October 2026 Header Image: Bristoe Station
This month’s header image comes to us courtesy of Alfred R. Waud, sketch artist of the Civil War. This sketch from the Library of Congress shows Maj. Gen. Gouverneur Warren and his Union troops fighting at Bristoe Station on October 14, 1863. This Union victory allowed the Federals to continue their withdrawal from central Virginia. Today it is the site of the Bristoe Station Battlefield Heritage Park. To learn more about Waud and other artists of the Civil War, check out this series on Civil War illustrations. The ECW Podcast also has an episode on Bristoe Station featuring Chris Mackowski, Kevin Pawlak, and Jeff Hunt.
The Battle of Bristoe Station is a subject close to my heart. In 1999, 27 years ago, I was trying to find the identification of two Confederate battle flags captured there. Reading through the reports of the battle I came to the conclusion that the IDs the Museum of the Confederacy gave to those flags was incorrect based upon the locations of the regiments of the soldiers that captured them and also what Rebel regiments they went up against. I sent my research titled “The Mystery Flags of Bristoe Station” to the reenacting organization of the 26th NC in North Carolina. Two historians writing books at the time related to the regiment contacted me and asked permission to use my research as a source in their books! I was surprised but thrilled as well. It took two years, but the museum added my research to their files for those flags.