OLD BAD ROAD

Maps

Baumgarten, J. Seat of the War. 1861. Scale not given. “Library of Congress Civil War Maps.” < https://www.loc.gov/resource/glva01.lva00007/?r=0.304,0.238,0.618,0.362,0>

  • A mass produced map of the area just outside Washington, D.C. Used by both armies, it appeared as an insert in the Richmond Enquirer. 

Burr, David H. Map of Virginia (1839). Scale not given. In: Stephenson, Richard W. The Cartography of Northern Virginia: Facsimile Reproductions of Maps Dating From 1608 to 1915. Fairfax: Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, 1981, page 41.

  • First available depiction of roads within the Upper Difficult Run Basin. Establishes boundaries similar to contemporary West Ox Road, Lawyers Road, Hunter Mill Road, and Waples Mill Road. Of note: present Waples Mill Road prominently featured as axial thoroughfare consistent with designation as the Ox Road. This route clears Frying Pan and extends directly to Gum Springs. Additionally, Hunter Mill Road depicted as a long, direct arc from Difficult Run to a crossing point on the Potomac at Conn Island, from which a direct route to Rockville was available.

Boye, Herman with corrections by Ludwig von Buckholtz. Map of the State of Virginia (1859). Scale not given. In: Stephenson, Richard W. The Cartography of Northern Virginia: Facsimile Reproductions of Maps Dating From 1608 to 1915. Fairfax: Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, 1981, page 50.

  • Almost identical to the 1839 Burr Map with thoroughfare status given to the road between Frying Pan and Fox Mill. Corroborates theory that the Ox Road and the Fox Mill Roads were synonymous.

Carter, William T. And C.K. Yingling. SOIL MAP: Virginia, Fairfax-Alexandria Counties. 1915. 1/62500 Scale. “Library of Congress, Maps Collection.” < https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3883f.ct000813/?r=0.443,0.966,0.108,0.063,0>

Choate, Columbus D. Map of Fairfax County, Virginia (1910). Scale not given. In: Stephenson, Richard W. The Cartography of Northern Virginia: Facsimile Reproductions of Maps Dating From 1608 to 1915. Fairfax: Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, 1981, page 124.

  • First known identification of place names “Vale,” “Navy,” “Pender,” and “Floris.”

Drake. A.A., Jr. Geologic map of the Fairfax quadrangle, Fairfax County, Virginia. United States Geological Survey. 1986. Https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Prodesc/proddesc_1126.htm. Fortais, Jeffrey. The Fight at Jermantown: 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. September 1, 1862. Scale not given. In: Welker, David A. Tempest at Ox Hill: The Battle of Chantilly. Cambridge: DeCapo Press, 2002. Page 132. 

Fortais, Jeffrey. Stuart Shells at Jermantown: 7:30 p.m. August 31, 1862. Scale not given. In: Welker, David A. Tempest at Ox Hill: The Battle of Chantilly. Cambridge: DeCapo Press, 2002. Page 100.

  • A potentially contentious map, as will be discussed at length. Barring once in an epoch atmospheric conditions or extraterrestrial intervention, the guns as sited on this map could not have possibly reached the federal trains at Jermantown. 

Hoffman, J. Paul and Samuel Howell Brown. A Map of Fairfax County, and Parts of Loudoun and Prince William Counties, Va and the District of Columbia (Confederate). Scale “1/2 inch per mile.” 1864. “Library of Congress Civil War Maps.” < https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3851s.cwh00030/?r=0.728,1.541,0.296,0.174,0>

  • A Confederate issue map dating to a time period when Mosby’s early exploits and local place knowledge could begin integrating into formal cartography. 

Hopkins, Griffith M. Atlas of Fifteen Miles Around Washington Including the Counties of Fairfax and Alexandria, Virginia (1879). Scale not given. In: Stephenson, Richard W. The Cartography of Northern Virginia: Facsimile Reproductions of Maps Dating From 1608 to 1915. Fairfax: Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, 1981, page 85.

  • Route between Fox Mill and Frying Pan named and clarified as “Old Fox Mill Road. A route similar to today’s Reston Parkway begins at Lawyers Road and charts northwards with the name “Ridge Road.” Contemporary Vale Road appears, as does a route from the corner of Vale and Fox Mill Roads, down modern Stuart Mill Road and up to Lawyers near modern Bramble Bush Court.

Hopkins, Griffith M. Dranesville Dist. No. 6, Atlas of Fifteen Miles Around Washington Including the Counties of Fairfax and Alexandria, Virginia (1879). Scale not given. In: Stephenson, Richard W. The Cartography of Northern Virginia: Facsimile Reproductions of Maps Dating From 1608 to 1915. Fairfax: Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, 1981, page 94.

  • Detail of main map highlighting areas above Little River Turnpike and west of Difficult Run. Adds property owner names to the Difficult Run District. Curiously features Thompson’s Road west of Ox Road as a major axis that pivots southwards above the Chantilly plantation where it intersects with the Frying Pan Road from LRT somewhere around the tee of the 17th hole.

Hopkins, Griffith M. Providence Dist, No. 5, Atlas of Fifteen Miles Around Washington Including the Counties of Fairfax and Alexandria, Virginia (1879). Scale not given. In: Stephenson, Richard W. The Cartography of Northern Virginia: Facsimile Reproductions of Maps Dating From 1608 to 1915. Fairfax: Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, 1981, page 95.

  • Similar detail depicting space above Braddock Road to the South and east of Difficult Run. Includes Richard Johnson near the former Fox Mill now styled Difficult Run “G.M.” Of additional note, this map depicts the Toll Gate at the bridge over Difficult Run on LRT at the present Route 50/Route 66 interchange.

Marshall, R.B. Virginia—Fairfax Quadrangle Topography. 1915. “University of Texas Library Map Department.” < https://maps.lib.utexas.edu/maps/topo/virginia/txu-pclmaps-topo-va-fairfax-1912.jpg>

McDowell, Irwin. Military Reconnaissance of Virginia. 1/24000. 1863. “Library of Congress: Civil War Maps.” < https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3880.cw0481400/?r=0.679,0.499,0.114,0.067,0>

  • This map, likely a blueprint copy of the original 1862 McDowell map is our best source for understanding Federal place knowledge in the Difficult Run Basin. It gives us the site title, “Old Bad Road,” as well as simply “Bad Road.” Note that the road past Fox Mill is titled “Old Ox Road” and that the name “Fox” is given to the former family home at Squirrel Hill off of modern day Lyrac. Interestingly, Johnson’s Mill—the Lower Fox Mill being administered by Jane Fox, Gabriel Fox’s widow, and her new husband, Richard Johnson, appears to be unserviced by any road. We know better. 

McDowell, Irwin. COPY: Military Reconnaissance of Virginia. Scale not given. “Library of Congress: Civil War Maps.” < https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3883f.cw0536600/?r=-0.687,0.194,2.374,1.392,0>

  • A salted paper copy or rough trace of the “master” McDowell Map, this article lacks certain place names and appears drastically different than the widely accepted McDowell Map. 

Michler, Nathaniel. Map of Fairfax and Alexandria Counties, Virginia, and adjoining counties. Scale not given. 1864. “Library of Congress Civil War Maps.” < https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3883f.cw0493000/?r=0.492,-0.049,0.39,0.229,0>

Mitchell, Beth. (1760-1) Fairfax County. 1987. “Fairfax County GIS Services.” Original Mitchell map converted to story map. < https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=cca6b4a3ef644dbfa89e16b6feb515fe>

Mitchell, Beth. 1860 Fairfax County Maps. 1977. “Fairfax County History Commission. “ < https://fairfaxcounty.gov/history-commission/1860-Fairfax-county-maps >

Noetzel, Gregor. Map of Fairfax County, Virginia (1907) from Historical Sketch of Fairfax County, Virginia. Scale not given. In: Stephenson, Richard W. The Cartography of Northern Virginia: Facsimile Reproductions of Maps Dating From 1608 to 1915. Fairfax: Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, 1981, page 123.

  • Roads are stable.

Rice, Gordon. Historic Mills of Fairfax County. Scale not given. “Friends of Colvin Mill Run: History Mills of Fairfax County.” < https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/9ca837182c2b4dce893079f74d008899>

Sneden, Robert Knox. Battle of Chantilly, Va. Scale not given. 1863. “Library of Congress Civil War Maps.” < https://www.loc.gov/resource/gvhs01.vhs00106/?r=-0.208,-0.036,1.169,0.686,0>

  • also to be taken with a grain of salt

Sneden, Robert Knox. Map of the First Battle of Bull Run. 1861. “Library of Congress Civil War Maps.” < https://www.loc.gov/resource/gvhs01.vhs00060/?r=-0.149,-0.158,1.315,0.771,0>

Sneden, Robert Knox. Plan of 2nd Battle of Bull Run, VA.: Shewing Movements of Troops From 27 Aug. to Sept. 1. Scale not given. 1863. “Library of Congress Civil War Maps.” < https://www.loc.gov/resource/gvhs01.vhs00036/?r=0.145,0.002,1.145,0.672,0>

  • Sneden missed Chantilly and his maps cannot be fully trusted. Nonetheless, he does seem to parrot some established convention that equates the road past Fox’s Mill with the Ox Road. 

Sneden, Robert Knox. Plan of the Battle of Chantilly, Virginia: Fought Septr. 1st 1862, 5 to 10 p.m.. Scale not given. 1863. “Library of Congress Civil War Maps.” < https://www.loc.gov/item/gvhs01.vhs00253/>

  • The most valuable in a series of inaccurate maps. Sneden drew heavily from existing maps and official reports from the battle to create his map series. Here, two details that were obviously fed to him make the historic cartographic record. 1) J Fox, possibly John Fox who lived east of Fox’s Lower Mill, appears as the lone prominent citizen of the Difficult Run Basin adjacent to the battlefield and 2) the area above where we know Fox’s Upper Mill Dam was—a place known to flood drastically if the sluice gate was closed—is rendered as “swampy.” This suggests that either precipitation (it stormed the night before and during the battle), a deliberately closed gate, or a combination of the two were affecting local conditions. 

Sneden, Robert Knox. Plan of the Battle of Chantilly, Virginia: September 1st, 1862, 5 to 9 p.m. Scale not given. 1863. “Library of Congress Civil War Maps.” < https://www.loc.gov/resource/gvhs01.vhs00108/?r=0.206,0.249,1.143,0.67,0>

Sneden, Robert Knox. Position of Army at Centreville, Va 31st August. Scale not given. 1863. “Library of Congress Civil War Maps.” < https://www.loc.gov/resource/gvhs01.vhs00107/?r=0.405,0.623,0.762,0.447,0>

  • The position of Ox Hill is worrisome. 

Stanley, Steven. Ox Hill (Chantilly), VA: September 1, 1862. 1/2000 Scale. “American Battlefield Trust: Ox Hill Tour Guide.” < https://oxhilltourguide.oncell.com/en/battle-maps-233575.html>

Waple III, George. Map of Waple’s Mill 1. Scale Not Given. Hand drawn in colored pencil. In the Virginia Room Collection, Fairfax Public Library, 05-53 Vale Club Records, Series 9: Maps, Undated, Oversize Manuscripts Drawer.

  • Cartoonish mid-20th century rough depiction of the vicinity of Waple’s Mill. 

Waple III, George. Map of Waple’s Mill 2. Scale Not Given. Hand drawn in colored pencil. In the Virginia Room Collection, Fairfax Public Library, 05-53 Vale Club Records, Series 9: Maps, Undated, Oversize Manuscripts Drawer.

  • Heavily detailed, hand-drawn map from the mid-20th century. Of note: Waple gives ecological tips, identifies the site of the quarry at the lower mill, refers to the lower mill as “Fox’s Mill”, and positions the Waple’s Mill dam far upstream in the vicinity of Valley Road. 

Warner, John. 8 June, 1739 Survey of Bryan Fairfax grant for 12,588 acres, 1765. In: Mitchell, Beth. Beginning At A White Oak. Fairfax: Fairfax County Administrative Services, 1977. 

  • One of many plat maps reproduced therein, this provides a broad outline of the area that would be developed under the Fox Family regime. 

Wolfsberger, Steve. Northwest Fairfax County During the War. Scale not given. In: Mauro, Charles V. The Civil War in Fairfax County. Charleston: The History Press, 2006

  • Depicts wartime Waples Mill Road correctly as Ox Road. 

Aeromagnetic Map of the Culpeper Basin and Vicinity, Virginia and Maryland. 1:125,000 Scale. United States Geological Survey. 1981. https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1981/0472/plate-1.pdf 

Bedrock Map Culpeper Basin. Scale Not Given. 1983. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Bedrock_Map_Culpeper_Basin_%28Leavy%2C_Froelich%2C_Abram%29_1983.png 

A Civil War Field Map of Fairfax County, Virginia with Fort Corcoran. 1861. Scale not given. “Library of Congress Civil War Maps.” < https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3883f.cw105000r/?r=0.058,0.394,0.661,0.388,0>

  • Potentially an early reconnaissance map, this hand drawn affair reaches its western limit at “Foxe’s Mill.” 

Difficult Run Watershed. Scale not given. https://tysonslastforest.org/tysons-last-forest-stream-valley/environmental-benefits/difficult-run-watershed-old-courthouse-spring-branch-stream-valley/ 

Early Roads Overlain on a Modern Map of the Northwest Quadrant of Fairfax County. In. Crowl, Heather K. A History of Roads in Fairfax County, Virginia: 1608-1840. Washington, D.C.: American University, 2002. 

  • This volume is perhaps the most detailed monographic on the topic of path genesis and evolution in Fairfax County, Virginia. Site selection, construction, maintenance, and routes are all diligently researched and laid out. Yet, this map and the subsequent offering that pins the course of the original Ox Road on a route up Colchester directly onto West Ox Road leaves more questions about the nature of that trail. 

Evolution of Lawyers Road from 1740 to Present. In: Lewis, Jr., James with Charles Balch and Kenneth Jones. Forgotten Roads of the Hunter Mill Corridor. Oakton: Hunter Mill Defense League, 2010. Page 19.

Fairfax County, Virginia, Soil Conservation Service Map. 1/24000 Scale. November 1981. “Library of Congress Maps.” < https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3883f.ct009247/?r=0.256,0.166,0.126,0.074,0>

Geology Mineral Resources. Scale Not Given. Virginia Department of Energy. https://energy.virginia.gov/webmaps/GeologyMineralResources/ 

Hattontown Story Map. “Latitude Countries Articles.” < https://latitude.to/map/us/united-states/cities/carmody-hills-pepper-mill-village/articles/206690/hattontown-virginia>

Lawyers Road: 1858 to 1889. In: Lewis, Jr., James with Charles Balch and Kenneth Jones. Forgotten Roads of the Hunter Mill Corridor. Oakton: Hunter Mill Defense League, 2010. Page 14. 

Lawyers Road: 1890 to Present. In: Lewis, Jr., James with Charles Balch and Kenneth Jones. Forgotten Roads of the Hunter Mill Corridor. Oakton: Hunter Mill Defense League, 2010. Page 16.

Level III and IV Ecoregions of EPA Region 3. Scale 1:1,000,000. United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2003. https://gaftp.epa.gov/EPADataCommons/ORD/Ecoregions/reg3/reg3_eco.pdf 

LiDAR Elevation Viewer. Scale not given. 2018. “Fairfax County GIS Services.” < https://lidar-fairfaxcountygis.opendata.arcgis.com/apps/5d4d2187b01f4d62ba53787eea94496b/explore>

Map of Eastern and Central Virginia. Scale not given. 1864. “Library of Congress Civil War Maps.” < https://www.loc.gov/resource/gvhs01.vhs00379/?r=0.498,0.265,0.13,0.076,0> 

  • A tremendously detailed source with tantalizing scope, this item was salvaged from the Confederate Chief Engineer’s Office. Difficult Run is one small part of a much larger effort, but we can glean essential Confederate knowledge perspectives nonetheless. Confederates, unlike their yankee counterparts, were clearly aware of a road that forked east of Fox’s Ford on Difficult Run, traveling up the eastern side of the ravine and crossing over the dam at the Lower Mill as specified in a post-war road petition. Further, the cartographer uses hatch marks to denote informal roads in common use. One is Bennett Road connecting today’s Fox Mill Road with West Ox Road. The other is the farm lane at Squirrell Hill (denoted with the name Cross for the family that bought it off the Fox family). This road tracks southeast along contemporary Lyric, connecting with today’s Willow Green Court—a straight shot to the mill road that happens to be the long forgotten site of the Fox Family graveyard. 

Mosby Rode Here: Oakton—Hunter’s Mill—Freedom Hill. In: Evans, Thomas J. And James M. Moyer. Mosby’s Confederacy: A Guide to the Roads and Sties of Colonel John Singleton Mosby. Shippensburg: White Man Publishing Company, 1991. Page 58. 

Mount Vernon Sheet from the United States Geologic Survey Topographic Series (1891) In: Stephenson, Richard W. The Cartography of Northern Virginia: Facsimile Reproductions of Maps Dating From 1608 to 1915. Fairfax: Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, 1981, page 106.

  • Detailed map of byways featuring the first depiction of the current intersection of Fox Mill Road and Waples Mill Road west of Difficult Run. Also the first map since the war to show the triable of roads made between Fox Mill Road, Vale Road, and Hunt Road in the heart of Vale. Above Vale, Fox Mill Road jogs onto present Stuart Mill Road and intersects Lawyers Road near current Bramble Bush Court. Thompson’s Road retains its connection with Chantilly.

Rural Delivery Routes, Fairfax County, Virginia. Scale not given. 1912. “Library of Congress Map Collection.” < https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3883f.ct001426/?r=0.348,0.377,0.126,0.074,0>

  • Current trajectory of Fox Mill Road from its origin at Waples Mill Road on Difficult Run to Money’s Corner.