The Rose Hill Raid (Historical Marker)

Here follows the inscription written on this roadside historical marker:

The Rose Hill Raid
A Not-So-Tender Reunion

On September 28, 1863, Confederate Maj. John S. Mosby raided the house that stood nearby on the bluff at the end of May Boulevard. The day before, Mosby and eight of his men road from Fauquier County toward Alexandria, where Mosby planned to capture Francis H. Pierpont, the provisional governor of the Restored Government of Virginia.

Mosby expected to find Pierpont at the City Hotel, known today as Gadsby's Tavern, but was disappointed to learn that Pierpont had gone to Washington City. Mosby and his men burned a railroad bridge within sight of Forts Ellsworth and Lyon, then rode along Telegraph Road to the Rose Hill Plantation to surprise the governor’s aide, Col. Daniel F. Dulany. One of Mosby's Rangers, French Dulany, was Col. Dulany's son.

Anne S. Frobel, a Rose Hill neighbor, wrote in her diary that a “party of Mosby’s boys came very unexpectedly to Rose Hill, and took off Col. Dulaney. One of them was his own son. …This boy’s first greeting to his father when he rushed into the room where his father was in bed [was] ... ‘How do Pa—I’m very glad to see you,’ and the father’s answer sitting up in bed, with proper dignity, ‘Well, sir, I’m d-sorry to see you.’ But they took him down to Richmond nevertheless.”

Dulany was imprisoned, exchanged, and survived the war. His son, however, was mortally wounded in 1864. The house burned in 1895.

“The Colonel sarcastically remarked to his son that he had an old pair of shoes he had better take, as he reckoned they were darned scarce in the Confederacy, whereupon the son holding up his leg which was encased in a fine pair of cavalry boots just captured from a sutler, asked the old man that he thought of that.” — Maj. John S. Mosby, October 1, 1863

Marker Erected by Virginia Civil War Trails.

More about this marker:
The marker displays two photos: on the upper left captioned Rose Hill - Courtesy Library of Congress and on the lower right captioned City Hotel, Alexandria - Courtesy Library of Congress.

On the lower left of the marker is a map captioned Alexandria and part of Fairfax County, 1864 Courtesy Library of Congress. On the top center of the marker is a painting captioned "The Rose Hill Raid" - Painting courtesy John Paul Strain.


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Here follows an excerpt about the raid from Donald Hakenson's "This Forgotten Land" tour guide:

The original silos from the Rose Hill Farm barn were attached to a community clubhouse. The community clubhouse and silos were destroyed to build new houses.

The entrance to the Rose Hill Farm was from Telegraph Road, where Rose Hill Drive intersects, as we know it today. The dirt road ran parallel to an apple orchard and when it reached the area of the Apple Tree Drive of today, it made a 90-degree turn to the left and proceeded to the rear of the farm house, which was located approximately where the house at 6412 May Boulevard is currently located. At that time, there was no entrance road from Franconia Road.

The farmhouse faced north-south, with the rear of the house to the south. The hallway from the rear door ran through the entire middle of the house to the front door. Many people thought the rear of the house was the front because both sides were almost identical and the road ended in a circle at the back door. The house was built by Daniel French on the top of a hill that overlooked Telegraph Road, and from the front porch you could see distant points such as Indian Head, Maryland.

The front of the house was approximately fifty yards from the edge of the hill and there was a large sundial about half-way between these points. Apparently, roses were planted around the front of the house and eventually, the entire top of the hillside was covered with roses and since they were visible to passers-by below on Telegraph Road, the area was dubbed "Rose Hill Farm." The Rose Hill house was destroyed in the late 1950's and the land was sold to a developer who created the current Rose Hill subdivision. Also, the table tombstone of Daniel French, the original owner, which was formerly on the lawn, was loved to Pohick Church.

Mosby's Raid at the Rose Hill House:

The Rose Hill Raid Civil War Trails sign is located with the Fairfax County Rose Hill marker in front of the John Marshall library.

On September 27, 1863, Major John S. Mosby with right men, left Fauquier County and made a reconnaissance in the vicinity of Alexandria. Mosby's intention was to capture the provisional governor of the restored government of Virginia, Francis Pierpont. While on his way to Alexandria, Mosby passed within half a mile of a detached camp of the Second Massachusetts Cavalry, whose headquarters were at Centreville. Near Springfield Station, they captured two teams, consisting of four mules each. From Springfield Station they traveled toward Alexandria by unfrequented roads, but following the direction of the Little River Turnpike. Mosby and his men finally stopped and slept in the pines somewhere outside Alexandria. Afterward they penetrated the enemy's line to the very gates of Alexandria.

On reaching the City Hotel, in Alexandria, where Mosby expected to find the governor, he learned Pierpont had left that evening for Washington City. The next day Mosby attempted to burn a railroad bridge across Cameron Run, a quarter of a mile from Fort Ellsworth and Fort Lyon, and directly in the range of their two batteries, near George D. Fowle's Burgundy Farm. It was at the Fowle farm and some neighboring houses that Mosby obtained turpentine that he used to set fire to the bridge, but fearing Fort Ellsworth would open upon them they withdrew, and unfortunately for Mosby the fire failed to ignite. So the bridge was not damaged. Mosby then captured a half dozen stragglers that were sent off under guard late in the afternoon reducing his party to five rangers. Two farmers, William Reid and Lewis Tresler were eventually released, minus their valuable possessions. Tresler claimed the Confederates took some $200 in gold and approximately $40 in Treasury greenbacks. However, Reid was known to pass information to the Confederacy and was a friend of the South. Reid's farm was located on the Old Fairfax Road and was adjoining the Rose Hill plantation. So it is possible that Reid led Mosby's small band across his land towards Maynadier Mason's Rose Hill farm to surprise Colonel Daniel F. Dulaney, who was residing there. It is also feasible that Reid and Fowle were Confederate agents who assisted men like Mosby, Stringfellow and other Southern spies to enter and exit Alexandria. Mosby, on entering the Rose Hill mansion, was met at the door by the colonel. Dulany expressed delight "at meeting with Jesse scouts" [Union troopers dressed as Confederate cavalrymen], and invited Mosby in, and asked him his business, when to his amazement, French Dulany, Colonel Dulany's own son, who rode with Mosby, stepped in and invited his father to get on his horse and accompany them to Fauquier County.

Anne S. Frobel wrote in her diary, "One night a party of Mosby's boys came very unexpectedly to Rose Hill, and took off Colonel Dulaney [Dulany]. One of them was his own son. I was very much amused when I heard the story, and the whole scene narrated. This boy's first greeting to his father when he rushed into the room where his father was in bed. In his gruff boyish voice, "How do Pa-I'm very glad to see you," and the father's answer sitting up in bed, with proper dignity, "Well sir, I'm d-sorry to see you." But they took him down to Richmond nevertheless."

Ranger Mosby penned a letter to his wife shortly after the raid and wrote: "... It was quite an amusing scene, between Colonel Dulaney [Dulany] and his son. Just as we were about leaving the Colonel sarcastically remarked to his son that he had an old pair of shoes he had better take, as he reckoned they were darned scarce in the Confederacy, whereupon the son holding up his leg which was encased in a fine pair of cavalry boots just captured from a sutler, asked the old man what he thought of that."

Anne Frobel continued to write in her diary, "I laughed although I always liked Colonel Dulaney [Dulany] and think it was well for us to have such a person in the neighborhood, he is kind hearted and inoffensive, and could do, and did do many things for the people around that they could not have gotten done otherwise."

Colonel Dulany, even though he was a "Yankee," was well respected by the Southerners in the Franconia area.

Unfortunately, there is a sad end to this tale that must be communicated to the reader. Colonel Dulany would be sent to Libby Prison, in Richmond, would be exchanged and returned to Fairfax County before the war ended. The Second Massachusetts Cavalry would kill young French Dulany almost one year later in a raid near Herndon. Colonel Dulany would survive the war but nobody knows where he is buried today. Additionally, the real tragedy is that no one today knows where young French Dulany was put to rest either. There is no tombstone recorded in Fairfax County identifying these two men. We can only hope that someone in the Dulaney family knows the final resting places of these two Virginians.

Mosby Visits the Marshall House in Alexandria:

In an article in the Philadelphia Press, a correspondent stated that on October 22, 1863, while riding horseback between Alexandria to Bull Run, he had the misfortune to run into Major John S. Mosby, but was not captured. The correspondent was gaily galloping along the turnpike thinking of the Grey Ghost when Mosby himself soon appeared. But Mosby did not see him. As the newspaperman was leaving the Bull Run area he observed on a newly whitewashed wall of a building a notice written in great scrambling letters, similar to what a boy would compare to an autograph. Written on the parlor wall of a plundered mansion was, "I had this day dined in the Marshall House." On the same line, clearly written was a date, "September 30, 1863."

It was only a few days before on September 27th and 28th, 1863, when Mosby had raided the Rose Hill Mansion house, located near today's Franconia Road and had captured Colonel Daniel F. Dulany, the military aide to Francis Pierpont, the Union Provisional Governor of Virginia. As you can clearly see Mosby was definitely in the neighborhood of Alexandria during that time period.

Units Known to be at Rose Hill:

Anne Frobel wrote that Rose Hill was literally covered with Sherman's Army, as it camped there prior to the Grand Review in May 1865.

Mosby's Second Attempt to Capture Francis H. Pierpont:

On June 8, 1864, Ranger John S. Mosby gathered about forty men at Rectortown and started toward Alexandria where Governor Pierpont resided. At The Plains, Captain Julian Lee, Stenny Mason, Bush Underwood and five other Rangers joined them. The enlarged party continued to Fairfax County, where two men were sent ahead to procure a wagon and meet the others on Telegraph Road, not far from Alexandria. The group would then proceed toward Alexandria, with some of the men concealed in a wagon. When they approached a picket post, the wagon would roll forward as if it were a supply wagon. When it reached the post, the men inside would capture the sentries, then continue to Alexandria. Once in the town, the detachment would split into three groups. One, led by Mosby, would capture Pierpont. The second, commanded by Dolly Richards, would seek out Brigadier General John P. Slough, the military governor of Alexandria. Sam Chapman and the remainder of the men would collect as many prisoners and horses as possible.

Unfortunately, their guide became lost and the raiders did not arrive at the rendezvous point until late that night. Mosby believed that to be successful, they would have to complete their mission and depart the heavily fortified town while there were still several hours of darkness left to conceal their movement. With dawn quickly approaching, there was not enough time to complete their objectives that night, so Mosby hid the Rangers in some nearby woods to wait.

Major John Scott in his history of Mosby's Command wrote that the men whiled away the hours by anticipating what they would do with their share of the captured property:

"Bush Underwood and another had a high dispute over who should get the governor's watch, some selected his horse, some his boots, and some his coat; George Turberville was moderate enough to say that he would be satisfied with his excellency's greenbacks."

As the Rangers waited, a local resident revealed their location and plans to the Union garrison, which prepared to receive the raiders. A second citizen, who was returning from Alexandria, informed Mosby of the Federal plans. The partisan leader opted to forego the raid and return to Fauquier County.