[2][3] Thanks to the creation of a railroad system that was essential to travel and supply in Virginia, many small towns including Catlett sprung up as stops.

During its heyday, Catlett was a busy telegraph outpost and mail stop along the Orange and Alexandria Railroad.

He and his men rode into town and using sabers and fire were able to destroy the Federal encampment, cut telegraph wires, obtain wagons-full of supplies and capture almost 300 Union troops, but were unable to destroy the railroad bridge on the outskirts of the town.

The most important prize that the Confederates gained were General Pope's orders, which contained critical information about the Union campaign.

These orders were taken by Stuart to General Robert E. Lee and played a pivotal role in securing the South's victory in the Battle of Second Manassas.

[5] Later in the war, Colonel John S. Mosby conducted a raid with his cavalry unit in an attempt to disable an engine on the same rail line that Stuart had attacked in August 1862.

Mosby's unit retreated after disabling the engine with a Howitzer cannon that they had captured the previous day.

[1] The western and southern edge of Catlett is formed by Cedar Run, a tributary of the Occoquan River, which flows southeast to the Potomac.

In December 2011, the county board of supervisors voted 3-2 to turn down a development proposal that called for building a large sewer system, capable of supporting 225 homes, 45 apartments and 85,000 square feet of commercial space, as a "proffer" in exchange for rezoning.