Lower Potomac Front – Numbers and Losses

Fifty-eight. That’s how many days passed between the Union Army crossing the Potomac River into northeastern Virginia and the First Battle of Manassas (Bull Run). During those nearly two months, the Union and Confederate armies shadowboxed in that corner of Virginia, hampered by undisciplined and inexperienced soldiers while probing for enemy weaknesses. The exact number of skirmishes that took place during this period is unknown, but historians have identified eight significant engagements.

The following charts present the number of casualties in each engagement, compiled from multiple primary and secondary sources. Despite careful documentation, conflicting reports exist, making it impossible to determine the numbers with complete accuracy. Nevertheless, we believe these figures are as reliable as possible. They do not account for deaths caused by accidents, friendly fire, disease, or homicide. For example, James W. Jackson, proprietor of the Marshall House, killed Union Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth during the occupation of Alexandria, which is not included in these figures. The Action at Cloud’s Mill may have been a friendly fire incident, but that remains unconfirmed.

These casualty figures indicate that the Union Army suffered the worst of these early encounters. However, the disparity in losses primarily stems from two engagements: the ambush at Vienna and the marine landing at Mathias Point, both of which were costly and one-sided. Such outcomes are expected, as attacking forces typically incur higher casualties than defenders.

Confederate

Battle	Commander(s)	Strength	Killed	Wounded	Missing / Captured	Total
Aquia Creek	Daniel Ruggles William F. Lynch	8 guns, 1,200 men	0	1	0	1
Cloud’s Mill	unknown	unknown	0	0	0	0
Fairfax Court House	Richard S. Ewell William Smith	190 men	1	2	5	8
Vienna	Maxcy Gregg	2 guns, 679 men	0	0	0	0
Mathias Point	John M. Brockenbrough Robert M. Mayo	400-500 men	0	0	0	0
Shuter’s Hill	Walter H. Weems	25 men	1	0	0	1
Farr’s Crossroads	Robert E. Rodes	65 men	0	2	0	2
Blackburn’s Ford	James Longstreet	11 guns, 5,100 men	18	64	0	82
			20	67	5	94

Union

Battle	Commander(s)	Strength	Killed	Wounded	Missing / Captured	Total
Aquia Creek	James H. Ward	4 ships, 244 crew	0	2	0	2
Cloud’s Mill	William F. Roth Michael Tagan	65 men	1	1	0	2
Fairfax Court House	Charles H. Tompkins	75 men	0	6	3	9
Vienna	Robert C. Schenck	271 men	9	5	1	15
Mathias Point	James H. Ward	3 ships, 178 crew	1	5	0	6
Shuter’s Hill	Matthew R. McClennan	6 men	1	1	0	2
Farr’s Crossroads	Thomas A. Davies	308 men	0	4	0	4
Blackburn’s Ford	Daniel Tyler	4 guns, 3,000 men	19	38	26	83
			31	58	30	123