BLUF: All 36 battle pages have undergone comprehensive structural updates to improve readability and organization. These enhancements include a table of contents and a standardized layout across all pages. Over the past few weeks, we have been steadily updating all 36 battle pages in this encyclopedia. You may have already noticed some of these changes,…
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Holding the Line: Robert Rodes’ Stand at Farr’s Crossroads
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
What was the First Land Battle of the Civil War?
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?
Stories of Appalachia: Philippi, West Virginia
Stories of Appalachia is an interesting podcast started in 2015. Hosts Steve Gilly and Rod Mullins discuss a variety of topics, including history and folklore from across the Eastern United States Appalachian region. A few weeks ago, they posted an episode about the Battle of Philippi. The action took place on June 3, 1861 and…
Continue reading ➞ Stories of Appalachia: Philippi, West Virginia
Battlelog 1.3 is Now Available
Welcome to version 1.3 of the Spirit of ’61 Battlelog! After doing a deep dive into the Lower Potomac Front, this edition contains a complete overhaul of narratives for all seven military actions in northeastern Virginia prior to the Battle of Bull Run, plus a few additional edits. The most exciting update was the discovery…
A Costly Lesson at Blackburn’s Ford
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…
In the Shadow of Shuter’s Hill: A Deadly Night on the Picket Line
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
The Union’s Failed Gamble to Control Mathias Point
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
Rails, Rebels, and Ruin: The 1st Ohio Infantry’s Deadly Encounter at Vienna
In June 1861, a Union reconnaissance mission along the AL&H Railroad took a deadly turn when Confederate forces ambushed a troop train near Vienna, Virginia. The surprise attack exposed the vulnerability of Union operations, forcing a hasty retreat and reinforcing the caution of military leaders as the conflict escalated. By mid-June 1861, the Union’s rapid…
Continue reading ➞ Rails, Rebels, and Ruin: The 1st Ohio Infantry’s Deadly Encounter at Vienna
What Happened to Fairfax County’s John Q. Marr Monument?
John Q. Marr’s fatal encounter with Union cavalry in Fairfax Court House on June 1, 1861, marked a bloody opening salvo of the Civil War, yet the debate over his legacy—and the monument that once bore his name—continues over a century later. For over a century, a granite monument stood near the old Fairfax County…
Continue reading ➞ What Happened to Fairfax County’s John Q. Marr Monument?
Spirit of '61 