Battle of Dranesville Remembrance and Peace Service

On Saturday December 20th at 7 p.m., the Dranesville Church of the Brethren will hold a peace service commemorating the 153rd anniversary of the Battle of Dranesville. On December 20,1861, about 5,000 Union forces and 2,000 Confederate forces fought near the intersection of Georgetown Pike (Rt. 193) and Leesburg Pike (Rt. 7), resulting in 50 men killed and 200 men wounded. Dranesville congregation members have discovered the names of about 35 of the 50 men who died that winter day. At the service, candles will be lit in their memory -- and then extinguished, one by one, to demonstrate war’s dreadful cost in human suffering. The service will include readings and hymns from the Civil War period, and the message will proclaim the “gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:15). After the service, there will be Civil War artifacts (some from the Battle of Dranesville) on display in the fellowship hall, and Dranesville member/amateur historian John Waggoner will give a talk about the battle. All are welcome.


Artist’s depiction of the battle from the hill where Dranesville Church of the Brethren now sits:
Troop locations overlayed on current map

For more information on the battle, see www.civilwar.org/battlefields/dranesville.html