Monday, August 30, 2010

The 79th New York & Lewinsville: Fight for the Colors, Part II


As we saw in my last post, the war had not gone well for the 79th New York.  The regiment, known as the "Cameron Highlanders," had experienced high losses at Bull Run and mutinied when faced with the prospect of many more years of fighting.  The soldiers had witnessed the ultimate humiliation of their colors being taken away on orders from General McClellan.  As the 79th set out with the reconnaissance force to Lewinsville on September 11, 1861, the soldiers must surely have realized that they had already lost a lot, and could lose even more.


Col. Isaac Stevens, here a Brigadier General in Beaufort, S.C. (Library of Congress)

The leader of the Union expedition that day was the 79th New York's own commander, Colonel Isaac Stevens, who would be killed at the Battle of Chantilly almost a year later.  The force consisted of the 79th, as well as four companies of the First Regiment U.S. Chasseurs, two companies of the 2nd Vermont, two companies of the 3rd Vermont, five companies of the 19th Indiana, four guns of Captain Charles Griffin's battery, and a detachment of 50 regular cavalry and 40 volunteer cavalry.


The Village of Lewinsville during the war, Harper's Weekly, December 14, 1861

Stevens set out from Camp Advance around 7:30 in the morning and arrived at Lewinsville around 10 am.  He immediately placed the troops in a defensive perimeter around the village.  The 79th New York was stopped about one-third a mile from Lewinsville, and according to Stevens, "a heavy body [of the Highlanders] were thrown out as skirmishers to cover the country towards Falls Church." 

The reconnaissance was successful and recall was sounded around 2 pm.  Southern pickets, however, had been eyeing the Union presence and sent word to the Confederate lines. Colonel J.E.B. Stuart rode to Lewinsville with a small force and unleashed an attack just as the Union soldiers were assembling and preparing to return to Camp Advance. The 79th, caught near the Gilbert family house, faced fire from both musket and cannon.  Stevens decided to continue the march back to camp, rather than engage his whole force, and ordered Griffin's battery to cover the withdrawal from Lewinsville.  The 79th New York helped to protect the retiring Union soldiers and provided support to a battery which had arrived on the field.   The entire force reached Camp Advance in relatively good order.  Overall, casualties were light, with about two Union soldiers killed, 13 wounded, and three captured.

In reports filed after the battle, commanders sung the praises of the 79th New York.  According to Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Shaler of the 65th New York, who had immediate command of the 79th during the battle:

The conduct of the officers and men of the Seventy-ninth while under my command was in the highest degree praiseworthy. They gave undoubted evidence of their bravery and resoluteness.
Captain David Ireland of the 79th explained that:

The conduct of the officers and men on this occasion was all that could be desired. They were cool and collected, behaving as well as if on parade, and more like veteran troops than volunteers. Where all did so well it would be wrong to individualize.
 To Lieutenant Samuel R. Elliott of the 79th, who was engaged around the Gilbert house:

The men throughout behaved admirably; even after it became certain that those crouching forms were the enemy's advance they showed less trepidation than perhaps I might have wished for the sake of celerity.
We may not know whether these officers were motivated by some self-interested or altruistic desire to see the 79th's reputation rehabilitated.  Or perhaps the Federal officers were so relieved that the ranks did not panic and run like at Bull Run that they were overly effusive in their praise.  Regardless, the 79th New York had performed up to par, and was congratulated after the battle by General McClellan himself.  (From various secondary accounts, it is unclear whether the commander of the Army of the Potomac met the troops in camp, or on the road around present-day McLean.)

A few days later, on September 14, no less an officer than "Little Mac" wrote to General Smith:

The colors of the New York Seventy-ninth will be sent to you to- morrow. Please return them to the regiment, with the remark that they have shown by their conduct in the reconnaissance of the 11th instant that they are worthy to carry the banner into action, and the commanding general is confident they will always in future sustain and confirm him in the favorable opinion he has formed of them.
The Battle of Lewinsville may be little remembered, but to the men of the 79th, it was a fight to re-take the colors, from the Union Army itself.

Friday, August 27, 2010

The 79th New York & Lewinsville: Fight for the Colors, Part I


The Battle of Lewinsville, more appropriately called a "skirmish," has given birth to some interesting stories about the early days of the Civil War around Washington.  The 1,800-man force sent to conduct reconnaissance at Lewinsville on September 11, 1861 consisted of soldiers from several regiments, including the 79th New York, under the command of Colonel Isaac Ingalls Stevens.  The 79th New York, formed as a militia company in 1859, was composed primarily of Scottish immigrants living on Manhattan Island.  The regiment was also known as the "Cameron Highlanders."  The original members of the 79th New York donned traditional Scottish kilts, while the newer recruits, who joined after the outbreak of hostilities, wore trews with a Cameron of Erracht tartan pattern.  These more stylized uniforms were soon replaced with standard issue uniforms.


Soldier of the 79th New York in early war uniform, by Don Troiani (courtesy of J&S DeSimone Booksellers)

The 79th New York left for Washington in June 1861 and was assigned to a brigade under then-Colonel William T. Sherman, who would later make Georgia howl during the March to the Sea. The regiment suffered heavy casualties at First Bull Run on July 21, including its commander, Colonel James Cameron, who was killed during the fight. Bitter over the Federal defeat, and agitated at the prospect of having to serve their full three-year enlistment term, the soliders became increasingly angry and restless. Tempers flared even more when their new commander, Colonel Stevens, was chosen by appointment rather than by election. 

Stevens ordered the 79th to move to a new camp on August 14, but the soldiers wanted nothing more to do with army life.  Eight companies disobeyed and refused to strike their tents.  General George McClellan, commanding the Army in and around Washington, learned of the disobedience of the 79th, and ordered General Andrew Porter, with Regular Army troops, to assist Stevens in putting down the mutiny at Camp Ewen near Meridian Hill in Washington.  Seeing the arrival of the Regulars, the rebellious troops backed down, and the 79th was marched off to the Provost Marshal's office, where it was forced to surrender the regimental colors.  Several of the ringleaders were arrested and sentenced to hard labor at the prison in the Dry Tortugas.


Taking away the colors of the 79th New York (Corbis Images)

Stevens set about disciplining and training his soldiers.  When the 79th marched through Washington toward another camp closer to Virginia in late August 1861, Stevens had the drummer beat the "dead march" to recall the regiment's disgrace and loss of the colors. At the start of September, the 79th crossed Chain Bridge to join General "Baldy' Smith's division.  It wouldn't be long before the 79th was given the chance to redeem its tarnished reputation.

Next up: The 79th New York under fire in Lewinsville.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Mosby Spreads Fear From Fairfax to Chain Bridge


Colonel John Singleton Mosby, the "Gray Ghost" of the Confederacy, is one of the most fascinating characters of the entire Civil War.  From 1863-65, Mosby led a regiment of mounted guerrillas known popularly as "Mosby's Rangers."  He and his men conducted daring raids, attacking Union supply lines, disrupting communications, taking prisoners, and seizing horses, food, and whatever else they could carry off. Mosby's reach extended far beyond his base in Loudoun and Fauquier Counties, Virginia.  One of his earliest and boldest exploits caused quite a bit of concern for soldiers stationed at Chain Bridge.


Col. John S. Mosby (Library of Congress)


On the night of March 8, 1863, Mosby and his men entered Fairfax Court House, which was behind Union lines.  Mosby intended to kidnap his nemesis, Colonel Percy Wyndham, a Brit who led a Federal cavalry brigade outside of Washington.  Although it turned out that Wyndham was spending the night in the capital, Mosby also had the chance to bag an even bigger prize, Brigadier General Edwin Stoughton, who was staying in the house of Dr. William Gunnell on the outskirts of Fairfax.  He entered the home with some of his raiders and captured the general, known as a heavy drinker and womanizer.  (In fact, Stoughton kept one of his romantic conquests in a tent outside the house!)  Early in the morning on March 9, Mosby and all of his men escaped unharmed, along with their take: Stoughton, two captains, 30 enlisted men, and 58 horses.

Fairfax Court House, June 1863 (National Archives) 

As to be expected, Mosby's raid had an immediate and discernible impact on the Union Army around Washington.  No one was sure who could be safe if a Confederate raider could ride undetected into a guarded, Union-occupied town and take a general as prisoner.  Soon the Federals around the capital began to fear that President Lincoln or members of his Cabinet might be Mosby's next target.  As a precaution, Union soldiers removed the planks from Chain Bridge each night.  This protective measure continued for weeks, until it appeared that the danger had passed.

Lincoln himself, however, seemed far from concerned that Mosby would dash across Chain Bridge, ride through Georgetown, and enter the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue.  He joked that he didn't mind the loss of a brigadier as much as the horses.  As Lincoln stated matter-of-factly, "I can make a much better General in five minutes, but the horses cost one hundred and twenty-five dollars apiece."

For an excellent account of these stories, as well as other Mosby exploits, check out Jeffry Wert's well-researched Mosby's Rangers.

Postscript: This upcoming weekend I will be taking an overnight trip to Mosby's Confederacy.  Stay tuned for a photographic essay of several of the sites out that way.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Local History Done Right


During my hunt for more information about the Civil War in Northern Virginia, I came across the website for the Hunter Mill Defense League (HMDL).  The Hunter Mill Road community is located near Oakton, Reston, and Vienna, Virginia.  According to the website, the HMDL "is a non-profit civic association that promotes the welfare of residents in one of Fairfax County, Virginia's most livable communities. It is the trusted source for information about land use, transportation, and environmental activities that specifically impact the 5,000 people who live along the historic 7.2 mile Hunter Mill Road. HMDL volunteers track issues, inform local residents, and advocate policies that preserve and enhance the scenic and historic character of the community." 

Members of the HMDL have been active in publicizing and preserving the area's Civil War history.  The Hunter Mill Corridor changed hands ten times during the course of the Civil War.  The conflict had a major impact on the local civilian population, and tensions ran high between Union and Confederate sympathizers.  In 2009, the HMDL History Committee was instrumental in securing the placement of six historic markers, including one detailing the encampments of Union and Confederate troops who passed through the Hunter Mill Corridor during the Antietam and Gettysburg campaigns and another about the March 1862 camp of the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps.  The HMDL offers bus tours of Civil War sites along the Hunter Mill Corridor and has produced Danger Between the Lines, a Civil War documentary about the area, and a related guidebook.  Further information can be found on the HMDL website.


Wartime Scenes from Fairfax County, including Skirmish Near Hunter's Mill, Virginia (bottom), Harper's Weekly, December 21, 1861

I couldn't resist purchasing the DVD, which I watched one night when my wife was safely asleep!  The documentary tells the dramatic story of the Civil War along the Hunter Mill Corridor.  Period sketches and photographs accompany the well-written narrative. The film also features authentic renditions of Civil War-era music from the 2nd South Carolina String Band.  (The music was so appealing I went out and bought a CD by the band.)  Anyone interested in Civil War history in Northern Virginia should check out Danger Between the Lines.  And based on my recent post about documentaries, the History Channel could learn a thing or two from the producers.

I really appreciate the work of groups such as the HMDL, who strive to stop commercial development and sprawl and preserve the historic and scenic character of the outer suburbs. I am looking forward to taking a Civil War tour of the area this autumn and will be sure to report back with photos and more details about the corridor's history.





Sunday, August 15, 2010

What Music of the '60s Tells Us


I have been listening to my CD from the 2nd South Carolina String Band on the way to and from work.  Nothing like hearing Jine the Cavalry as you are crossing the Potomac.  I am always struck at how some of the songs could have come from the folk tradition of the Vietnam War era -- think Peter, Paul, and Mary or Pete Seeger, who actually covered a few Civil War songs that I have downloaded on my iPod.  The final verse and chorus from The Vacant Chair, for example, laments:

True they tell us wreaths of glory
Ever more will deck his brow,
But this soothes the anguish only
Sweeping o’er our heartstrings now.
Sleep today, O early fallen,
In thy green and narrow bed,
Dirges from the pine and cypress,
Mingle with the tears we shed.

We shall meet, but we shall miss him.
There will be one vacant chair.
We shall linger to caress him
While we breathe our ev'ning prayer.


Sheet Music, The Vacant Chair (courtesy of Project Gutenberg)
 
 
Sheet Music, Tenting on the Old Campground (courtesy of Wikipedia)
 
Or, take the chorus from Tenting on the Old Campground:  


Many are the hearts that are weary tonight,
Wishing for the war to cease;
Many are the hearts looking for the right
To see the dawn of peace.
Tenting tonight, tenting tonight,
Tenting on the old camp ground.
When we think of Civil War songs, we often recall rousing patriotic tunes like Battle Cry of Freedom, or humorous numbers like Goober Peas.  But sentimental ballads, with anti-war overtones, were equally as popular among the soldiers.  In fact, as Bruce Catton relates in Mr. Lincoln's Army, some commanding Union officer in the Army of the Potomac banned the singing of When This Cruel War is Over out of concern that it would negatively affect morale in the ranks and lead to desertion.  The popularity of such songs tells us that although soldiers may have been motivated to fight out of a sense of duty, honor, and patriotism, they recognized that war was a violent and terrible experience, and that the sooner they could bring it to a close, the better.  I can't help but listen to these songs and think how the soldiers used them to express sentiments that may have otherwise gone unspoken out of adherence to Victorian notions of bravery and manhood.  These songs, speaking to us from the past, remove the romantic gloss from our remembrance of the Civil War, and capture the sense of loss and the longing for an end to the violence that many soldiers must surely have felt.

Friday, August 13, 2010

In the Interest of Full Disclosure....


The subtitle of this blog is "A DC Lawyer on the Civil War."  I am soon taking a new position within my agency, the Office of the United States Trade Representative.  (Housed, incidentally, in a building occupied by the Quartermaster General during the Civil War, but more on that in a future entry!)  I will no longer be a practicing attorney with the Office of the General Counsel, but instead will be a director working on agricultural trade policy and negotiations.  However, because I am still a member of the DC Bar, I suppose it is safe to keep the subtitle for this blog.  Once a lawyer, always a lawyer--for better or for worse!  By the way, one of our former U.S. Trade Representatives, Ambassador Bob Zoellick, was an avid Civil War buff.  He actually took a European Union delegation to the Gettysburg battlefield and had them read The Killer Angels before the trip.  According to an account in Misadventures of the Most Favored Nations, Zoellick actually corrected the Gettysburg tour guide!

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Historic Blenheim: The Writing is on the Wall


This past spring I visited the Civil War Interpretive Center at Historic Blenheim in the City of Fairfax.  I arrived a little before a lecutre on the Civil War defenses of Washington and had the opportunity to tour the historic Blenheim house and grounds.  Blenheim, a red brick farmhouse constructed in 1859 and owned by the Willcoxon family during the war, "is nationally significant for the more than 100 signatures, art and poetry created by Union soldiers during their occupation of the Fairfax Court House area in 1862-63. The house contains one of the most voluminous and best-preserved examples of Civil War inscriptions in the nation, a 'diary on walls' providing insight into typical soldier life during the Civil War." (City of Fairfax website description)  Most of these wall writings were on the second floor and attic, which were closed for structural safety issues, so I only had a chance to view those on the first floor, which were less dramatic and fewer in number.  Lucky for me, the Civil War Interpretive Center had constructed a full-size replica of 2/3 of the house's attic, complete with the soldiers' graffiti.  The center provides information on the soldiers stationed at Blenheim and examines the meaning of the wall etchings.  Behind Blenheim house sits "Grandma's Cottage," a residence built in the 1830s or 1840s, which was  home to the daughter of the estate's owner.  The cottage was not originally located on the Blenheim estate, but was moved there from another location in Fairfax County.

Blenheim Farmhouse (1859)

Reproduction of wall inscriptions and pictographs in the Interpretive Center.  I liked this particular signature of a Union soldier from my hometown of Pittsburgh, Christian Spiegel of the 74th Pennsylvania.  Note also the sketch of a ship.

"Grandma's Cottage" (1830s/1840s)

Since 1998, the names of 115 soldiers inscribed on the walls at Blenheim have been identified.  They represent 23 Union regiments from Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.  There were three distinct periods of the Federal presence at Blenheim.  In Spring 1862, as soliders passed through Fairfax Court House on their way to the Peninsula Campaign or the Shenandoah Valley, they left their mark on the walls of Blenheim.  Starting in September 1862, Union troops of Major General Franz Sigel's 11th Corps, consisting of many German-Americans, occupied Fairfax Court House.  Blenheim served until January 1863 as a reserve hospital for the corps.  These patients also wrote and drew on Blenheim's walls. Finally, in spring of 1863, the 1st Michigan Cavalry, the 1st West Virginia Cavalry, and the 18th Pennsylvania Cavalry from the 22nd Corps patrolled the area around Fairfax Court House and left behind graffiti at Blenheim.

I encourage local residents and visitors to the Washington, DC area to check out Blenheim. This lesser-known site provides an interesting glimpse into the life and times of Union soldiers in and around the City of Fairfax.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Colvin Run Mill and the Civil War


Today I took the family to Colvin Run Mill Historic Site run by the Fairfax County Park Authority.  The site is located along what used to be an old wagon road connecting Alexandria to the Shenandoah Valley.  This road was used by the British in 1755 on their way to capture Fort Duquesne (the site of present-day Pittsburgh).  George Washington originally owned the land and intended to build a mill there, but his plans were overtaken by other, well-known events.  In 1811, William Sheppard finally built a mill along Colvin Run and sold it to Philip Carter from Frederick County, Maryland.


Colvin Run Mill (c. 1811)

Miller's House (c. 1809)

Readers might be wondering what all of this has to do with the Civil War.  Not surprisingly, I dug a little deeper and discovered that during the War of the Rebellion, the mill was owned by John Powell, who bought the property in 1842 and held it throughout the Civil War.  The war devastated local farming in Fairfax County.  This downturn in agricultural activity severely impacted the mill, which used grain from local farmers to make flour.  Powell's business never recovered, and in 1872 he filed for bankruptcy.  The mill was on the market until 1883, when purchased by the Millard family from Maryland.  This story just goes to show that no aspect of civilian life in Fairfax County was left untouched by the Civil War.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

How Not to Defend a Bridge


In July 1864, the Confederate Army of the Valley, under the command of General Jubal Early, made its way across the Potomac and marched on Washington.  The capital was in a panic, and Union military leaders scrambled to assemble sufficient manpower to defend the city from attack.  As part of Lieutenant General Ulysses Grant's Overland Campaign, many of the artillery regiments in the Washington defenses had been dispatched to the front, and the forces now manning the line of defenses were woefully inadequate -- inexperienced trainees, 100-day troops sent from various states, Ohio militiamen, and semi-invalid members of the Veterans Reserve Corps.


General Jubal Early (Library of Congress)

On July 6, Major General Henry Halleck, the Federal Army chief-of-staff, received a report from Lieutenant Colonel B.S. Alexander, an aide to the chief engineer of the Washington defenses.  Alexander described the conditions at the bridge defenses around the city.  At Chain Bridge, he noted the particularly troublesome situation:

At [the Washington] end of the bridge there is a battery armed with two mountain howitzers, intended to enfilade it, and on the hill immediately above and in rear is Battery Martin Scott, armed with two rifled 6-pounder guns. I found Lieutenant Grunwell, of the Twenty-second Regiment Veteran Reserves, with sixty-three men, in charge of the bridge. He has no command of the batteries at the east [Washington] end of the bridge. These are in charge of Private Spink, One hundred and forty-seventh Ohio National Guard, acting ordnance sergeant. He knows nothing about ordnance or artillery. In fact, no one at the bridge knows how to load the guns. The business of Sergeant Spink is to clean the guns, air the ammunition, and sweep the platforms. In these duties he is assisted by a detail of six men from the One hundred and forty-seventh Ohio National Guard, changed daily. Lieutenant Grunwell closes the gates at the west [Virginia] end of the bridge and takes up eight or ten flooring planks in front of the gates every night at 9 o'clock.

If the enemy were to attack him suddenly he "would take up the planks and make a parapet or barricade of them, and close the gates." He understands that there is a magazine in one of the western piers, arranged for blowing up the bridge, and a small lead pipe reading to the magazine, and steps from the floor of the bridge leading down to where the pipe projects from the pier. In all of which he must be mistaken as I have never heard that the piers of the bridge are mined. (emphasis added)
Alexander recognized the absurdity of the situation at Chain Bridge.  Among other things, he recommended that the batteries be put under one single commander.  He also urged Halleck to ensure that trained artillerymen were assigned to the batteries so that the guns could actually be used in the event of attack.  It is unclear what Halleck did in response to Alexander's report, but one would hope that at the very least, soldiers were sent to Chain Bridge who knew how to fire the artillery!

Lucky for Washington, Early did not advance by way of Chain Bridge and instead moved on the capital from the Maryland side of the Potomac.  With the arrival of crack troops from the Army of the Potomac's Sixth Corps, the Federals drove Early back at the Battle of Fort Stevens on July 11-12.  This battle is famous as the only time when a sitting U.S. President came under live fire.  Lincoln had taken a carriage out to Fort Stevens and observed the fight, much to the dismay of the officers escorting him.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Salona Gets a Marker


While driving home from work last week along Rt. 123, I did a double-take.  Much to my surprise, I discovered that Fairfax County had erected a historical marker about Salona, site of Camp Griffin during the Civil War.  I have blogged about Camp Griffin and Salona on a couple of occasions.  (See here and here.)  And of course, I couldn't resist snapping a few pictures early on Saturday morning when traffic was light:



Text of the Salona Marker (author's photo; now posted at hmdb.org)


Looking towards the marker and Salona property across Rt. 123 (author's photo; now posted at hmdb.org)

I submitted the marker for publication on the Historical Marker Database website and am happy to announce that it is now part of that on-line resource.  (See here.)  I also wrote to the Fairfax County History Commission to thank the county for erecting the Salona marker.  I expressed interest in having the county install a historical marker to commemorate the battles at Lewinsville.  Jack Hiller, the Chairman, sent me an application, which requires detailed historical information.  I hope to enlist community support in my campaign to get other Civil War-related markers installed in McLean.  In any event, it is great to see that Salona has finally gotten its due.

Marshall House Entry on the Historical Marker Database


I wanted to let readers know that I submitted the Marshall House historical marker for publication on the Historical Marker Database, a great on-line resource which contains information on thousands of markers across the United States. Readers may remember that the Marshall House in Alexandria, Virginia is the site of the death of Union Col. Elmer Ellsworth, who became a martyr to the Northern cause early in the Civil War. (See my previous post here.) The marker was accepted by the Historical Marker Database and can be found here.  While you are on the site, do a search and check out markers that may be of interest to you.  And when going on vacation, be sure to look up what historical sites may be available to visit.