The bedridden Widow Henry was killed by artillery fire in the chaos of First Manassas. The park now has her drop-leaf table that was struck by two bullets

Bullet damage along top of leaf and on pedestal (Manassas NBP) and ruins of home (Library of Congress)

The drums of war were beating in Washington, D.C., and the Confederacy’s Northern Virginia in late May 1861, when Hugh Fauntleroy Henry wrote home. His sister Ellen was living with their mother Judith at Spring Hill Farm at rural Manassas.

"Should troops be passing about the neighborhood, you and mother need not fear them, as your entire helplessness, I should think, would make you safe,” said the schoolteacher working in Alexandria, across the river from the capital.

He could not have been more wrong.

Two months later, the property was a maelstrom of ringing gunfire and accompanying bloodshed. The Civil War’s first great battle raged on Henry Hill, and Ellen and Judith were trapped in the middle.

Believing no civilians were inside, and firing upon Confederate sharpshooters, a Union artillery battery pulverized the home, fatally wounding Judith and wounding Ellen and Lucy Griffith, an enslaved girl. Judith Carter Henry, who was confined to bed, is considered the first civilian casualty of the war.

The 1870 rebuilt Henry House and the famous Henry Hill monument at Manassas (Picket photo)

Another casualty apparently was a drop-leaf table that belonged to the family.

“There are two bullets embedded in the table,” said Manassas National Battlefield Park museum specialist Jim Burgess. “One bullet bore a hole through the lower leaf and embedded in the central pedestal of the table while another bullet was stopped by the leaf but caused a crack in the entire length of the leaf along the grain."

The park was unaware of the table until last year, when a Vermont man reached out and asked whether it might be interested in purchasing the piece. Money was needed to pay for care for the table’s owner, said the friend, who had a power of attorney.

A typed note with the table provided details on its story. 

Park officials agreed to pay more than $10,000 for the antique.

 “It was a once in a lifetime acquisition,” added Burgess. “It certainly has plausibility.”

Sketch of Henry House by Capt. Leon Fremaux of the 8th Louisiana shortly after the battle

The curator hopes the table will one day go on exhibit with expanded information on the poor widow Judith Henry, who was 84 or 85 when she was killed.

“We certainly want to put it on exhibit once we have room for it,” said Burgess, adding that would require renovation to the visitor center and museum.

The provenance of the table is a little fragmented.

Like many historic items that turn up years later, the furniture has made a circuitous journey, including ownership by a renowned surgeon.

Henry House was in constant line of fire that day

Warder & Catlett map of First Manassas, note Henry House at center left)

The table likely originally belonged to Elizabeth "Betsy" Carter, daughter of Landon Carter Jr. of Pittsylvania house, and sister of Judith Carter Henry. 

When Elizabeth died in 1822, her home, Spring Hill Farm, and the table passed to Judith. Officials have not analyzed the wood furniture, which may date to the late 18^th century.

Judith’s husband, Isaac, a surgeon who served with the U.S. Navy, died in 1829. A portrait, of Isaac now belonging to the park (right), hung in the home during the battle.

The afternoon of July 21, 1861, was pure chaos as Confederate and Union forces exchanged ground on Henry Hill. Union Capt. James B. Ricketts turned his guns on the home, trying to kill or chase off sharpshooters.

Legend has it that Judith had been carried earlier from the house on a mattress but brought back inside to the second floor to obtain some form of safety. It wasn’t enough

Amid a cascade of splinters, boards and shingles, Judith suffered a severe foot injury and other wounds from cannon fire. (For his part, Ricketts was wounded four times, captured and later exchanged.)

“The house was peppered by Confederate fire just as much as Union fire. We really don’t know for sure what” killed Judith, said Burgess.

According to a National Park Service archaeological report on the site, Pvt. Otho Scott Lee of the 1^st Virginia Cavalry recollected assisting in burying the dead and collecting abandoned equipment on the battlefield.

"I then rode over to the Henry house where Mrs. Henry had been killed during the battle. I saw her dead body in the bed where she had been killed, with her family around her,” Lee wrote.  “During the battle a grape shot pierced the house and passed through her body, killing her instantly.”

Visitors to Manassas can see the small burial plot where Judith, Hugh and Ellen rest together. (NPS photo, left)

The mother’s headstone reads:

The Grave of Our Dear Mother

Judith Henry

Killed near this spot, by the explosion of shelling in her dwelling, during the Battle of the 21st of July, 1861. When killed she was in her 85th year and confined to her bed by the infirmities of age. She was the daughter of Landon Carter Sen., and was born within a mile of this place. Her husband, Dr. Isaac Henry, was a Surgeon in the United States Navy, on board the frigate Constellation, Commanded by Com. Truxton, one of the six Captains appointed by Washington in the organization of the Navy, 1794. Our Mother through her long life, thirty five years of which were spent at this place, was greatly loved and esteemed for her kind, gentle and Christian spirit."

Famous doctor took table in lieu of cash

 After Judith was killed and the Henry House suffered battle damage, the surviving members of the family found refuge at nearby Pageland. Their old homestead was picked over by souvenir hunters.

“The table and other valuables had to have been recovered from the house before it was completely destroyed the following winter,” said Burgess. “Hugh Henry and sister Ellen lived in a new house built in the 1870s on the site of the original Spring Hill house until their deaths in the 1890s.” Nephew Arthur Lee Henry then acquired the place.

Abdominal and gynecological surgeon Dr. Joseph Price at some point entered the picture. The Virginia native acquired the table prior to his death in 1911 as payment for services rendered on an unnamed member of the Henry family.

“It is uncertain whether he got the table from Hugh or from Arthur,” said Burgess.

Price, who was only 8 at the time of First Manassas, gained fame for his skills and advancement of surgical techniques. He later moved to the Philadelphia area. An article in the Buffalo Medical Journal after his death had this fascinating detail: (Price at right, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts) 

“For two weeks Dr. Price had been ill and was confined to his bed most of the time. The day of his death he was informed that a girl patient whom he had previously cared for had been received at his hospital suffering with appendicitis. He rose from his sick bed and did an appendectomy on this patient. Within an hour after the completion of the operation he complained of pain and informed his assistants that he was suffering with acute appendicitis and that an immediate operation was imperative. He superintended the preparations for the work and in a short time was operated. A few hours later he died not having recovered from the shock of the operation.”

Price was 58 years old.

The dining table passed to his daughter, Anne, and eventually to her second husband, Eric Renwick. Ann died in 1984. Eric survived her by 10 years and at some time he typed up an undated note about the table for a niece or nephew. He signed it “Uncle Eric.”

He incorrectly called Judith and Betsy “Henry sisters” – only Judith had that married name. Renwick describes Joseph Price as his father-in-law, though it is unlikely they knew each other; Eric was only 5 when the doctor died.

Renwick said the doctor was raised near Harrisonburg and operated up and down the region. “On one occasion he operated on one of the Henry’s. By this time they were short of funds and gave Dr. Price the table in lieu of cash.” The table was transported to Whitford, Pa., where the surgeon lived. (Click photo above to enlarge, Manassas NBP)

Renwick based his note on information passed down by Price and Anne. “I do not know when the table was made or who made it but knowledgeable people have told me that it was an antique in 1861.”

Vermont collector had a passion for antiques

Eric Renwick died in 1994; Burgess believes the table went to the niece or nephew and then to a Barre, Vt., resident whose business interests included a ski area and fuel companies.

He was a flea market and garage sale enthusiast as well as a noted local historian, the man’s February 2026 obituary says.

Marker at Henry Hill, the center of the Manassas battlefield (Shane Oliver, HMdb.org)

The 84-year-old was a respected antique collector and dealer in Vermont and the Eastern United States. His friend told the Picket he does not know how the collector got the table.

Manassas National Battlefield Park received the table in September 2025 and it remains in storage.

Eric Renwick concluded his note about the table with this line, which may one day come true:

“In several generations I feel that the table will be a museum piece.”

Veterans of the 7th Georgia Infantry wanted people to know the specific positions they held at Bull Run. They traveled north to place seven markers and remember fallen comrades. You can learn about their effort at a park exhibit closing soon

7th Georgia veterans at an 1897 reunion in Marietta (Georgia Archives), fragment of second position marker, pins showing locations of Manassas markers, and a surviving marker at Ricketts' battery (Picket photos)

The graying veterans of the 7^th Georgia Infantry Regiment – whether convening at a restaurant, saloon or the battlefield – savored snatches of humor amid the serious business of remembering the dead and shared experiences that bonded them for life.

Newspaper articles in Atlanta and Marietta from the early 1870s into the first decade of the 20^th century contained long, florid prose about reunions. Many anecdotes referred to what was on the dinner table.

“Boys, you eat like you did in the army!” former Col. Lucius Gartrell said of a meal featuring fried salmon, trout, deviled crabs, spring chicken, sirloin and cakes.

These lines about a dinner -- as recorded in minutes of the regiment’s 1905 meeting in Groveton, Va. -- likely brought a chuckle:

“There is a charge to be made but not on a battery. There are tables heavily laden with all manner of good things and true to our record we charged, captured and held the fort.”

So it is no surprise the veterans' 1905 visit to the First Manassas (Bull Run) battle in Virginia, where the regiment first spilled and drew blood, promised “a grand and pleasant time and a series of interesting festivities,” according to the Marietta Journal.

Their trip by train was noteworthy for what the warriors planned to do: place six markers indicating where they were positioned during the July 1861 battle and another stone for a position at Second Manassas in August 1862. Other stops during the summer trip included Alexandria, Va., Washington, D.C., Fredericksburg, Richmond and Petersburg.

“We promise a grand and pleasant time and a series of interesting festivities,” the veterans association said, according to the article.

Since that visit, the marble markers fell victim to time, vandals and – possibly – a highway widening, with only two still on the field today, one of them rarely seen by visitors.

An exhibit at Manassas National Battlefield Park, installed in late 2022, contains pieces of two markers and describes the fate of all seven. But you better hurry if you want to see them. The exhibit's two markers are expected to be rotated out on May 21, placed in storage and made available for research by appointment. 

Fragment came 'home' years after it vanished

I learned about the 7^th Georgia markers when I read a park Facebook post in March 2022 describing the return of a chunk from the “second position” marker to the Manassas battlefield.

How the top portion landed at the Country Day School in the upscale Langley neighborhood of McLean – about 45 miles away near the CIA headquarters – remains a mystery.

The son of the school’s director in the 1970s found it while doing construction work on an old barn on the school property. A 1990s Washington Post article about Langley includes a photograph of director Dorothy McCormick holding the stone, described as a tombstone. 

McCormick believed it to be a tombstone for a Georgia boy and it was an indication of the area's historical significance, she told the Post. She kept it on a hearth.

It wasn’t a grave marker, says Manassas National Battlefield Park museum specialist Jim Burgess, who documented the 7^th Georgia position markers and tried to get this one donated to the park 30 years ago after he learned of its discovery. He had no success at the time, given the park had no legal claim because the stone disappeared before the park was established in 1940. 

McCormick kept the stone, apparently for sentimental reasons.

When the director died in 2018, her children sold her home to the school and left the artifact behind. In February 2022, the federal park got a phone call indicating the school’s desire to see the stone back at Manassas.

Burgess believes the lower half of the marker may be the gray stone in the middle of a fireplace, which was built by a farmer on what is now park property.

Jim Burgess points out the grayer stone in a park fireplace (Picket photo)

I stopped by the park last summer to meet with Burgess about the exhibit. He kindly showed me one of the surviving markers and drove me to the fireplace/grill to see the item for myself. It stands out a bit from the other stones and you can readily see how it might match up with the returned piece.

Burgess’ passion about the 7^th Georgia markers is likely matched only by a retired Army lieutenant colonel who served in Vietnam and the 173^rd Airborne Brigade.

He first saw these markers while a young man

To say Henry W. Persons Jr. of Severn, Md., is serious about chronicling the service of the 7^th Georgia Infantry and its brigade wouldn’t quite capture the scope of his passion.

Henry W. Persons Jr. provided this photo of he and his impressive documents 

“I finished my chapter on the battle of Manassas several years ago. It is 214 pages double-spaced with 1,427 footnotes,” he told the Picket.

Persons, 80, has known Burgess for more than 20 years, and they have exchanged notes about the regiment and position markers. The ranger read Persons’ chapter and made some suggestions.

Persons first encountered the 7^th Georgia position markers while walking to Henry Hill in the early 1960s with his father. He later came across what is called the “hidden” marker, which is deep in the woods and rarely seen by park visitors.

The researcher’s passion – perhaps obsession – was a big help to me as I researched this piece. He provided by email numerous newspaper articles, a roster and minutes of meetings held by the regiment’s veterans.

“I have 80 boxes filled with catalog material on Anderson’s brigade,” Persons said.

Brig. Gen. George Thomas “Tige” Anderson (left) was not in command of the brigade at First Manassas but he led it from early 1862 until war’s end.

Regiment suffered big casualties on a big day

The 7^th was mustered into Confederate service in late May 1861. Most of the regiment’s soldiers were from Coweta, Paulding, DeKalb, Franklin, Fulton, Heard and Cobb counties in northern Georgia.

The unit was rushed to Virginia and saw heavy combat at Manassas on July 21, 1861, the first major battle in the Eastern Theater. (Sign at park, Picket photo)

Brigade commander Col. Francis S. Bartow was killed while leading his men against Federal Capt. James B. Ricketts’ battery on Henry Hill during a pivotal moment in the fighting. “One of their men is the first to jump up on the cannon,” said Persons.

The battle swung to the Confederates’ favor late in the day for a victory that left Union forces fleeing to Washington and dashing any hopes on either side for a quick war.

The 7th Georgia suffered a staggering 153 casualties out of 580 men present, according to American Battlefield Trust.

Persons had an ancestor, Aaron Wellborn (Welborn) Mashburn (right), who served with Company E, 7^th Georgia, as a teamster and cook.

“I believe he did participate in First Manassas but that is supposition. My dad didn’t know.”

Persons, who was born in Atlanta, said learning about Mashburn led him to delve deeper into the regiment and brigade, which saw action in numerous, battles including Antietam and Gettysburg. His great-great-grandfather apparently was taken prisoner for a time, but was released and served until the Confederate surrender at Appomattox. He died in 1924 at age 81.

“I was curious what he experienced, having been in war myself.”

Researcher has left no stone unturned

After his 25 years of active duty, the officer retired in Maryland and worked as a civilian for the Army. Research was not new to him, having studied underground operations for Special Forces. He lives south of Baltimore and near Fort Meade.

Persons’ research over the years took him to Emory University on Atlanta, the University of Georgia in Athens and the Georgia Archives, among other institutions. (7th Georgia meeting minutes left, click to enlarge) 

Much of what he found at libraries was on microfilm (He has not conducted research in recent years).

He keeps reams of research and writing about Anderson’s brigade in Hollinger boxes.

“My annotated bibliographies for the brigade and each regiment, battalion and artillery company that was assigned to the brigade numbers some 1,200 single-spaced pages.  It is a wealth of information pertaining to the brigade, its actions and men,” said Persons, who has given several hundreds of pages to the Manassas park archives.

He’d like to see all of this published someday.

'Watching the clouds of dust rising'

I turned to the newspaper articles Persons sent me to gain some insight to the 7^th Georgia veterans and why they got together.

An 1871 reunion included toasts to fallen and current members. “Several hours were passed in recalling the incidents of the war in which they each had taken a part, many of them amusing, many sad, and all of them interesting.”

The men paid tribute to Col. William T. Wilson, who fell at Second Manassas. ”He was the favorite of the regiment, and never will they forget his cheery shouts and words of encouragement to ‘my boys’ as they and he were seeking the thickest of the fights,” recorded the Atlanta Daily Sun.(At right, Burgess in front of exhibit, Picket photo)

An 1885 article recounted details from an evening at an Atlanta saloon.

“Most of them were men considerably past the meridian of life, but a franker, merrier set of men could not be found. There was something of the ring of the camp in their tones and the affectionate pride with which they alluded to their old regiment was as fresh as if they had just been through a campaign.”

The regiment’s flag flew over the dinner. Its words: “Repel the Invader.” The 7^th Georgia veterans, wives and families made at least two trips to Manassas, in 1902 and 1905. (Below, what's left of the "Third Position" marker, Picket photo)

I will leave you with these passages from two unattributed and undated articles about their 1902 journey.

“The Seventh Georgia veterans are here, the guests of Lee camp until tomorrow night, when they board their special for Fredericksburg. The grim old fellows spent the day tramping over battle fields of Manassas and along Bull Run, and a more tired or hungry party of southerners have not stopped off here in many a day. Lee camp and the ladies' auxiliary fixed them up a substantial and dainty repast at their hall, and will provide them with accommodation and interest them in a way that they will remember old Alexandria and her hospitality the balance of their days.”

And this one:

“Just forty one years ago to-day, many of you were standing with me near this spot listening to the rumbling of cannon and caisson on the Centreville pike and watching the clouds of dust rising from the confident tread of advancing thousands, followed by vehicles of different kinds, filled with spectators of both sexes, who had driven from Washington to enjoy the fun of seeing the Rebels run. A few hours later far greater clouds of dust could be seen caused by the furious retreat of these same parties to Washington.”

(Below, a map shows the location of all seven markers)