Biography

Daniel O. Munson was born in Geneseo, New York, and relocated to Northern Virginia in the 1850s where he started a nursery business. The farm and nursery, situated on a high hill overlooking the surrounding countryside, were occupied by Confederate troops at the start of the Civil War and became famous for the strategic advantage they offered. Confederate troops were able to see any advancing armies and take advance action against them. When the Confederate Army fell back to Centreville, VA, the Union Army discovered that the cannons they had seen on the hill were actually "Quaker cannons" or painted logs. The discovery generated much attention and ridicule at the Union Army, inspiring songs and illustrations surrounding the site.