An Encyclopedia of Early Civil War Virginia
In the early days of the Civil War, as Virginia seceded and Confederate forces rushed to secure key positions across the state, Jamestown Island—better known as the birthplace of English America—was drawn into the conflict. Between April and July 1861, the Confederacy quickly turned Jamestown Island’s strategic position on the James River into a forward…
Continue reading ➞ Fort Pocahontas: Jamestown Island’s Forgotten Confederate Stronghold
Hidden in plain sight on George Mason University’s campus, a Civil War-era redoubt built by the 5th Alabama Infantry has been preserved as part of a public history trail. This overlooked site offers a rare glimpse into the early days of the war and the soldiers who once defended a quiet crossroads in Virginia. Colonel…
Once an obscure Civil War outpost, the importance of Cloud’s Mill has resurfaced through original research, offering a rare glimpse into Northern Virginia’s lost wartime landscape. Earlier this year, we completely revised our entry on the Skirmish at Arlington Mills after original research revealed the action actually took place three miles south, at Cloud's Mill.…
On July 17, 1861, as Union forces advanced on Fairfax Court House, Col. Robert E. Rodes' 5th Alabama Infantry Regiment engaged in a fierce skirmish at Farr's Crossroads, delaying Col. Dixon S. Miles' division long enough to secure a safe Confederate withdrawal behind Bull Run. While Brig. Gen. Milledge Bonham's retreat from Fairfax was widely…
Continue reading ➞ Holding the Line: Robert Rodes’ Stand at Farr’s Crossroads
From the first battlefield amputation to the first conventional land battle, Virginia was the stage for many pivotal "firsts" of the Civil War. This article explores these groundbreaking moments, shedding light on the early conflicts, innovations, and key figures that shaped the war's opening chapters. Following the bombardment and surrender of Fort Sumter on April…
Continue reading ➞ Civil War “Firsts” in Virginia and West Virginia
While several early skirmishes and clashes claim the title of first land battle of the Civil War, only one engagement truly meets all the criteria of a traditional battle—discover which one and why it stands apart. The claim of being the site of the first land battle of the American Civil War presents a study…
Continue reading ➞ What was the First Land Battle of the Civil War?
Accidental deaths of soldiers often receive less attention than battlefield casualties. However, for these soldiers of the First Virginia Regiment, sworn to fight for the Union, their fates marked some of the earliest losses of the Civil War. Were it not for a handful of brief newspaper articles and a sparse pension file, their stories…
Though minor in comparison to the clash that would erupt at Bull Run days later, the fight at Blackburn’s Ford rattled Union confidence and emboldened Confederate troops. With McDowell now seeking another route forward, the war’s first major battle loomed just beyond the horizon. Confederate Brig. Gen. Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard arrived at Manassas Junction on…
As June 1861 dragged on with little progress in northeast Virginia, restless Union and Confederate troops found themselves locked in a brief but bloody skirmish near Alexandria. A late-night clash between Pennsylvania infantry and Southern cavalry left men dead on both sides, yet did nothing to alter the course of the campaign. June 1861 passed…
Continue reading ➞ In the Shadow of Shuter’s Hill: A Deadly Night on the Picket Line
In the summer of 1861, Union forces launched a desperate attempt to secure Mathias Point, a strategic bend in the Potomac River that Confederate troops used to disrupt shipping. What began as a routine landing quickly unraveled into a deadly ambush, claiming the life of Commander James H. Ward and forcing the Union to abandon…
Continue reading ➞ The Union’s Failed Gamble to Control Mathias Point
Spirit of '61 