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.