In the early days of the Civil War, a nighttime skirmish near Cloud’s Mill led to confusion, tragedy, and one of the first Union casualties of the conflict. What seemed like an enemy ambush may have been something far more chaotic—a fatal case of friendly fire.
On May 23, 1861, Virginia voters ratified secession, and at 2 a.m. the next day, eleven full regiments, with accompanying engineers, cavalry, and artillery, crossed the bridges into northern Virginia from Washington, DC, and by boat to Alexandria. The 1st Michigan Volunteer Infantry (3 months), led by Colonel Orlando B. Willcox, crossed Long Bridge and proceeded to Alexandria overland, while the 11th New York Volunteer Infantry (First New York Zouaves), led by Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth, occupied Alexandria by boat from the Potomac River.
Ellsworth, a close friend of President Abraham Lincoln, was killed by James W. Jackson, proprietor of the Marshall House inn, shortly after removing a Confederate flag from the inn’s roof. Virginia militia forces fled the town, destroying bridges and railroad tracks along the Orange & Alexandria Railroad as they retreated. Captain Mottrom Dulany Ball and 35 members of his Chesterfield Troop were captured without firing a shot. By May 28, both the 1st Michigan and the 11th New York had set up camp on Shuter’s (or Shooter’s) Hill, west of Alexandria along the Little River Turnpike leading to Fairfax Court House.
Approximately three miles west of Shuter’s Hill, near Holmes Run on the north side of the Little River Turnpike, stood a mill owned by James Cloud. The mill, an unremarkable four-story brick structure, was “noted for nothing but the millions of horrible fleas bred in its vicinity.” Its wheel was powered by a muddy stream, largely hidden by weeds and brush. Captain Ebenezer Butterworth and Company C of the 1st Michigan—the “Coldwater Cadets”—seized the mill, confiscating 400 barrels of flour and hundreds of bushels of wheat. Southern newspapers accused them of forcibly evicting James Cloud’s family and ransacking their belongings.
Around the same time, Major General Robert E. Lee visited Manassas Junction to inspect Brigadier General Milledge L. Bonham’s defensive preparations. Lieutenant Colonel Richard S. Ewell, a former U.S. Regular Army officer, assumed command of the Virginia cavalry at Fairfax Court House, where the Warrenton Rifles, Rappahannock Cavalry, and Prince William Cavalry were stationed. Both cavalry units were poorly armed, and the Warrenton Rifles had only just arrived. The Goochland and Hanover Light Dragoons were positioned at Fairfax Station, 3.5 miles to the south.
On the night of May 31, approximately 25 men from Company E, the “Steuben Guard” of the 1st Michigan, were stationed on picket duty at Cloud’s Mill under Captain William F. Roth. Company G of the 11th New York, led by Captain Michael A. Tagan, was preparing to relieve them. At around 10 p.m., impatient Michigan soldiers began walking back to camp to check on their replacements. The two groups met on the road and returned to the mill together.
Accounts differ on what happened next, but it is generally agreed that some members of the 1st Michigan were inside the mill, while the New York Zouaves took position in a nearby storehouse. In the darkness, a sergeant noticed several figures emerging from a barn. “Who goes there?” he demanded twice, receiving the same response each time: “Soldiers.” Unsatisfied, the sergeant raised his musket and fired. A volley of gunfire followed. The Michigan troops began shooting from inside the mill, but in the confusion, no one could distinguish friend from foe.
Captain Roth rushed outside to assess the situation but quickly dropped to the ground to avoid being caught in the crossfire. Two soldiers from the 11th New York, 21-year-old Private Henry S. Cornell and Private Joseph Cushman, were hit—Cornell mortally. As he lay dying, Cornell reportedly exclaimed, “Who would not die a soldier’s death?” After the shooting stopped, troops searched the woods but found no signs of enemy soldiers.
Northern journalists, unfamiliar with the local geography, initially misreported the skirmish as taking place at Arlington Mills, three miles to the north. While most believed they had been ambushed by an enemy patrol, others were not so certain. In a letter published in the New York Leader on July 3, 1861, under the pseudonym Harry Lorrequer, Private Arthur O’Neil Alcock—a former newspaper editor in Company A of the 11th New York—wrote:
“The simple fact is, that since we left New York we have had only one man killed and two wounded, as is said, by the fire of the rebels. And it is by no means certain that these were not shot by friends in mistake, or by themselves accidentally or through carelessness.”
Cornell was given a hero’s funeral, attended by his entire company, and was initially buried beneath a tree on a hill near Camp Ellsworth. However, his body was soon exhumed and transported to New York, where he now rests in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.
The Action at Cloud’s Mill did not change the strategic picture, but it underscored the confusion and inexperience that marked the early days of the Civil War. The chaotic skirmish, likely a friendly-fire incident, revealed the challenges of coordinating troops unfamiliar with the terrain. It also reflected the tense and uncertain nature of Union operations in newly occupied Virginia, where every shadow and distant movement could be mistaken for a lurking enemy. It was a stark reminder of the costly learning curve that both sides would endure in the conflict to come.
Sources
Beiro, Jean A. A History of Cloud’s Mill in Alexandria, Virginia. Edited by John G. Motheral. Alexandria: Alexandria Archaeology Publications, 1986.
Connery, William S. Civil War Northern Virginia 1861. Charleston: The History Press, 2011.
Isham, Frederic S., ed. History of the Detroit Light Guard: Its Records and Achievements. Detroit: Detroit Light Guard, 1896.
Musick, Michael P. 6th Virginia Cavalry. Lynchburg: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1990.
Nashville Union and American (Nashville, TN) June 6, 1861.
New York Herald (New York, NY) 2 June 1861.
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Schroeder, Patrick A. and Brian C. Pohanka, eds. With the 11th New York Fire Zouaves in Camp, Battle, and Prison: The Narrative of Private Arthur O’Neil Alcock in the New York Atlas and Leader. Lynchburg: Schroeder Publications, 2011.
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Wenzel, Edward T. Chronology of the Civil War in Fairfax County, Part I. CreateSpace: By the Author, 2015.
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