The following appeared in our inaugural issue of the Brass Bugle, Spirit of ‘61’s free monthly newsletter, to address questions our readers may have regarding Spirit of ’61, our mission, and website. If you have any questions not covered here, please contact us via email at dispatches@spirit61.info or post a comment.
Q: Why only cover 1861, or more specifically, the period prior to the First Battle of Manassas/Bull Run?
A: The Civil War was a dramatic event in American history that has been studied in great detail, however, this period has not. Most Civil War histories fast forward from the firing on Fort Sumter to the First Battle of Manassas, but those four months contain many dramatic events, including the first naval actions, first land battles, first officers killed on both sides, political strife, and much more. We want to provide a place where people can find accurate information about those events online.
Q: Why focus on Virginia exclusively?
A: Mainly because I, your humble editor, live in Virginia, but also because most of the military events during May, June, and July happened in Virginia. Because Virginia was directly across the Potomac River from Washington, DC, and the vital Baltimore & Ohio Railroad passed through its territory, Virginia was the inevitable first battleground. It was invaded on May 24, 1861, a day after Virginia voters ratified their Ordinance of Secession. The battles of Big Bethel, Rich Mountain, Scary Creek, and dozens of smaller skirmishes were all fought in Virginia prior to the Battle of Manassas.
Q: Why does the Confederate flag not appear on your site?
A: Assuming you mean the ubiquitous Confederate battle flag (a blue St George’s Cross on a red field, with 15 white stars), that flag was not designed until after the First Battle of Manassas/Bull Run, and wasn’t in use until November 28, 1861, so it falls outside the scope of our project.
Virginia forces carried their state flag into battle during the first few months of the war, and other secessionists waved the “palmetto flag” of South Carolina. The official Confederate flag in 1861 was the “Stars and Bars”, similar to the U.S. flag but with two red stripes and one white, and a circle of white stars inside a blue square. Because of our commitment to 100% accuracy, we only display period-appropriate flags on our website.
Q: Why did Virginia secede?
A: Summaries of the Civil War often portray secession as a single event, but that is inaccurate. Seven states formed the Confederate States of America on February 8, 1861: South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. Virginia was lukewarm when it came to secession. In the presidential election of 1860, Constitutional Union candidate John Bell received 44.63 percent of the popular vote, securing all 15 of Virginia’s delegates.
Prominent Virginians, including Robert E. Lee, Governor John Letcher, and former president John Tyler, were not in favor of secession and warned about the horrors war would bring. On April 4, 1861, the Virginia Secession Convention rejected secession by a vote of 88 to 45.
Then came the firing on Fort Sumter and President Abraham Lincoln’s request for volunteer troops to “suppress the rebellion” in the Deep South. Lincoln’s call for volunteers outraged many of the previously pro-Union delegates, and the Convention reversed itself, voting in favor of secession 88 to 55, subject to a popular referendum to be held on May 23, 1861.
Any honest reading of events would conclude that Virginia seceded in reaction to Lincoln’s call for troops. The thought of a predominantly Northern army marching across its territory to invade the Deep South was simply unacceptable to a large majority.
Download the inaugural issue of the Brass Bugle here. Or read an embedded version of the newsletter here: Brass Bugle Vol. I Issue 1 (Jan 2024).
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