Camp Life at Hunter's Mills and Flint Hill

As I wrote in my last post, divisions under George McCall and "Baldy" Smith left their winter camps on March 10, 1862 and advanced towards Centreville. The soldiers were excited at the prospect of beating Joseph Johnston's Confederates, who had just evacuated their lines around Centreville and Manassas.  By noon, Smith's men had reached the area around Flint Hill, where they stayed for night.  McCall's division, meanwhile, stopped in the neighborhood of Hunter's Mills that same evening. 

Federal commander George McClellan was about to disappoint his men.  The Union soldiers encamped at Hunter's Mills, Flint Hill, and elsewhere soon learned that Johnston had withdrawn beyond the reach of the Army of the Potomac and that McClellan had halted their advance.  As Gen. George G. Meade, commander of McCall's Second Brigade told his wife, "the prospects of another Bull Run battle are much dissipated, unless [the Confederates] have, as the French say, only reculer pour mieux sauter."  (Meade 251.)*  Private A.F. Hill of the 8th Pennsylvania Reserves remembered that when his regiment got the news, "[w]e didn't half like it, for we had hoped to assist [the enemy] in leaving" Centreville and Manassas.  (Hill 204.)  Smith and McCall would now stay put until further orders.**

View of the neighborhood of Hunter's Mills as shown on an 1862 Union Army map of Northeastern Virginia (courtesy of Library of Congress).  The main road through the area (current-day Hunter Mill Road) linked the Leesburg-Alexandria Turnpike with Flint Hill and Fairfax Court House to the south.  The Alexandria, Loudoun, & Hampshire Railroad (present-day Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Trail) intersected the road to the north of Difficult Run.  The three brigades of the Pennsylvania Reserves encamped on land surrounding Hunter's Mills.  The soldiers dubbed the camp "Smoky Hollow."  (Sypher 168.) 

Intersection of Hunter Mill Road and the W&OD Trail (Alexandria, Loudoun, & Hampshire Railroad at the time of the war).  The crossroads is located in the center of the 1862 map, above.  Generals McCall, Meade, and E.O.C. Ord had their headquarters to the north of this intersection, and Gen. John F. Reynolds located his headquarters to the south. 

While at Hunter's Mills and Flint Hill, the soldiers received shelter tents for the first time. Each man was issued half a tent, which was attached with buttons to a half belonging to another soldier. Sticks or rifles were used as poles. Corporal Dan Mason of the 6th Vermont, part of the Vermont Brigade, welcomed the protection that the tents provided against the wet March weather. He told his fiancee that "they make quite a comfortable shelter to crawl under in a climate like this." (Ltr., Mason to Fiancee, Mar. 31, 1862.) Most soldiers would have begged to differ. According to a history of the Pennsylvania Reserves, "[t]he men, accustomed to the comfortable tents and huts at Camp Pierpont, received the shelter tents with much dissatisfaction." (Sypher 169.) The soldiers nicknamed the tents "dog houses." (Sypher 169.)  Private Wilbur Fisk of the 2nd Vermont, derisively called the shelter tent a "hencoop with the ends open." (in Zeller 56.) Hill remembered his own experience with the newfangled tents while at Hunter's Mills:

. . . it rained most mercilessly; which rain, aided by a brisk wind, succeeded in entering our frail abode in torrents, drenching us completely. March rains are no delicacy, even in the sunny South; so we huddled together within our narrow house, bumping each other's heads, knocking each other's caps off, and looking very glum. The fact is, these tentblankets, as described, do not constitute a very spacious apartment. (Hill 203.)

Historical marker commemorating the camp of the Pennsylvania Reserves at Hunter's Mills.  This marker is located to the right of the above intersection.  For more information, see the entry on the Historical Marker Database.

During the march from camp, some of the Pennsylvania Reserves had "foraged quite liberally" from the farms along the way.  (Sypher 168.)  The men stole chicken, milk, and whatever other provisions they could find.  At Hunter's Mills, orders were issued to prohibit foraging, and the Reserves stationed guards to prevent soldiers from leaving camps.  Over at Flint Hill, Private Fisk of the 2nd Vermont recalled that "orders at dress parade gave us to understand that stealing, plundering private dwellings, house burning, and such unsoldierlike depredations would be visited by severe and speedy punishment."  (in Zeller 57.)  The efforts at combating foraging were not altogether successful. As the Philadelphia Press reported, "all the pigs and chickens had mysteriously disappeared from the barnyards" within a few days of the Pennsylvania Reserves' arrival.  (Phila. Press, Mar. 17, 1862.) 

The "Old Miller's Home" located on a rise next to Hunter Mill Road. This house, now on private property, served as brigade headquarters for Gen. Meade in March 1862.  The left side of the house dates to the 18th century.  On March 11, Meade wrote to this wife: "I have been in the saddle all day, posting troops and pickets, and making all the preparations to meet the enemy, though, from the reports in existence and believed, there is not much probability of his showing himself about here ."  (Meade 251.)

Detail of 1862 Union Army map of Northeastern Virginia showing the area around Flint Hill where Smith's division set up camp (courtesy of Library of Congress).  Hunter's Mills sits roughly a half dozen miles to the north of Flint Hill.  The road from Flint Hill led to Fairfax Court House, where McClellan established his headquarters.

Overall, the Pennsyvlanians' stay at Hunter's Mills had a dramatic impact on the neighborhood and the civilians living there.  Correspondent George Alfred Townsend of the Press told readers that "[a] few nights' occupation, by an army, changes the whole appearance of a country."  (Phila. Press, Mar. 17, 1862.)  He observed:

The quartermasters here, for instance, have already opened up new roads and parts of roads to avoid quagmires or steep hills; the timber is cut away for acres; huts and structures of brush dot the bleak summits and slopes; and the untenanted houses are being despoiled for purposes of fuel, and all the fences are torn up. (Phila. Press, Mar. 17, 1862.)   

News of the Union Army's presence spread throughout the region, and contraband slaves began to "arrive hourly."  (Phila. Press, Mar. 17, 1862.) 

Prior to the arrival of the Reserves,  Confederate pickets and scouts populated the area around Hunter's Mills.  Some of these Confederates returned, "either by accident or design."  (Phila. Press, Mar. 17, 1862.)   The Pennsylvanians arrested them, or "compelled" them to take an oath of allegiance to the Union.  (Phila. Press, Mar. 17, 1862.)  At least in one instance, a Confederate scout was spotted and shot dead by Union soldiers.  The Pennsylvanian troops cheered upon learning the news.  As Townsend later described the scene, "[t]housands of brave men were shouting the requiem of one paltry life."  (Townsend 31.)

On March 13, McClellan rode from his field headquarters at Fairfax Court House to Flint Hill, where he conducted a review of Smith's division.  As surgeon Alfred Castleman of the 5th Wisconsin wrote in his diary, about 10,000 men gathered on "a large plain" for the event.  (Castleman 97.)  He considered the review "the most beautiful. . . that I ever beheld."  (Castleman 97.)  Private Fisk walked away inspired, writing that McClellan's "very looks. . . are sufficient to enkindle a spirit of energy and bravery in the hearts of the troops under his command."  (in Zeller 57.)  McClellan reported that night to Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton that he found Smith's division "in admirable condition and spirits."  (OR, 1:5, 751.)

While in camp, both McCall and Smith got new bosses.  On March 8, 1862, President Lincoln had ordered McClellan to organize five army corps with the men under his command.  McClellan protested to Secretary Stanton that the imminent march on Centreville prevented him from effectively carrying out the President's order.  Stanton relented.  On March 13, when the dust had finally settled on the movement towards Centreville, McClellan issued General Orders No. 101, which assigned his separate divisions to five army corps.  McCall's division was placed with Gen. Irvin McDowell's First Corps, while Smith's division was placed in the Fourth Corps under Gen. Erasmus Keyes.  (McClellan, Report, 58-59.)

McClellan was also busy plotting his next move.  On March 13, the general's new corps commanders endorsed his revised plan to advance on Richmond by way of the Peninsula between the York and James Rivers.  (OR, 1:5, 55-56.)  The soldiers encamped at Hunter's Mills and Flint Hill would soon be on the march again.

Notes

*This phrase can best be translated as "to give way a little in order to take up a stronger position."
**Based on sources used in compiling this post, it is unclear how much the Union troops initially knew about the advance and Johnston's retreat.  When McClellan ordered his divisions forward on March 10, he had received intelligence that Johnston was withdrawing from Centreville.  However, enlisted men may have known little of what was happening, other than that they were apparently on their way to meet the enemy.  High-level officers like Meade presumably had more knowledge of the situation, but even Meade's letter of March 11 to his wife indicates a degree of surprise that a battle was unlikely.

Sources

A special thanks to historian Jim Lewis of the Hunter Mill Defense League (HMDL).  Jim was kind enough to show me around the Hunter Mill Road corridor a couple weeks ago and to discuss the history of the Union encampments in the area with me.  The HMDL does excellent work and has produced a guidebook and documentary about the Civil War history of Hunter Mill Road.  Jim also conducts the popular Hunter Mill Road Corridor History Tour.  The HMDL played a key role in the installation of several historical markers in the Hunter Mill road area, including the one pictured above.  For more information about the HMDL, click here.

The following sources were useful in writing this post:

Russel Beatie, Army of the Potomac: McClellan's First Campaign, March-May 1862 (2007); George Grenville Benedict, Vermont in the Civil War, Vol. 1, (1886); Alfred I. Castleman, Army of the Potomac: Behind the Scenes, A Diary of Unwritten History (1863); M.D. Hardin, History of the Twelfth Regiment Pennsylvania Reserve Volunteer Corps (1890); A.F. Hill, Our Boys: The Personal Experiences of a Soldier in the Army of the Potomac (1864); James G. Lewis, Jr., Hunter Mill Road Civil War Self-Guided Tour (2008); George Meade, The Life and Letters of George Gordon Meade, Vol. 1 (1913); George B. McClellan, McClellan's Own Story (1887); George B. McClellan, Report on the Organization and Campaigns of the Army of the Potomac (1864); Philadelphia Press, March 17, 1862; Stephen W. Sears, To the Gates of Richmond: The Peninsula Campaign (1992); J.R. Sypher, History of the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps (1865); O.R. Howard Thomson & William H. Rauch, History of the "Bucktails" (1906); George Alfred Townsend, Campaigns of a Non-Combatant (1866); Vermont Historical Society, On-Line Collection of Letters of Dan Mason; Paul G. Zeller, The Second Vermont Volunteer Infantry Regiment, 1861-1865 (2002).

Reenactment of the Battle of Vienna

This past Saturday I convinced my wife to accompany me to the reenactment of the Battle of Vienna before heading out to dinner.  The Town of Vienna, Historic Vienna, Inc., and the Vienna Sesquicentennial Committee sponsored an entire weekend of living history surrounding the 150th anniversary of the battle, including the capstone reenactment on Saturday evening.  Jim Lewis, well-known local historian and member of the Hunter Mill Defense League, provided the public with an overview of the skirmish and narrated the reenactment, which was coordinated by the 5th Regiment ANV and 17th Virginia Infantry Regiment, Company G.
 

Replica locomotive on loan from Strasburg, Virginia.  In a recent post, I examined the Battle of Vienna's key place in railroad history.

Reenactors portraying the 1st Ohio approach Vienna aboard a platform car.  The car was placed on the old railbed of the  Alexandria, Loudoun, & Hampshire R.R., later the Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) R.R., and now the W&OD Trail.

The reenactment was held on the grounds of the Vienna Community Center, just off the W&OD Trail near the actual site of the 1861 action. Staging the event this close to the original location brought with it a few incongruities, as suburbia has long since established its presence here.  The Town of Strasburg, Virginia, which had earlier conducted a railroad-themed reenactment of its own, donated the use of a replica Civil War locomotive. Of course, the railroad is no longer there, so the organizers had to use a few men to move a flatbed trailer of some sort, which served as a stand-in for one of the platform cars that carried soldiers of the 1st Ohio. As the Union troops were pushed along the old railroad bed in front of the locomotive, the reenactment began with the earth shattering boom of a Confederate canon.  When I heard a few infants in the audience cry, I knew there was a reason I didn't bring along my twin boys!  The reenactors took some degree of historical license as the skirmish unfolded in front of the spectators.  The "battle" ended in about thirty minutes, with the 1st South Carolina driving the 1st Ohio back in the direction of Alexandria. Overall, the event drew a large crowd, and the town once again did a commendable job in educating the public through living history.

The train "pushes" the platform car carrying the men of the 1st Ohio towards Vienna.

A Confederate artillery crew, representing part of Kemper's Battery, prepares to surprise the Yankees on the rail car.

Soldiers from the 1st Ohio rush from the platform car after taking a hit from the Rebel artillery...

...and form a skirmish line.

The 1st South Carolina drives back the Union skirmishers.

Recent Book Purchases on Washington-Area Civil War History

Not long ago I went to the annual used book sale of the McLean branch of the American Association of University Women.  (I mentioned this sale in a previous post.)  Last year, I found a Civil War-era book for only fifty dollars.  While I did not stumble upon such a treasure this year, I did discover Old Roads and New Insights: Adventures in Discovery by Winslow R. Hatch. This book, published posthumously in 1985, contains a wealth of information on the history of the roads around McLean and Great Falls, including the Georgetown Pike.  Although the book was printed from a typewritten draft, along with hand-drawn maps, don't let the quality of the publication distract you from the content.  This book offers incredibly detailed insights into local history.  Hatch endlessly explored and meticulously recorded the location of old roads in Fairfax County.  Of particular interest to Civil War enthusiasts is the chapter on Camp Griffin and the hospital at Benvenue, subject of a previous post.  (Incidentally, Hatch was one of the prior owners of Benvenue.)  I even learned that Kirby Road, not far from the entrance to the GW Parkway in McLean, existed at the time of the Civil War.  One end of the road fell within Confederate lines, while the Union soldiers occupied the part closer to McLean, and both Union and Confederate officers drank at Charles Kirby's home.

Another purchase along similar lines is Forgotten Roads of the Hunter Mill Road Corridor, by Jim Lewis over at the Hunter Mill Defense League. Although not exclusively focused on the Civil War era, this booklet explores the many old roads around Hunter Mill Road that still can be seen today, including the original Lawyers Road that led to the Fairfax County Courthouse, located near present-day Tyson's Corner in the mid-18th century.  (I recently took an HMDL tour that visited some of the roads featured in the booklet.)  Jim used the 1862 McDowell map of Northeastern Virginia as his starting point, and as to be expected, there are plenty of sites for Civil War buffs.  Jim, for example, has located Clarks Crossing Road, down which the 3rd Pennsylvania Cavalry fled from the 1st North Carolina Cavalry in November 1861.  This skirmish was J.E.B. Stuart's first encounter with his Northern counterparts.  The Washington Post recently took a look at Forgotten Roads and the efforts of the HMDL.

On the recommendation of Drew over at Civil War Books and Authors, I also purchased a re-print of The Confederate Blockade of Washington, D.C., 1861-1862 on Amazon.  Drew blogged about this work a few years ago.  (See here.)  This book details the Confederate efforts to cut off Washington through the placement of batteries along the Potomac River.  Lincoln eventually became anxious to lift the blockade and ordered the Army and Navy to work together to reopen the river.  I look forward to reading this book, which promises to shed some light on a little-known aspect of Civil War history in D.C.

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.