An Encyclopedia of Early Civil War Virginia
Before the Battle of Big Bethel, a pair of small skirmishes played a key role in shaping Union strategy and setting the stage for their defeat. Learn how these early encounters influenced the course of the larger conflict on the Virginia Peninsula. After the Virginia Secession Convention passed its ordinance of secession in May 1861,…
Continue reading ➞ Minor Skirmishes, Major Impact: the Prelude to Big Bethel at New Market Bridge
In the early months of the Civil War, a Union naval mission to gather intelligence on Virginia’s Northern Neck turned into a deadly skirmish with Confederate volunteers. Discover how a routine operation aboard the USS Monticello quickly escalated into a fierce clash that left both sides scrambling. On April 27, in response to the capture…
Continue reading ➞ The Action at Carter’s Creek, or Affair on the Rappahannock
As July 1861 dawned, lead elements of Col. Charles Pomeroy Stone's expedition along the Potomac River's Maryland shore reached Sandy Hook and Maryland Heights opposite of Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Confederate Brig. Gen. Joseph E. Johnston had evacuated his troops from Harper's Ferry in mid-June, destroying the bridges across the Potomac in the process. The town…
Since shifting focus to the long-neglected Chesapeake region, I came across two additional skirmishes, bringing the total to eight. Both were relatively minor but still deserve to be added to our encyclopedia. They are, as follows: Action at Carter's Creek On June 24, 1861, the USS Monticello was patrolling the Virginia shoreline in the Chesapeake…
Continue reading ➞ Two New Skirmishes on the Chesapeake Front
The Richmond Light Infantry Blues was Virginia's oldest and most prestigious military company. At the outbreak of the Civil War, it elected Obadiah Jennings Wise (1831-1862), eldest son of former Virginia governor Henry A. Wise, as its captain. Among its other captains during that war was Ezekiel "Zeke" J. Levy, who enlisted as a fourth…
Continue reading ➞ Jewish Virginians in the Richmond Light Infantry Blues
In the wake of Confederate Lt. Col. Charles Dreux's death, a Union foraging party’s bold venture beyond their orders sparked a swift and decisive skirmish with Maj. John Bell Hood's Confederate cavalry, resulting in Union losses and Confederate triumph. On July 5, 1861, a failed ambush near the farm of Nelson Smith resulted in the…
A Confederate plot to surprise Union troops ended in chaos, confusion, and the tragic death of Lt. Col. Charles Dreux, the first field-grade Confederate officer killed in the Civil War. Following the Battle of Big Bethel, Union and Confederate forces on the Virginia Peninsula settled into a stalemate behind their fortifications. Both armies occasionally sent…
Continue reading ➞ Failed Ambush at Smith’s Farm: The Death of Lt. Col. Charles Dreux
The short exchange of cannon fire at Gloucester Point is significant for being the first hostile engagement between Virginia and the U.S. government in the Civil War. Tyndall's Point Park sits tucked away behind the George Washington Memorial Highway (U.S. Route 17), its serpentine mounded earthworks winding along a trail through the woods. At one…
Continue reading ➞ A Visit to Tyndall’s Point Park at Gloucester Point
Occurring on Friday, July 5, 1861, the Skirmish at Smith's Farm was significant because Louisianan Lt. Col. Charles Dreux became the first field grade Confederate officer killed during the Civil War. Yet few people, even Civil War historians, have ever heard of it. Sometimes inaccurately called Young's Mill, I refer to it as Smith's Farm…
Continue reading ➞ Illuminating the Skirmish at Smith’s Farm
Great news, Civil War buffs! After long hours of work, we are ready to release our newest publication: the Spirit of '61 Battlelog! This compendium combines our articles on 34 military actions in Virginia in the spring and summer of 1861 in one convenient pdf, free to download. This living document will be periodically updated…
Spirit of '61 