Ox Hill Leadership Tours, LLC

04/10/2026

02/06/2026

No better way to start the day ….

01/01/2026

It was 163 years ago today that the Battle of Stone’s River was raging in Tennessee…

Battle of Stones River page with battle maps, history articles, photos, recommended books and more for this important 1862-1863 Civil War battle in Tennessee.

12/20/2025

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone. May your celebrations all be “temporarily insane” …

08/05/2025

When considering the issue of why the southern states seceded from the Union and were willing to fight a bloody war to leave the Union, it's important to look at what the Confederate leaders themselves had to say about secession and its causes -- when it was happening.

It is informative to read the words of Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens spoken in March of 1861 - just one month after the Confederate States of America were formed - about the Confederate Constitution and what the Confederacy was all about. Here is a key quote:

"Our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea; its foundations are laid, its corner-stone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery subordination to the superior race is his natural and normal condition. This, our new government, is the first, in the history of the world, based upon this great physical, philosophical, and moral truth."

And to put this speech into proper context, here is a link to the entire speech:

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/primary-sources/cornerstone-speech

Stephens and his Confederate compatriots were very clear in 1861 as to why they saw the need to leave the Union, form the Confederacy and fight the Civil War - to preserve and protect the institution of slavery. There is no ambiguity in their statements or sentiments. None at all.

In his March 21, 1861, Cornerstone Speech, Confederate Vice President Alexander H. Stephens presents what he believes are the reasons for what he termed was...

06/25/2025

I love this!

A photographer captured this Union officer giving the time-honored gesture of derision or disdain. His technique matches an instruction printed in an 1863 issue of the Semi-Weekly Wisconsin of Milwaukee: “Put thumb to nose, and gyrate the extended fingers for a moment.”

Though Oxford Dictionary dates the origin of the phrase “thumb the nose” to 1854, Newspapers.com reveals examples in England as early as 1840, and the U.S. in 1841.

One Civil War example involves Gen. Pierre G.T. Beauregard after the First Battle of Manassas in 1861. As the story goes, a member of the 11th New York Infantry—the rowdy Fire Zouaves—was hauled before the victorious general and “manifested his contempt for that chieftain by putting his thumb to his nose and gyrating with his finger.” The Zouave then kicked and knocked about a few nearby soldiers, challenged Beauregard to a fight, and then took off running. He was soon apprehended and tossed into solitary confinement.

The yarn finishes, “The rebels seem to admire the cool audacity of the chap, and Beauregard laughed heartily at his pranks.”

Quarter-plate tintype by an anonymous photographer. Ronald S. Coddington Collection.

More! https://www.militaryimagesmagazine-digital.com/2019/03/01/the-last-shot-spring-2019/

06/25/2025

The Battle of the Little Bighorn was fought 149 years ago today:

The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also called Custer’s Last Stand, marked the most decisive Native American victory a...

12/14/2024

As always, another great video from the Battlefield Trust:

For the December 13 anniversary of the battle of Fredericksburg, Emerging Civil War's Chris Mackowski visited Lee's Hill to talk about the Confederate comman...

12/13/2024

It was 162 years ago today that the Battle of Fredericksburg was fought …

Our Battle of Fredericksburg page includes history articles, battle maps, expert videos, photos, and recommended web links for this important 1862 Civil War battle in Virginia. Check out our animated battle map for Fredericksburg.

10/12/2024

Good way to start the weekend …

09/01/2024

The Battle of Chantilly (or Ox Hill) was fought 164 years ago today. The only major American Civil War battle fought in Fairfax County. Two Union generals were killed at Chantilly …

The Battle of Chantilly (Ox Hill) page includes battle maps, history articles, historical facts, recommended books, web links, and more on this 1862 Civil War battle in Virginia.