An Encyclopedia of Early Civil War Virginia
Did the so-called "Skirmish at Arlington Mills" really happen? Learn how a simple newspaper error sparked a century-long myth about one of the Civil War’s first land engagements. Primary sources reveal conflicting accounts, misidentified locations, and a puzzling lack of Confederate testimony—raising questions about how historical narratives take shape and why verifying sources is essential…
Continue reading ➞ Which Mills? Decoding an Early Civil War Skirmish
In late May and early June of 1861, Union gunboats of the newly formed Potomac Flotilla clashed with Confederate shore batteries at Aquia Landing, a key rail terminus on Virginia’s Potomac River. Over three days of bombardment, the USS Thomas Freeborn and supporting vessels attempted to silence the Confederate defenses, but despite sustaining damage, the…
Continue reading ➞ Fire on the Potomac: The Battle for Aquia Landing, 1861
In the twilight hours of May 24, 1861, Union forces crossed the Potomac into Virginia, marking the first federal invasion of Confederate territory. As troops secured key locations in Alexandria, Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth, a rising star and personal friend of President Lincoln, led his Fire Zouaves into the city—only to meet a tragic fate…
Continue reading ➞ Crossing into Conflict: The Union’s First Movements into Virginia in 1861
In the spring and summer of 1861, James H. Ward and the Union’s Potomac Flotilla faced the daunting task of enforcing a blockade, securing safe passage for friendly river traffic, and countering Confederate shore batteries along the Potomac River. He would not live to see it succeed. At the start of the American Civil War,…
Was Stephen Roberts the first Confederate officer killed during the Civil War? By the time Virginia voters ratified the decision of its secession convention on May 23, 1861, Richmond was named the Confederate capital and militia units were mobilizing. As commander of all Virginia forces, Robert E. Lee directed Col. George A. Porterfield to proceed…
Largely forgotten today, Thornsbury Bailey Brown was among the first Union casualties of the Civil War.
By the end of May, there was no longer any doubt as to which side Virginia would take in the American Civil War. On May 23rd, Virginia voters ratified secession by a large majority, and the next day, Union troops crossed the Potomac River and seized Arlington Heights and Alexandria, Virginia. Several small fleets of…
Over the previous weeks, a tense standoff between federal forces and the Commonwealth of Virginia had threatened to spill over into all out war. On April 17, 1861, delegates at the Virginia Secession Convention in Richmond passed an ordinance of secession, pending the results of a popular referendum to be held on May 23rd. U.S.…
Continue reading ➞ 160 Years Ago Today: Alexandria Occupied; Col. Elmer E. Ellsworth Killed
Thursday, May 23, 1861, was a solemn day throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. It was the day its white, male citizens over the age of 21 would decide whether to ratify an Ordinance of Secession adopted in Richmond on April 17th. Though U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and many throughout the North viewed secession as illegal,…
Continue reading ➞ 160 Years Ago Today: Virginia Voters Ratify Secession
160 years ago, May 19, 1861, a popular referendum to decide whether the Commonwealth of Virginia would secede from the United States was still four days away. Never-the-less, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln had extended the naval blockade of the seven original Confederate States to include the ports of Virginia and North Carolina. On May 6th,…
Continue reading ➞ 160 Years Ago Today: Engagement at Sewell’s Point
Spirit of '61 