On the morning of July 9, 1864, John T. Worthington sent his family to safety in the cellar. From an upstairs window he watched Confederate General McCausland lead his cavalry brigade of 1,400 men into an ambush. Concealed behind a fence and waist high corn, 1,400 Union troops awaited the dismounted cavalrymen. As the cavalrymen drew closer, the Union line opened fire. They decimated the Confederates, who quickly fell back. Later in the afternoon McCausland launched a second attack and took the Thomas House. The outflanked Union line fell back to the Georgetown Pike, launched a counterattack, and drove the Confederates once more back to Worthington Farm.
We remained under the terrific fire about one hour, in which time we lost one-third of the command killed and wounded.
Corporal Alexandria St. Clair, 16th Virginia Cavalry
(captions)
(upper center) Brigadier General James B. Ricketts commanded the Union defense at the Thomas Farm.
(middle right) Brigadier General John McCausland commanded the Confederate dismounted cavalry attacks.
(lower right) The Worthingtons purchased this farm and settled here with their family in 1862.
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