5th Alabama, assigned to Brigadier General Richard S. Ewell’s Second Brigade, set up camp in an open field on the northwest side of the crossroads.

To guard the crossroads, they built a circular earthen redoubt, 80 feet in diameter, on a hill to the northeast. This hill, the second-highest natural elevation in Fairfax County, offered a clear vantage point to monitor the roads in all directions.

On July 16, 1861, the Union Army began its advance toward Manassas Junction. The following day, skirmishers from the 5th Alabama engaged in a delaying action against several New York regiments from Colonel Thomas A. Davies’ Second Brigade along Braddock Road.

Around 1:30 p.m., the New Yorkers reached the 5th Alabama’s abandoned camp. Disorganized and worn out from their slow advance, they halted the pursuit and camped for the night, while Rodes’ regiment safely crossed Bull Run.

In the decades that followed, the hill overlooking Farr’s Crossroads became overgrown, and its Civil War significance was largely forgotten. In the late 1950s or early 1960s, the redoubt was rediscovered during a survey for the planned campus of George Mason College of the University of Virginia (now George Mason University).

As recently as 2021, George Mason University partnered with the Bull Run Civil War Round Table to develop the site into a history trail, complete with interpretive signs detailing the history of Farr’s Crossroads, the redoubt, and a Civil War-era corduroy road uncovered in 2014 and 2015.

The trail begins near Parking Lot K, though a university visitor’s pass may be required. The path is well-maintained and features informative signage. While the July 16, 1861 skirmishes occurred to the east, it’s remarkable to find such a well-preserved Civil War fortification—built by the very men who fought nearby.

Sites like this offer more than just historical facts. They provide a tangible connection to the past, allowing visitors to stand where history happened and see the ground as those soldiers once did. Thanks to the efforts of George Mason University and local historians, this piece of Virginia’s Civil War heritage is no longer hidden but open to the public as a place for learning and reflection