Battle of Fairfax Court House (1861)

Battle of Fairfax Court House
	Part of American Civil War
	; Fairfax Court House, Virginia, a photograph by Mathew Brady now housed at the National Archives and Records Administration
Date	June 1, 1861
Location	Fairfax Court House, Virginia; Fairfax County, Virginia38°50′46″N 77°18′25″W / 38.84611°N 77.30694°W
Result	Inconclusive
Belligerents
United States (Union)	Confederate States
Commanders and leaders
Irvin McDowell; David Hunter; Charles Henry Tompkins	Milledge Luke Bonham; Richard S. Ewell (WIA); John Quincy Marr †; William "Extra Billy" Smith
Strength
Between 50 and 86	Between 40 and 80 engaged
Casualties and losses
1 killed; 4 wounded; 3 captured	1 killed; 2 wounded; 5 captured

The Battle of Fairfax Court House was the first land engagement of the American Civil War with fatal casualties. On June 1, 1861, a Union scouting party clashed with the local militia in the village of Fairfax, Virginia, resulting in the first deaths in action, and the first wounding of a field-grade officer.

The Union had sent a regular cavalry patrol under Lieutenant Charles H. Tompkins to estimate enemy numbers in the area. At Fairfax Court House, they surprised a small Confederate rifle company under Captain John Q. Marr, and took some prisoners. Marr rallied his unit, but was killed, and command was taken over by a civilian ex-governor of Virginia, William Smith, who forced the Union to retreat.

The engagement is judged to have been inconclusive. The Union did not gain the intelligence it was seeking, and had to delay its drive on Richmond, thus enabling the Confederates to build up their strength at Manassas in advance of the much-bigger battle there, the following month. Tompkins was criticized for exceeding his orders, although they had been somewhat imprecise.