An Encyclopedia of Early Civil War Virginia
In June 1861, Col. Angus W. McDonald successfully petitioned the Confederate War Department for permission to raise a cavalry regiment, which became the 7th Virginia Cavalry. The first company he recruited was Capt. Turner Ashby’s Mountain Rangers. Thirty-two-year-old Turner Ashby Jr. and his younger brother Richard, 29, were born at Rose Bank Plantation in Fauquier…
In the spring and summer of 1861, the nation tore itself apart. Maryland and Virginia stood on the front lines, with the Potomac River between them threatening to become an international border. In Washington, military planners quickly recognized the importance of securing the Potomac west of the nation's capital and protecting the vital Baltimore &…
Continue reading ➞ Detailed Timeline of Events Along the Upper Potomac, May 23 – July 27, 1861
In the summer of 1861, Hampshire County, Virginia, became a battleground in the struggle to control the vital Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Confederate cavalry raided bridges and rail lines from Romney to New Creek while Union troops fought to keep open this critical transportation link between Washington, DC, and the West. On the eve of…
Continue reading ➞ Cutting the B&O: Confederate Raids in Hampshire County, 1861
Spirit of '61 