A New Project in the Works

A couple of months ago, I took my boys to the Fairfax Station Railroad Museum. I previously wrote about this historic treasure on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Second Manassas Campaign. The countryside surrounding the railroad station became one major field hospital following the fights at Bull Run and Chantilly in 1862. Clara Barton rushed from Washington City and helped tend to the wounded.

The current station dates from 1903 and hosts frequent model train displays. The museum also has exhibits on the history of the Orange & Alexandria Railroad, particularly during the Civil War. I've taken my sons there a few times. We are all train buffs, and the place has become a real family favorite.

After my last visit, the museum contacted me via my blog Facebook page. They put me in contact with Michael Chinworth, a volunteer who serves as the Vice President of the Friends of Fairfax Station. Michael asked if I was interested in helping the museum with various activities, including research, exhibits, and programming. I jumped at the opportunity. What better way to make a contribution to local Civil War and railroad history?

The Fairfax Station Railroad Museum, a stop along the Civil War Trails in Northern Virginia

Currently I am assisting with research on the civilian population around Fairfax Station just prior to and during the Civil War. I also hope to dig into the lives of the ordinary soldiers who protected the O&A R.R. Another possible avenue of exploration is the experience of slaves and Irish immigrants who worked on the railroad in the antebellum period. We hope to use this research in drafting a comprehensive historical guide on the station. The work may also form the basis of temporary exhibits or be made available on the museum's website.

I'd like to put a call to my readers as well. If you know anything about the area during the Civil War era, please feel free to email me and we can talk. In the meantime, if things are a little slower here as of late, it is likely because I am knee deep in old records about soldiers and civilians!

A Trip to Gettysburg with the Kids

As the followers of this blog's feeds on Facebook and Twitter know, I often take my twin sons to Civil War sites in and around Northern Virginia. I am a big believer in exposing them to history at an early age. They may not really "get it," but I am sure that deep down, an understanding, or better yet, an interest, is taking root.

Truth be told, I started reconnecting with the war just as the boys were born. In those early days, I spent what little down time I had writing posts and researching, much to my wife's chagrin! As the boys grew, I grew too, as a writer, blogger, and amateur historian. I suppose it was fitting that for their fifth birthday I would take them to the granddaddy of all Civil War battlefields -- Gettysburg. I also planned to make the vacation their first camping trip. My own parents could hardly believe that their son, a fan of the luxury hotel, was voluntarily returning to a campground after all these years. We opted on a Kamp Kabin at the Gettysburg/Battlefield KOA -- not exactly roughing it, but try spending a few days with little boys and no access to a private restroom.

The twins are no strangers to battlefields. After all, they first visited Manassas National Battlefield Park when they were almost three. Since then, they've returned to Henry Hill on numerous occasions. (We are only twenty-five minutes away. How wonderful it is to have a major Civil War battlefield at your doorstep.) They've also crossed Burnside Bridge at Antietam and walked through the historic streets of Harpers Ferry. But I would be lying if I didn't admit a bit of trepidation about spending a few days at Gettysburg with them. Manassas is one thing, but Gettysburg is quite another.

Even before driving up US-15, I started by kindling some enthusiasm for the story of the battle. I showed the boys some edited scenes from the film, Gettysburg. Jack would continually ask me, "Who won, the blue guys or the gray guys?" every time he saw a scene from the battle. I had nightmares that he'd do the same once out on the field. Drawing from their recognition of a few key Civil War personalities, I also told them about Lee leading the Confederates, and how President Lincoln gave a speech there.

Excited to be camping....

Gettysburg is a family-friendly place, which makes visiting with little ones easier than at some destination like California wine country. However, I was determined to keep the kids away from the tourist traps and show them the proper way to visit a Civil War site. It is never too early to teach kids how to engage in respectable and respectful tourism.

We started at the Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center. Unfortunately, and perhaps surprisingly, our first run-in with a Ranger was a little disappointing. He brushed us off when I asked for those Civil War NPS collectors cards and advised that we should come back tomorrow to get them instead. He never explained why. The Park Service redeemed itself the next day when a new Ranger handed each of my very happy boys a complete set of Gettysburg cards.

The film at the VC may have been a bit much for the boys' little brains -- try teaching concepts of slavery and emancipation to rising kindergartners -- but the Cyclorama had them in awe. They marveled at what they were seeing and couldn't believe that it was only a painting. We also walked through the museum. The boys each spent time looking at various artifacts from the battle and watching the informational videos. Jack was a bit more engaged; Cam moved at breakneck pace so that we would leave to check-in at the campground sooner.

Of course, battlefield stomping took top billing for us. We visited some key sites on Thursday evening. The first time Jack looked out over the field where Pickett's men advanced, he exclaimed to me, "That was a long way to march!" Pretty insightful for a new preschool graduate. We also made our way to the Father William Corby Monument, where I produced a copy of the statue in green plastic from their toy soldier set and told them what the good padre was doing there. We eventually reached the Angle and the Copse of Trees. Jack stood mesmerized by the stone wall. He remembered seeing scenes of all those "blue guys" waiting there to receive the Confederate charge.

Jack looks at the Union position around the Angle.

We rose early on Friday and headed back to the battlefield to beat the crowds and the heat. Best idea ever. The boys and I had most of the stops to ourselves, including Little Round Top. Jack could only shout "Wow!" when he looked out over the field from up there. The boys particularly loved climbing to the top of the 44th New York Monument, or "the castle" as they called it. I also walked with the twins to the scene of the 20th Maine's fight, and reminded them of the scene in the film where the men in blue fixed bayonets and rushed the Confederate attackers. After Little Round Top, we stopped at Devil's Den, but the boys surprisingly took a pass on checking out the huge boulders. Seeing the Pennsylvania Monument, Jack and Cam were eager to meet the challenge of going all the way to the top. Only later did I realize that Cam was confronting his own fear of heights. No wonder he rushed to get back down!

Native sons checking out the Virginia Monument.

Jack gestures towards the staging area for Pickett's division. As friend Harry Smeltzer of Bull Runnings put it, Jack already has a good point and a certain future with the NPS!

Before heading back to the campground, we stopped at the Seminary Ridge Museum. Although I knew that the boys were a bit too young, I really wanted to check out this relatively recent addition to the Gettysburg scene. Just like everything else, the admissions fee is waived for little ones under six, so I didn't lose too much money in doing so! The boys were moved by the lifelike wax tableaux of hospital scenes at the Seminary. They had a lot of questions about the care of the wounded, and I used the visit as a way of teaching them that war is a "bad thing that hurts people."

From the top of the Pennsylvania Monument.

Studying a hospital scene at the Seminary Ridge Museum.

We spent Friday afternoon shopping for souvenirs on Steinwehr Avenue. Jack and Cam both bought a few Civil War-themed items, including the requisite bag of plastic soldiers. After eating an ice cream and waiting out a torrential downpour while visiting Oak Hill, we headed back to our cabin. As I watched the boys play outside with toy sword and miniature flags, I knew that something had sunk in when I saw them charge, shouting "Irish Brigade forward!"

"Dad, can I get this?"

On Saturday I took the twins to Steam Into History in New Freedom, Pennsylvania, about an hour east of Gettysburg. If your kids like trains as much as mine do, and like their father does, this is a must-see attraction. We did the hour long excursion to Glen Echo. The train is pulled by a replica of the 4-4-0 locomotive that took Lincoln to Gettysburg. Passengers sit in recreated 19th century passenger cars. Jack and Cam were thrilled to hear the steam whistle as the train chugged along past small towns and farms. As an added bonus, the day we rode an entertainer dressed in Union blue told local stories about the Civil War and sang songs from the era. Overall, a family won't go wrong paying a visit to Steam Into History.

What a fine example of Industrial Age beauty!

Returning to Ashburn, I considered the trip a success. The boys seemed impressed with the battlefield, and I am sure they learned a thing or two. Meltdowns were kept to a minimum. I suppose flexibility on my part was key -- the schedule can't be too fixed or rigid with little ones in tow. And you got to make room for a swim in that campground pool. Jack and Cam may not remember every little detail about what they did, but I am pretty sure they will always remember their first trip to Gettysburg. We all do!

Railroad History in Ellicott City, Maryland

Railroads seem to dominate life in the Baumgarten household these days. My twin boys love trains, and Santa just got them a wooden train table for Christmas. I'll also admit to being a train aficionado, ever since the days of HO model railroading in my parents' basement. (In a former life, I was even a railroad lawyer representing Union Pacific!) It should come as no surprise that we've had some train-related family outings, including the requisite stops at local model railroad displays. But no visit so far can match the Sunday we spent at the B&O Railroad Museum in Ellicott City, Maryland.

Ellicott City, known as Ellicott's Mills in the nineteenth century, was the terminus of the nation's first thirteen miles of commercial rail. The Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad built the station in 1830-31 out of local granite. Now part of the B&O Railroad Museum system, it is considered "the oldest surviving railroad station in America." (B&O Railroad Museum, Ellicott City Station website.) The railroad first used the station for handling freight, but made changes in 1856-57 to accommodate passenger traffic.

Streetside view of the  Ellicott City Station, part of the B&O Railroad Museum. A Civil War Trails marker sits in the foreground. For more information, see the Historical Marker Database.

During the Civil War, the B&O Railroad played a pivotal role in moving men and materiel for the Union military. Various Federal units were assigned to protect the rails at Ellicott's Mills. The homegrown Patapsco Guards, organized in September 1861, stood watch over the railroad until the spring of the following year. The 12th New Jersey was encamped at Ellicott's Mills from September-December 1862. Pennsylvania and Maine troops also performed guard duty in the town. Confederate prisoners of war captured at Antietam and Gettysburg were kept at the Ellicott's Mills Station while awaiting parole or transportation to prison camps. After the Battle of Monocacy in July 1864, the defeated Federals retreated through Ellicott's Mills as they made their way to Baltimore by train and on foot.

Trackside view of the station looking towards the north (away from Baltimore). The Patapsco River sits at the bottom of an embankment located just beyond the fence and elevated tracks to the right. The doors to the car house are visible in the middle of the building. By the 1840s, trains were no longer pulled into the station. A replica of the first horse-drawn passenger rail car, Pioneer, sits on tracks outside the station.

A close-up view of the horse-drawn passenger car Pioneer. The first trains on the B&O Railroad were drawn by horses. More powerful steam locomotives soon replaced them.

View of the station's administrative office, which later served as the ladies' waiting room. The museum has added a few Civil War-era touches (Union great coat, national colors of the Patapsco Guards, and portrait of President Lincoln), even if not technically correct to the period when the room was used as an administrative office (1831-56).

The station's telegraph room and ticket office, which was added during the 1856-57 conversion for passenger service. Men purchased their tickets through the window on the right; women and children bought theirs from a window on the opposite wall.

View past the Pioneer to the 1885 freight house and 1927 "I-5" caboose. The freight building now houses a 40-foot HO-gauge model of the B&O line between Baltimore and Ellicott's Mills. In honor of the Sesquicentennial, the museum has chosen to depict the thirteen mile stretch as it appeared during the Civil War.

Detail of model railroad display in freight house showing Union artillery emplacement, Camp Relay, and the Thomas Viaduct.

View of Main Street in Ellicott City. A walk through the historic town, whose streets are lined with many shops and restaurants, is well worth the time following a visit to the train station. During the Civil War, mill workers and merchants in Ellicott City and surrounding Howard County were largely Unionist, although pockets of Confederate sympathizers also existed. 

My son Jack standing in front of the last remaining arch of the Oliver Viaduct over the Tiber River. The railroad station sits to the right of the viaduct. Originally composed of three arches, the Oliver Viaduct was completed in 1830 and carried trains across the Baltimore & Frederick Turnpike, or National Road (today's Main Street/MD 144).

The railroad Bridge across Main Street welcomes visitors to Ellicott City. The bridge connects with the remaining arch of the Oliver Viaduct to the left.

View of the Patapsco River on a beautiful fall day. The railroad station sits above the river to the right.

The B&O Railroad Museum in Ellicott City made the Civil War Trust's "Essential To-Do List" for the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. After my trip to the museum in October, I understood why. The station transports visitors back to a day when the B&O Railroad was essential to the Union war effort. A stroll through the old town past nineteenth century buildings further enhances the time travel effect. Whether you are a Civil War enthusiast, a railroad fan, or simply curious about history, I'd recommend a visit to Ellicott City and the B&O Railroad Museum.

More Information

For additional information about visiting the B&O Railroad Museum's Ellicott City Station, see here. The museum's main complex is located in Baltimore.

"The War Came By Train" is the B&O Railroad Museum's special commemoration of the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War. The museum is sponsoring a variety of Civil War-related events and exhibits now through December 2015. The day I visited the Ellicott City Station, for instance, the museum was featuring an interpretative panel on the role of the Patapsco Guards during the Gettysburg Campaign. For more information on the 150th commemoration, including events in Ellicott City, see the museum's website.

EllicottCity.net provides extensive information on visiting the town, including attractions, restaurants, and shopping.

A list of historical markers in Ellicott City, including Civil War Trails stops, can be found here.

Sources

Aside from the links provided in the above text, the following sources were useful in compiling this post:

B&O Railroad Museum, "Image 2: The Oliver Viaduct"; Lisa Kawata, "Union soldiers' letters offer insight about Civil War camp in Ellicott City," Baltimore Sun, Feb. 1, 2011; Janet P. Kusterer & Victoria Goeller, Remembering Ellicott City: Stories from the Patapsco River Valley (2009); Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources, "The Thomas Viaduct -- A Vital Link"; Maryland Historical Trust, "Inventory Form for State Historic Sites Survey: Oliver Viaduct"; Maryland Historical Trust, "National Register Listings: Howard County: Ellicott City Station, B&O Railway"; John F. Stover, History of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (1987).

Some Odds and Ends

Life has been a bit hectic recently, meaning I haven't had as much time for research and writing about the war. This week I will be taking a mini-vacation, which translates into even fewer chances to blog. However, before leaving my keyboard behind, I wanted to share at least a few odds and ends:

*The City of Fairfax Museum & Visitor Center is running a Sesquicentennial exhibition entitled Civil War Fairfax 1863 from now through January 2014. According to the city's website, the exhibition "examines the events and personalities that defined life in Fairfax Court House in 1863. Themes include the emancipation of slaves, the growing Union Army presence, daring raids by Confederate John S. Mosby and his partisan rangers, the unsettled lives of Fairfax’s civilians, and the complicated romance between southerner Antonia Ford and Union Army Major Joseph C. Willard." I look forward to visiting this one at some point in the near future. Incidentally, the museum consulted with me on Fairfax's contraband camps when the exhibit was under development, so I will be interested to see how the displays address this interesting and important topic. For more details, see here.

*Civil War Railroad Buff Alert! I recently discovered that the Fairfax Station Railroad Museum is offering a couple of Civil War-related forums. On August 14 at 7:30 pm, Civil War historian Ron McAnaw will discuss "Military Actions Around the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, 1862-64." Later this fall, on November 13 at 7:30 pm, the museum will feature a lecture on the "Use of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad in Support of the Army of the Potomac, 1862-64" by railroad historian Ron Beavers. Both programs are free to the public. For more information on the upcoming Fairfax Station Forums, see here. The museum also offers Civil War tours of the area. The next one is tentatively scheduled for October 2013, but further details are not yet available. The museum itself features items on Civil War history, as well as model railroad exhibits. But be warned -- opening hours are usually limited to Sundays from 1 pm to 4 pm.

The Fairfax Station Railroad Museum, housed in a post-Civil War station. I blogged about the Civil War history of the site here.

*Whenever you travel this summer, whether near or far, don't forget about the Historical Marker Database (www.hmdb.org). Before going somewhere, I tend to research the local historical sites by doing searches on HMDB. This often catches some obscure but interesting places that normally don't show up in the glossy brochures. In fact, I used HMDB a few years ago to pull together a Civil War-related tour of Roanoke Island. Once arriving at my destination, I use HMDB's mobile app on my iPhone to pick up nearby markers that I may have missed. Of course, I am always on the prowl for new markers to add to the database. Most recently, I contributed entries for two Judah P. Benjamin-related sites in Sarasota, Florida. (See here and here.) I suppose you could say I am a "Marker Hunter," but not like Craig Swain, the original one! Head to Craig's blog, To the Sound of the Guns, if you want to explore battlefields by marker. He has done an amazing job of cataloguing and mapping the markers and monuments on various key battlefields, including Antietam and Gettysburg. (See here.)

*I hope to return soon to the topic of the contraband camps in present-day McLean. I just need to get out and take some pictures in my neighborhood to show what the area looks like today. I also plan to blog a little more about the war's impact on civilians as we head into the late summer and early fall. These stories have been in the pipeline for quite some time, and I look forward to sharing them.

The Pennsylvania Reserves in Northern Virginia 1863, Part III: Military Duties in and Around Washington

Following a brief interlude, I return this week to the story of the Pennsylvania Reserves in Northern Virginia during the first half of 1863. The hard-fighting division had suffered heavy losses in the bloodletting of the previous year. Generals and politicians lobbied tirelessly to have the Reserves sent back to the Keystone State to recuperate and fill their ranks with new recruits. (See Part I.) In the end, the Union Army settled on an alternative course of action designed to accomplish the same goals. (See Part II.)

At the start of February 1863, the division's three brigades boarded transports at Belle Plain, Virginia and headed up the Potomac.* The Reserves were slated to join the newly-formed 22nd Corps of the Department of Washington, composed of soldiers who were assigned to the defense of the nation's capital. On February 7, the Pennsylvanians disembarked at the port of Alexandria and marched towards their old campgrounds around Fairfax Seminary.

Orders finally came on February 10. (OR, 1:51:1, 985.) Gen. Samuel P. Heintzelman, commander of the Department of Washington, directed the First Brigade to proceed to Fairfax Courthouse. The Second Brigade was ordered to Upton's Hill, while the Third Brigade was to occupy Minor's Hill.** The Reserves performed a variety of tasks, from the mundane to the downright dangerous.

Gen. Samuel P. Heintzelman, commander of the Department of Washington and 22nd Corps (courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

The experience of the 2nd Pennsylvania Reserves was typical of the regiments assigned to the area around Fairfax. The 2nd took the Orange & Alexandria Railroad from Alexandria to Fairfax Station on February 12 and established camp near Fairfax Court House. On February 21 the men received orders to guard the fords across Bull Run. The 2nd's picket line stretched for seven miles. As one regimental historian described duty there:

Our posts at the fords were almost nightly visited by the guerrillas, who exchanged a few shots with the pickets and disappeared. When a shot was fired, not knowing the strength or object of the enemy, the reserve at the post was turned out, and as this occurred several times through the night, the men's sleep was constantly liable to be disturbed. This tour of duty lasted sixteen days, and we were all glad when it was over. (Woodward, Our Campaigns, 254.)

During the night of March 8, the 2nd Reserves proceeded to Union Mills and the next day returned to camp at Fairfax. By March 16, the regiment was on the move again. This time they were assigned to dig rifle pits outside town along the road to Centreville. Finally, on March 28, the 2nd marched four miles to Fairfax Station, where the men established a more permanent camp. As May got underway, the partisan rangers became more active, and the 2nd had to contend with intensified attacks on the picket lines and the railroad around Fairfax.

The Bucktails, also from the First Brigade, proceeded to Fairfax on February 12. Here they engaged in picket and scouting duty, dug rifle trenches, cut trees, and buried dead horses. On the night of March 8, Confederate ranger John Mosby captured Gen. Edwin Stoughton in a raid on Fairfax. Accordingly, "to guard against a repetition of such a humiliating experience, the Bucktails were ordered to move their camp closer to the village." (Thomson & Rauch 47.) A regimental history claims that due to this precautionary measure, "Mosby's Rangers did not again penetrate the Union line in that vicinity" while the Bucktails were in Fairfax. (Thomson & Rauch 247.)

The 4th and 7th Pennsylvania Reserves performed guard duty at Camp Convalescent, a few miles from Alexandria along Four Mile Run.*** This massive facility was home to thousands of soldiers recovering from wounds and illnesses. Camp Convalescent consisted of fifty barracks as well as officers' quarters, dining rooms, cook houses, and hospitals.

Period engraving of Camp Convalescent, outside of Alexandria (courtesy of NYPL Digital Gallery). The camp was new when the Pennsylvania Reserves arrived for guard duty in early 1863. The conditions at the previous camp had become so bad that it earned the nickname, "Camp Misery."

Regiments from the Third Brigade were also detailed to areas outside Minor's Hill. The 11th Pennsylvania Reserves encamped in Vienna near the Alexandria, Loudoun & Hampshire Railroad. Private Lindley H. Addleman described the daily routine in a letter to his sister:

. . .we halve been doing fatigue duty pretty near every day since we came but it is easy [work] Some days we load carrs with cordwood and Some days we on load hay oats and corn and rashions for the cavalry well that is what we halve to do beside camp guarding. (Spelling and grammar as in original.)

The 12th Pennsylvania Reserves were assigned to a spot near the railroad bridge over Bull Run in February and early March. Sergeant Thomas Dick of Company H seemed far from bothered by his routine. As he told his brother in a February 22 letter, "[o]ur duty is not very arduous here." Dick came on duty "about once a week . . .to guard the railroad." The sergeant seemed almost nonchalant about the risks involved:

Have nothing to annoy us but the guerrillas They pop one over occasionally. Major Larimer of the 5th was killed a short time ago while leading a skirmishing party. (Grammar as in original.)

New orders arrived on April 19. Heintzelman directed the Second Brigade, "except the detachment now on duty at the Convalescent Camp," to "report without delay to Brigadier General John P. Slough, military governor of Alexandria." (OR, 1:51:1, 1008.) The commander kept the 11th Pennsylvania Reserves in Vienna, but ordered the remainder of the Third Brigade to report immediately to Gen. J.H. Martindale, the military governor of Washington. The First Brigade remained in Fairfax Court House and environs.

The 3rd Pennsylvania Reserves, along with other regiments in the Second Brigade, contributed to the defense of Alexandria. Following the Union defeat at Chancellorsville in May, earthworks were erected around the city. The 3rd encamped about a mile from the fortifications. An alarm was raised "a number of times, but no enemy appeared." (Woodward, The Third Reserve, 226.) Moreover, "upon several occasions," the regiment acted "as a guard to the railroad trains carrying forage to [Joseph] Hooker's army, they going as far as Warrenton Junction." (Woodward, The Third Reserve, 226.)

The regiments of the Third Brigade performed provost duty in Washington. The men maintained order and guarded Confederate prisoners and U.S. Government property. Private Benjamin Addleman of the 10th Pennsylvania Reserves and Lindley's brother, was quartered in barracks on East Capitol Hill. In a May 12 letter to his sister, Benjamin reported that "there has been a great many prisoners fetched to Washington from the army of the Potimack." Just the other day, he "helpt to fetch 795 rebls from the wharf. . . ." (Spelling and grammar as in original.) Thomas Dick of the 12th guarded Old Capitol  Prison at the end of May. As he told his sister, "we are off duty two days and on one: It is very nice duty."

Old Capitol Prison, Washington, DC (courtesy of Wikimedia Commons). The building served as the temporary meeting place for Congress (1815-19) after the British burned the Capitol during the War of 1812. Old Capitol Prison held Confederate sympathizers, spies, and prisoners of war. The Supreme Court now sits on this location east of the U.S. Capitol.  

By the start of June 1863, the three brigades of the Pennsylvania Reserves were scattered across Northern Virginia and Washington. Since arriving in February, the Pennsylvanians had fended off attacks by partisan rangers, built entrenchments, and performed other necessary but mundane tasks. As one history of the Reserves summed up military life during that time, "picket duty here [was] more arduous than it was with the Army of the Potomac, and altogether the duties were no lighter nor the quarters any better than they were in the active army." (Hardin 137; see also Sypher 434; Thomson & Rauch 245; Woodward, The Third Reserve, 226.) Men like Thomas Dick and Lindley Addleman, however, may have begged to differ. Whatever the case, much harder days were only a month away for many of the soldiers.

Notes

*The Pennsylvania Reserves were under the overall command of Col. Horatio G. Sickel. The First Brigade, led by Col. William McCandless, was composed of the 1st, 2nd, 6th, and 13th (Bucktails) Pennsylvania Reserves. The Second Brigade, under Col. Henry C. Bolinger, was composed of the 3rd, 4th, 7th, and 8th Pennsylvania Reserves. The Third Brigade, under Col. Joseph W. Fisher, was composed of the 5th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th Pennsylvania Reserves.

**Upton's Hill sits on the Arlington County-Fairfax County boundary. Minor's Hill is a bit farther to the northwest and also straddles the border between the two counties. Both eminences are to the east of Falls Church and northwest of Alexandria. For a period map, see here.

***Camp Convalescent sat on land belonging to the present-day Army-Navy Country Club in Arlington County.

Sources

"Brief History of the 7th Pennsylvania Reserves (36th Infantry)," from Samuel Bates, History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-1865 (1869-71) (courtesy of Pa. Res. Hist. Soc.); "Brief History of Company B, 7th Reserves, 'The Biddle Rifles,'" Perry County in the Civil War (courtesy of Pa. Res. Hist. Soc.); James G. Barber, Alexandria in the Civil War (1988); Civil War in the East (on-line database); Joseph Gibbs, Three Years in the Bloody Eleventh: The Campaigns of a Pennsylvania Reserves Regiment (2002); Martin D. Hardin, History of the Twelfth Regiment Pennsylvania Reserve Volunteer Corps (1890); Ltr. from Benjamin P. Addleman to Sister, May 12, 1863 (courtesy of Pa. Res. Hist. Soc.); Ltr. from Lindley H. Addleman to Sister, Apr. 30, 1863 (courtesy of Pa. Reserves Hist. Soc.); Ltr. from Thomas W. Dick to Brother, Feb. 22, 1863 (courtesy of Pa. Reserves Hist. Soc.); Ltr. from Thomas W. Dick to Sister, May 31, 1863 (courtesy of Pa. Res. Hist. Soc.); Ltr. from Americus Murray to Cousins, Apr. 19, 1863 (courtesy of Pa. Reserves Hist. Soc.); "Other Government Buildings: Old Capitol Prison," Mr. Lincoln's White House (website); J.R. Sypher, History of the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps (1865); O.R. Howard Thomson & William H. Rauch, History of the "Bucktails" (1906); Evan M. Woodward, History of the Third Pennsylvania Reserve (1883); Evan M. Woodward, Our Campaigns (1865).

A Detour to Delaplane, Virginia: The First Bull Run Campaign and the Manassas Gap Railroad

This past weekend I decided to take the family for an outing in the countryside.  On Saturday morning we put the boys in their car seats, jumped into the SUV, and headed to Sky Meadows State Park in Fauquier County.  My wife and I first visited the park back in 2010.  The historic home of Mt. Bleak, located on the grounds of Sky Meadows, has several connections to Mosby's Rangers and the Civil War.  (I wrote a post about my previous visit here.)  Of course, I couldn't resist taking a little detour to another Civil War site on the way to Sky Meadows. 

Near the confluence of Goose Creek and Crooked Run we pulled off Rt. 17 and stopped at Delaplane.  This tiny hamlet, known as Piedmont Station during the Civil War, appears much as it did in the mid-nineteenth century.  The Manassas Gap Railroad reached the area in 1852.  The company decided to place a new station near the point where the railroad crossed the vital transportation link of the Dumfries-Winchester Road (now Rt. 17).  The town grew up around the station, and by the start of the Civil War, had become an important rail center in Fauquier County.  Piedmont Station was renamed Delaplane in 1874 and today is designated as a Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.

Civil War Trails marker on Delaplane Grade Rd., just to the south of the old Manassas Gap Railroad line.  Today the tracks are part of the Norfolk Southern system. 

Piedmont Station played a key role in the First Bull Run Campaign.  Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, commander of the Confederate Army of the Shenandoah, received an urgent order on July 18, 1861 to join forces with Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard at Manassas Junction.  The general, worried that his volunteer army would take too long to march to Beauregard's assistance, opted instead to send his army by rail.  Johnston proceeded to Piedmont Station and oversaw preparations for the transportation of his men to Manassas Junction.

Close-up of the Civil War Trails marker.  (More information can be found here on the Historical Marker Database.)  The marker makes the claim that "[h]ere. . . trains were used for the first time in history to move troops to impending battle." 

Meanwhile, Johnston's army was on the move out of the Shenandoah Valley.  Gen. Thomas J. Jackson's brigade left the Winchester area around noon on July 18.  After marching all day and night, they passed through Ashby's Gap and stopped in Paris at two in the morning of July 19.  (Incidentally, I wrote about Paris and Jackson-related sites a few years ago.)  Jackson allowed his men a few hours of rest before they set out to complete the remaining six miles to Piedmont Station. They arrived at six in the morning.  Patriotic civilians greeted Jackson's troops at the station and offered them food and drink.  Jackson's men, likely basking in the glow of admirers, ate their breakfast and then boarded the train of freight and cattle cars for Manassas.  Progress was slow.  The 34-mile trip took an incredible eight hours.  Jackson, of course, would go on to earn the nickname "Stonewall" on the battlefield of Manassas on July 21. 

Two original railroad buildings dating to 1852.  These structures have been used as depots, warehouses, and stores.  The National Register of Historic Places Registration Form for Delaplane notes that "[t]he survival of these two large antebellum brick structures associated with the railroad is a rare occurrence in Virginia since few antebellum brick buildings of this scale can be documented anywhere else in Virginia."  (p. 16.)

Despite logistical difficulties, regiments from the brigades of Col. Francis Bartow and Gen. Barnard Bee followed Jackson over the course of the next day or so.  The brigade of Col. Arnold Elzey, under the temporary command of Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith, did not leave Piedmont Station until the early morning hours of July 21.  The men arrived at Manassas mid-day and marched quickly to the sounds of battle.  Elzey's troops smashed into the Federal right on Chinn Ridge and helped to secure the Confederate victory.

Another view of the antebellum railroad buildings, taken from Rokeby Rd.  The railroad line runs in front of the buildings.



Looking west down the old Manassas Gap Railroad tracks from Rokeby Rd. in Delaplane.  A Virginia State Historical Marker on Piedmont Station and First Manassas sits to the right.  (See here for text.)  The white SUV is traveling south on Rt. 17, the old Dumfries-Winchester Rd. 

Today Delaplane sits almost untouched by time.  You'll find no Starbucks, McDonald's, or strip malls there.  It isn't hard to imagine Jackson's troops mounting the rail cars and starting their journey towards Manassas and fame.  Walking next to the tracks, I was reminded of the contribution that this village made to modern military history.  Railroads played an important part in the Civil War, and Johnston's operation at Piedmont Station stood near the very start of it all.  Although the means of transportation proved a little slower than Johnston may have liked, his actions at Piedmont Station demonstrated the value of harnessing railroad technology to military advantage.  That's big stuff for such a small place, and well worth a stop to look around and ponder.

Sources

William C. Davis, Battle at Bull Run (1985 ed.); Bradley M. Gottfried, The Maps of First Bull Run (2009); Joseph E. Johnston, Narrative of Military Operations (1874); National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, Delaplane Historic District (2003); Ethan Rafuse, A Single Grand Victory: The First Campaign and Battle of Manassas (2002).

A Few Book Reviews

Publishing companies often contact Civil War bloggers to review their latest and greatest works on the nation's bloodiest conflict.  I enjoy seeing what's new in the world of Civil War publishing and welcome the opportunity to get the most recent releases.  And who am I to turn down a free book?  Of course, the books come with strings attached since I am supposed to write a review or at least spread the word.  Given how busy I am outside of my Civil War pursuits, I barely have enough time to read the books that I buy, let alone receive on a complimentary basis.  That being said, when I get a noteworthy book from a publisher, I like to follow through and write a review.  In today's post, I take a long overdue look at a couple of books that publishers have sent my way.

The Library of Congress Illustrated Timeline of the Civil War by Margaret E. Wagner, Little, Brown and Company (2011): I'll admit it. I am a sucker for so-called coffee table books. As an avid bibliophile, I like to acquire, admire, and display attractive books. My collection naturally focuses on the Civil War. From the moment I received the The Library of Congress Illustrated Timeline of the Civil War, I was hooked. The richly illustrated book, which marches through the war on an almost daily basis, draws from the extensive archives at the Library of Congress. More than a mere recitation of the war's chronology, the book offers a visual feast on each and every page. The author has chosen a striking array of photographs, engravings, maps, drawings, and other illustrations. Readers will find the usual suspects, but the book also contains a myriad of rare and previously unpublished images. The text, although necessarily concise, also benefits from a thoughtful use of quotations from primary source documents. 

E.B. Long's classic work, The Civil War Day by Day, presents a more comprehensive, in-depth chronology of the war than the Library of Congress book.  Wagner sometimes overlooks events, including aspects of the war in Northern Virginia during the second half of 1861 and the start of 1862.  Her book also skips entire days.  But the Illustrated Timeline of the Civil War more than compensates for these shortcomings with the quality of the writing and illustrations.  Long's massive book, although more detailed and better suited to research, is less captivating by comparison.  The Illustrated Timeline of the Civil War is the kind of book to browse through casually and enjoy.  Think of it as a printed companion to the Sesquicentennial, particularly for those with less knowledge on the history of the war.  All told, The Library of Congress Illustrated Timeline of the Civil War is a valuable, and handsome, addition to the world of Civil War reference books.  And it doesn't look bad on a coffee table either.

The Iron Way: Railroads, the Civil War, and the Making of Modern America by William G. Thomas, Yale University Press (2011):  This year I promised myself that I would read more about the economic and social history of the Civil War.  Being a bit of a train buff, I also wanted to dig a little deeper into the subject of railroads and the war.  The Iron Way was a perfect place to start.  William G. Thomas, a professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, offers a sweeping and ground-breaking examination of railroads before, during, and after the Civil War.  He combines strong scholarship with a thoroughly readable style.  The book, incidentally, is paired with an excellent digital history project, Railroads and the Making of Modern America.

Thomas shows just how critical railroads were to regional identities in the antebellum period and dispels old myths about the South as an economic backwater. In fact, the region was building and expanding railroad networks at a rapid pace during the 1850s. Rail penetration continued to grow and in many instances approached the level in the Northern states. Thomas explains just how intimately connected slavery was to this spectacular development. Companies bought and rented slaves to help construct and maintain railroads. Ironically, the technological progress brought by the railroads also ensured the very survival and perpetuation of the peculiar institution. So much for the argument that modernization would lead to the demise of slavery. Meanwhile, the North's own views about free labor and the advance of American civilization were tied up with the expansion of the railroads to the West.

As the war descended on the country, railroads naturally played a pivotal role.  They transported troops and moved supplies.  But the railroads also served as avenues of destruction and violence.  Thomas explores the growth of irregular warfare along the rail corridors throughout the South as men like John Mosby and John Morgan targeted Union supply lines and the soldiers protecting them.  This fighting became increasingly brutal and contributed to the ruin of the very rail infrastructure that the South had built before the war.  Thomas's interpretation is a valuable addition to the current body of scholarship on guerrilla warfare as popularized in Donald Sutherland's A Savage Conflict.

Thomas also focuses on the evolution in strategic thinking about the railroads.  Both sides had to figure out how to assimilate the new technology and create what Thomas calls a "railroad generalship."  George B. McClellan, however unfairly, is singled out for his failure to grasp the importance of railroads during his 1862 Peninsula Campaign.  By contrast, Stonewall Jackson ranks among the military leaders who clearly understood the role that railroads could play in winning the war. 

Thomas reserves his highest praise for William T. Sherman, who mastered the art of railroad generalship.  The greater part of an entire chapter examines how Sherman incorporated the railroad into his campaign to take Atlanta and beyond.  As Thomas writes, "[t]he maneuvers were carefully planned reconfigurations of the southern landscape, aimed at crippling railroad networks and severing southern communities from one another."  (p. 157.)  The March to the Sea, moreover, "was another, even more elaborate maneuver to control the Confederacy's network of railroads."  (p. 158.)  The Union's successful application of railroad generalship resulted in the destruction of track, bridges, and other infrastructure throughout the South.  Ironically enough -- in a book filled with irony -- the Union military in Georgia and elsewhere helped to put the railroads back together again during and after the war.

Thomas shows convincingly that the railroads also played a key part in the African-American struggle for emancipation and civil rights.  Before the war even started, fugitive slaves like Frederick Douglas were riding the rails northward to freedom.  During the war, contrabands flocked to the Union lines around railroad centers.  Here the escaped slaves could find work on the rails or enlist in the Union Army.  In the post-war South, racists sought to undermine black advances and imposed segregation on the railroads.  Thomas tells the story of a brave African-American wash woman, Catherine Brown, who successfully challenged such segregation in court, but her story was the exception and not the rule.
 
The Iron Way amazingly covers a lot of ground in only 274 pages of text and endnotes. If you are looking for a purely military study on railroad strategy and tactics in the Civil War, or a history of the U.S. Military Railroads, Thomas's book is not the one for you.  However, for those readers seeking a comprehensive account of the social, economic, and military importance of railroads in the Civil War era, Thomas has put together a definitive work that will set a standard for years to come.

Johnston Prepares to Leave Centreville: The Logistical Challenges of Withdrawal

Confederate commander Joseph Johnston was summoned to Richmond to confer with President Jefferson Davis in mid-February 1862.  The Confederate President wanted to discuss "the question of withdrawing the army to a less exposed position."  (Johnston, Narrative, 96.)  Johnston left the Confederate lines at Centreville and traveled to Richmond, where on February 19 (or 20, depending on the account), Johnston joined a meeting of Davis and his Cabinet.  Johnston and Davis agreed that the army should fall back to a more defensible position before Federal commander George McClellan launched his anticipated advance into Virginia.   The general, however, argued that current winter conditions were less than optimal for such a move.  The roads were deep with mud and in no shape to transport men and materiel.  The heavy artillery pieces along the lower Potomac at Evansport and other locations presented particular difficulties.  Johnston also worried about the ability of the Orange & Alexandria (O&A) Railroad to move his vast supplies from Manassas Junction to a safer location.

The meeting allegedly lasted around seven hours.  When all was said and done, Johnston left the President's office "with the understanding. . . that the army was to fall back as soon as practicable."  (Johnston, Narrative, 96.)  Davis walked away with a somewhat different interpretation of what was agreed.  He had given Johnston the discretion as to the exact timing of a general withdrawal, but seemed to think that an evacuation of Centreville was not in the works any time soon.  Instead, he felt that Johnston should wait until a withdrawal was "absolutely necessary."  (Symonds 145.)  It later became evident that Davis even imagined that he might find a way to pull together enough reinforcements to enable Johnston to take the offensive.  (OR, 1:5, 1084.)

Gen. Joseph E. Johnston (courtesy of Wikipedia)

Back at his hotel, Johnston ran into an officer who asked him if  he knew that "the cabinet had been discussing that day the question of withdrawing the army from the line then occupied."  (Johnston, Narrative, 97.)  Likewise, during his return trip, Johnston ran into "an acquaintance from the county of Fauquier, too deaf to hear conversation not intended for his ear, who gave me the same information."  (Johnston, Narrative, 97.)  Johnston was alarmed by the leak and likely feared that McClellan would get word of the Confederate plans before he had time to act.

Arriving in Centreville on February 21, Johnston immediately set to work preparing for the evacuation of the Centreville line.  On February 22, he issued orders to "the chiefs of the quartermaster's and subsistence departments to remove the military property in the depots at Manassas Junction and its dependencies, to Gordonsville, as quickly as possible. . . ."  (Johnston, Narrative 97.)  Johnston also directed the president and superintendent of the O&A Railroad to work the network "to its utmost capacity" for the purpose of transporting the army's supplies. (Johnston, Narrative 97.)  At the same time, Johnston informed his divisional commanders to prepare "in a quiet way" for the evacuation.  (Early 53.)

Johnston faced a daunting task.  The Confederates had accumulated mountains of supplies while staying a Centreville.  Johnston only needed around 1.5 million pounds of provisions on hand, enough to feed his army for fifteen days.  He tried throughout January 1862 to limit the food that Richmond was sending his way, but to no avail.  Now he had stores of around 3 million pounds.  The government had also constructed a meat-packing establishment at Thoroughfare Gap without Johnston's knowledge.  That facility possessed 2 million pounds of cured meat, as well as extensive herds of cattle and pigs, that were in danger of falling into Union hands if not shipped away or destroyed.   

Aside from Confederate commissary and quartermaster stores, Johnston had to deal with the clothing and provisions that state governments had forwarded to the front at Centreville.  Private baggage presented another difficulty.  As Gen. Jubal Early recalled:

Owing to the fact that our army had remained stationary so long, and the inexperience in campaigning of our troops, there had been a vast accumulation of private baggage by both officers and men. . . .

After the confidential instructions for the evacuation were given, I tried to persuade all my officers to send all their baggage not capable of being easily transported and for which they did not have immediate necessary use, on the railroad to some place in the rear out of all danger, but the most that I could accomplish was to get them to send it to Manassas Junction. This was generally the case with the whole army, and the consequence was that a vast amount of trunks and other private baggage was accumulated at the Junction at the last moment, for which it was impossible to find any transportation. (Early 53.)

Johnston soon vented to Davis about the situation.  On February 25, he wrote:

The accumulation of subsistence stores at Manassas is now a great evil. The Commissary-General was requested more than once to suspend those supplies. A very extensive meat-packing establishment at Thoroughfare is also a great incumbrance. The great quantities of personal property in our camps is a still greater one. Much of both kinds of property must be sacrificed in the contemplated movements.  (OR, 1:5, 1081.)

Davis sent Johnston a pointed response on February 28:

The subsistence stores should, when removed, be placed in position to answer your future wants; those cannot be determined until you have furnished definite information as to your plans, especially the line to which you would remove in the contingency of retiring. The Commissary-General had previously stopped further shipments to your army, and gives satisfactory reasons for the establishment of a packing establishment at Thoroughfare.  (OR, 1:5, 1084.)

Given the state of the muddy roads, the rails were the best option for moving the large quantity of supplies from Centreville.  Johnston, however, worried that the railroad was not up to the task.  The commander complained to Davis of the "wretched mismanagement" of the line.  (OR, 1:5, 1083)  By the start of March, Johnston expressed his concern to Davis that "[t]he removal of public property goes on with painful slowness, because, as the officers employed in it report, sufficient number of cars and engines cannot be had."  (OR, 1:5, 1088.)  A.C. Myers, the Quartermaster General, disputed Johnston's claim.  He told Davis that all cars and engines from the O&A Railroad, the Manassas Gap Railroad, and the Virginia Central Railroad were "in use at Manassas," and that "no further increase can be made."  (OR, 1:5, 1093.)  In any event, the system was stretched to capacity, causing innumerable delays, and could not handle much more.

Johnston also remained concerned about his ability to remove the big guns blockading the Potomac and feared that the army would be forced to abandon them in the withdrawal.  Davis was obviously dissatisfied with the commanding general's assessment.  He urged Johnston that "[w]hatever can be should be done to avoid the loss of those guns."  (OR, 1:5, 1084.)

To make matters worse, Johnston's scouts were picking up increased Union activity.  On February 22, he reported to Davis:

The enemy may not allow us much time for changes of position. He has been more active than usual lately. It is reported that a picket of 8 men was captured this morning near Fairfax Court-House. Reconnaissances on the Lower Occoquan and on the Potomac have been frequent, the latter in balloons as well as boats. (OR, 1:5, 1079).

A few days later, on February 28, Johnston learned that "the enemy is in force at Harper's Ferry, having crossed the Potomac on a pontoon bridge."  (OR, 1:5, 1083.)  He warned Davis that "[s]hould they move directly upon Winchester from that point as well as Hancock, our left would be so threatened as to compel the movement you have ordered without further delay."  (OR, 1:5, 1083.)  Johnston's now sensed danger on both his flanks.  As March got underway, the cautious general surely felt the pressure to complete his plans for withdrawal as expeditiously as possible.  If only those pesky logsitics weren't so difficult!

Sources
Jubal A. Early, Autobiographical Sketch and Narrative of the War Between the States (1912); Joseph E. Johnston, Narrative of Military Operations (1874); Joseph E. Johnston, "Responsibilities of the First Bull Run,"  Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, Vol. 1 (1887); Stephen W. Sears, To the Gates of Richmond: The Peninsula Campagin (1992); Craig L. Symonds, Joseph E. Johnston: A Civil War Biography (1992); Jeffry Wert, General James Longstreet: The Confederacy's Most Controversial Soldier (1993).

A Railroad-Related Site in Old Town Alexandria

Last Sunday while my family and I were visiting friends in Alexandria, I had the opportunity to check out another fascinating Civil War-related site in Old Town. My friend, Dave King, had mentioned the Wilkes Street Tunnel to me on a few occasions. Built in the 1850s, the tunnel connected the Orange & Alexandria Railroad (O&A R.R.) with the wharves and warehouses at the busy port of Alexandria. It is one of two 19th century railroad structures still remaining in Alexandria. The railroad tracks are long gone, but the tunnel has been preserved and is now part of a trail for bicyclists and runners. Dave and I visited the site at the corner of Wilkes and Royal Streets on our way to the main drag on King Street.

Looking down Wilkes Street towards the tunnel.  Note the dark pavement which likely marks the location of the railroad bed that has since been filled in.  (Unless otherwise noted, all photos are courtesy of Dave King, who was kind enough to take pictures for me because I was caught without my camera!)

A closer view of the west side of the Wilkes Street Tunnel, showing the descent below street level. 

One of three historical markers on the brick wall leading to the tunnel.  This marker discusses the various Alexandria railroads.  The marker concerning the Wilkes Street Tunnel, including its Civil War history, is faded and barely readable.

A marker showing the U.S. Military Railroad roundhouse in Alexandria, which was actually located at Duke and S. Henry Streets.

The O&A R.R. was chartered by the Virginia General Assembly in 1848 in an effort to stimulate trade with western Virginia.  Construction began in 1850, and in May 1851, the railroad christened the Alexandria section of track with an inaugural run between the north end of Union Street to the Wilkes Street Tunnel.  By 1854, the O&A R.R. extended to Gordonsville, Virginia, where it connected with the Virginia Central Railroad.  That same year, the O&A R.R. received permission from the General Assembly to run from Charlottesville to Lynchburg, Virginia.   In 1860, the railroad finally reached Lynchburg, where it joined the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad.  The company paid the Virginia Central for the use of track rights between Gordonsville and Charlottesville. 

An even closer view of the opening of the west side of the Wilkes Street Tunnel.

The interior of the Wilkes Street Tunnel. The City of Alexandria refurbished the tunnel in 2007-08 and added the steel beam reinforcements overhead. (See here for more details on the project.)

The O&A R.R. figures prominently in the history of the Civil War. Following the invasion of Virginia in May 1861, the Union seized control of the railroads in Alexandria, including the O&A R.R. The O&A R.R., which generally fell under Federal control close to Washington and north of the Rappahannock River, played a critical role in moving supplies for the Union Army, and Alexandria became the hub. A steady flow of U.S. Military Railroad trains passed through the Wilkes Street Tunnel on their way to and from the wharves along the Potomac. The Confederates controlled and operated other portions of the railroad. During the course of the war, sections of the railroad fell into and out of Union hands, or were abandoned when the armies moved elsewhere. Manassas Junction, where the O&A R.R. and Manassas Gap Railroad met, played a key part in both the First and Second Manassas Campaigns.

The east side of the Wilkes Street Tunnel.

U.S. Military Railroad construction workers in front of the Wilkes Street Tunnel (courtesy of Ft. Ward Museum and Historic Site)

Once again, Alexandria does not disappoint.  What I think is going to be just another run to get ice cream with friends and family, turns into yet another historical discovery.  Although the Wilkes Street Tunnel is a small and out-of-the-way site, it is a place well worth visiting.  Trust me.  You will feel the past all around you as you walk through the tunnel and emerge on the banks of the Potomac.

Note on Sources:

For more information on the early history of the Wilkes Street Tunnel, check out this page from the website of Historic Alexandria.

Alexandria: 1861-1865, in the Images of America Series, by Charles A. Mills and Andrew L. Mills contains many period photographs of the railroad in Alexandria during the Civil War.

Information on the O&A R.R. can be found on this extremely detailed site run out of Northern Virginia Community College.