A Fond Farewell to Lewinsville & Langley! Off to Farmwell!

My wife and I just closed on a house in Ashburn, Virginia this past Monday. We are very excited to get more space and to live a little farther from the chaos "inside the Beltway"! Ashburn (Farmwell and Farmwell Station during the 1860s) is situated in Loudoun County, a place steeped in Civil War history. The Battle of Ball's Bluff took place not more than 20 minutes from our doorstep. Armies also marched through the county before Antietam and Gettysburg. And don't forget that Loudoun was part of Mosby's Confederacy. In other words, Civil War buffs would find a lot to like about calling the county home. (If you enjoy wineries, there are plenty of those to explore as well!)

I hope to get more involved with the Loudoun County Civil War Roundtable. After all, I won't have to drive nearly as far to attend their monthly meetings. They tend to have a really strong line-up. I also look forward to living closer to a few of my friends with an interest in the war, including fellow blogger Craig Swain and Army of the Potomac expert extraordinaire Todd Berkoff. I trust that both will help me learn more about the area during the war! (Craig, I am counting on you to bring me up to speed on that Civil War-era road network. . . .)

As much as I am looking forward to a new home, I will also miss McLean (Lewinsville and Langley during the war). I've lived here for over five years now, and as readers know, I have spent a lot of time peeling back the layers of McLean's Civil War history. I've written and lectured about Camp Griffin and Camp Pierpont, which served as 1861-62 winter quarters for two Union divisions. I've taken a look at the "Battle of Lewinsville," a fascinating little fight that involved the likes of Isaac Stevens, J.E.B. Stuart, and John Mosby. I also got to know my Civil War-era neighbors, families such as the Mackalls, Means, and Johnstons. More recently, I've become obsessed with the contraband camps that were located in the McLean area from 1863 onward.  

Looking down from the crest of Johnston's Hill, right around the corner from my former home in McLean. Union Army units, including the Pennsylvania Reserves, held parades at the base of Johnston's Hill during the first winter of the Civil War. (See this post, where I discuss the location.)

The surviving landmarks are everywhere around me. I drive past Salona (Baldy Smith's HQ) and the Langley Ordinary (George A. McCall's HQ) on my daily commute. Benvenue, the location of Winfield Scott Hancock's brigade hospital, is an everyday sight on my early morning walks.  Although not as well known as other places like Henry Hill or Dunker Church, all of these landmarks represent a very real tie that my former community has across time to the Civil War.

You may be wondering what this all means for the future direction of the blog, if anything. I still have many stories about McLean in the pipeline and don't plan on giving them up, just because I am moving to another part of Northern Virginia. The same goes for other sites in Fairfax. The endless array of topics accumulating on my to-do list long ago outpaced my ability to keep up. Apparently four years wasn't enough time to cover it all! At the same time, I am looking forward to exploring some hidden corners of Civil War history in my new "neighborhood." So I suppose that what it comes down to is that this is a blog covering all of Northern Virginia (and sometimes DC) and will remain that way.

In the end, I will miss my former community, and my involvement with the history scene here. A special thanks goes out to the McLean Historical Society, which invited me to give lectures and to serve on the board. I've enjoyed living in McLean and learning about what our ancestors did here. Now I turn to a new chapter as I head west down State Route 267 and establish a home in another location so important to Northern Virginia's Civil War history.

Three Years of Blogging!

Today marks the third anniversary of All Not So Quiet Along the Potomac. I am sometimes surprised that I've managed to find the time and discipline to keep this self-published endeavor going. Then again, researching and writing about the Civil War is a labor of love, and I couldn't be happier that the blog provides an opportunity for me to share my passion with those who are also drawn to the study of our nation's most trying ordeal.

Three years have given me plenty of time to refine my style and hit my stride. I average around one post per week. I'd love to do more, but developing posts is time-consuming, and I only have so many hours in the day. Moreover, I am often balancing the blog with other Civil War-related pursuits, including reading, book collecting, and touring battlefields.

Yours truly at Burnside Bridge at Antietam during the 150th commemoration in September 2012. Since the start of the Sesquicentennial, I've used the blog to cover some of the forgotten aspects of Civil War history in Northern Virginia. For example, during the 150th of the Maryland Campaign, I examined the role of Franz Sigel's corps in manning the defenses of Washington while the Army of the Potomac was off  chasing and fighting Robert E. Lee in Maryland.

This past year I decided to increase the blog's presence on other social media. Twitter and Facebook allow me to share observations, ideas, or quips in real time. I also like to use social media to spread the word about various Civil War events in the DC metropolitan area or to share news articles and posts from other bloggers. During the first two years, I tended to rely on my blog posts to perform such functions, but I find that Facebook and Twitter have an immediacy and reach that sometimes works better. As a result, I tweeted and posted on Facebook a lot more over the last twelve months than I had ever done before.

I view blogging as my way to make a contribution, however small, to the field of Civil War history. I often write about lesser known aspects of the war in Northern Virginia and DC. People from across the country, and around the world, have read my blog, and I am touched that so many individuals care about what happened in this area during the war. Knowing that people are interested makes blogging that much more rewarding. I also greatly appreciate the interactions that I have with my fellow bloggers, who share the same Civil War obsession with me. Your excellent work serves as an example to follow.

Blogging has also led to opportunities to contribute off-line. A few local historians have reached out to me in search of more information about topics that I have covered on my blog. I even provided research materials in connection with the development of a museum exhibit in Fairfax. People who are researching their ancestors also email me from time to time. I like hearing about their family ties to the region, and I hope that I am able to offer them insights on the Civil War history around here. I've also become active in the McLean Historical Society (MHS) and was invited this past winter to give a lecture on the Union encampments in the present-day McLean area. This talk, my second before the MHS, was the culmination of the extensive research and writing that I've done on the camps since starting the blog. Most recently, I was elected to the MHS's board of directors and look forward to helping the organization in the year ahead.

Blogging also gives me a voice to advocate on behalf of the worthy cause of historic preservation. Readers know that I've taken a keen interest in the future of Salona. This historic property in McLean once served as a campground for the famed Vermont Brigade, and Gen. Baldy Smith used the main house as his headquarters. I've argued that the land should be developed in a manner that best comports with the historic preservation component of a conservation easement purchased by Fairfax County. My on-line advocacy led to an interview with the Fairfax Times, and I was subsequently quoted in an article on the controversy that appeared in the Fairfax Section of the Washington Post. On other fronts, I was invited to be a Blogger Ambassador for the Partners in Preservation program, in which 24 historic sites in the DC metro area competed for grants from American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. I used my blog, as well as Facebook and Twitter, to campaign for Colvin Run Mill, which came in fourth place and won a $75,000 preservation grant.

Overall, it's been a great three years, and the last twelve months have been particularly fruitful. More than anything else, I'd like to thank my readers. Your engagement and interest means a lot, and you make this thing they call blogging that much more satisfying and rewarding! I look forward to sharing many more posts with you in the months and years to come.

Cheers,

Ron

McLean Historical Society: Follow-Up on Speaking Engagement

As readers are aware, this past Tuesday I spoke before the McLean Historical Society (MHS) about the Union Army encampments in the McLean area during the first fall and winter of the Civil War.  I am extremely grateful that the MHS invited me to talk about this topic, which has been one of the main focuses of this blog.  All told, around 50 people turned out for the event.  It warmed my heart to see that so many people were interested in learning about the Civil War camps in my part of Northern Virginia.  The audience was not strictly "local" either.  At least one Facebook fan from DC showed up, along with a member of the neighboring Bull Run Civil War Roundtable.

A few people in the crowd were also descendants of families who lived in this area during the mid-19th century.  Dan Smoot's ancestor, Jacob Smoot, owned Salona at the time of the Civil War.  Jacob, a Southern sympathizer, fled Salona with his family and moved to Georgetown.   He was also arrested by Union authorities early in the war.  Gen. "Baldy" Smith used Salona as his divisional headquarters, and the Vermont Brigade encamped on and around the Smoot property.  (The present-day owner of historic Salona was also present).  Doug Mackall is the descendant of William W. Mackall, a Confederate general who lived in the McLean area after the war.  The home of Doug's distant relative, Dr. Richard Mackall, became brigade headquarters for Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock.  The DC area is often viewed as transient, but people like Dan and Doug remind us that some families have deep roots dating back more than 150 years.  Who could have imagined that in 2013 a transplant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania would be speaking about local citizens who were so deeply affected by the Civil War in front of their very descendants? 

Detail from 1862 Union Army map showing the area where the divisions of "Baldy" Smith and George McCall established Camps Griffin and Pierpont, respectively.  The Mackall and Smoot properties are plainly visible in the center of the map.

The audience engaged in a lively Q&A session, and I also had time to speak one-on-one with some of the attendees following the main event.  A woman from McLean informed me that just the other day she found three Civil War bullets in her yard!  Others told me about some recent relic discoveries on a large plot of land near my house which apparently confirm the existence of a Union Army campsite.  Another attendee alerted me to a book about the experiences of the Comte de Paris, who served on George B. McClellan's staff.  Entitled Voyage en Amérique 1861-1862 : Un prince français dans la guerre de Sécession (2011), the book devotes considerable attention to the Comte's time in Northern Virginia.  I plan to order a copy soon and see what gems I can uncover.  I'll let readers know in future posts. 

This was my second time speaking before the MHS, and I enjoyed every minute of it.  I also walked away with some interesting stories and insights from those who attended.  Thanks to all who came to hear about the camps!

The Future of Salona: Preserving a Local Civil War Site

This past Thursday the Salona Task Force held a public meeting on the future of the historic Salona property in McLean, Virginia.  By my own estimate, a few hundred interested citizens came to the event at the McLean Community Center.  The meeting gave the Task Force the opportunity to showcase various proposals for the development of the site and to solicit feedback from the community.

Readers may recall that the Salona house was the site of Union General William F. "Baldy" Smith's headquarters from October 1861 to March 1862.  Regiments from the Vermont Brigade of Smith's division stayed on the surrounding land, which was part of Camp Griffin.  And the property's historic significance is not limited to the Civil War.  President James Madison likely spent the night at Salona when the British attacked and burned Washington during the War of 1812. 

Fairfax County acquired a perpetual conservation easement on a 41.5-acre section of Salona in 2005.  The easement protects the historic property, while at the same time permitting limited recreational use on ten acres.  A couple of years ago, the county released a draft master plan for Salona.  This document tried to be all things to all people.  The proposed plan called for two rectangular athletic fields, a 100-space parking lot, a dog park, a playground, a picnic area, educational and environmental features, historical interpretation, and trails.

The Salona house, adjacent to the proposed park land.  The 7.8-acre residential core of Salona is protected by a perpetual easement granted to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 1971.  Salona is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register.

A photograph of Salona by George Houghton, taken when the house was being used as Baldy Smith's headquarters (courtesy of Vermont Historical Society).

 

A view of the meadowland at Salona from Rt. 123.

Not surprisingly, in 2011 Fairfax decided to kick the issue to a Task Force, which was charged with reaching out to the community and developing recommendations for the park.  The Task Force includes representatives from every conceivable interest connected with Salona.  Members hail from the McLean Citizens Associations, McLean Youth Athletics, the Greater McLean Chamber of Commerce, the Fairfax County History Commission, the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust, the conservation grantors (DuVal family), and the surrounding neighborhood.

A Fairfax County historical marker on Salona was installed in 2010.  (See here for more information.)

The Task Force has an unenviable job.  A split has developed in the community between the local youth sports movement and preservation-minded citizens.  The proponents of the athletic fields apparently have gained quite a following.  In fact, their on-line petition has garnered nearly 1,200 signatures.  At the public meeting the other day, the soccer dads and moms came out in full force with their uniform-clad children in tow.

Granted, McLean's population is growing, and kids need a place to play sports.  However, Salona is not the place for athletic fields (or dog parks, for that matter).  The property is one of the last surviving parcels of open land in McLean.  The meadows fronting Rt. 123 look much like they did 150 years ago.  The historic home sits nearby.  The conservation easement represents a tremendous opportunity for the county to prevent the disappearance of a historically significant piece of land. 

Any plans for Salona must preserve the sense of place that makes the property so special.  Walking in the new Salona park should carry visitors to another time and allow for an exploration of the site's storied past.  Two athletic fields and a large parking lot would do anything but that.  Some critics likely see no point in preserving old meadows.  But that argument misses the point.  Preservation goes beyond just protecting an important structure like the Salona house, but takes into account historic viewsheds.  The scenic features at Salona are an integral component of the property from a historical standpoint; the county's final plans should respect and maintain that landscape.

At Thursday's meeting, the Task Force took a unique approach to educating the public about the possible uses for Salona.  Each room at the community center featured exhibits on a variety of proposals for the park's development.  Task Force members and community groups were on hand to discuss these options with the public.  Attendees also had the opportunity to complete opinion forms that the Task Force will use when assessing the community's views. 

If anything, the meeting demonstrated that historic preservation goals can work hand-in-hand with some of the proposed plans for Salona.  The Fairfax County Public Schools, for example, would like to use Salona as a living classroom for science and history education.  One firm has proposed the construction of a multi-purpose building using the latest in green technology.  The small, discrete structure, which would resemble a farm outbuilding, could function like a museum on the history of Salona.  Interpretive trails installed across the property make sense, as do occasional living history encampments.  Other ideas, such as developing a self-sustaining farm at Salona, seem a bit of a stretch.  And the proposed athletic fields, although technically consistent with the terms of the easement, run counter to the spirit of properly honoring Salona's past.  Overall, however, the community's use and enjoyment of Salona need not be at odds with historic preservation.

The ball is now in the Task Force's court to make the appropriate recommendations for Salona.  Following Thursday's meeting, and months of input from community groups, the Task Force is well positioned to find a solution, however difficult that may be.  Members are well aware of the need to develop Salona in a way that comports with the property's historical significance.  Doing the right thing may not be popular with everyone, but Salona's future depends ultimately on our respect for the past.

Camp Griffin and the 5th Vermont: Yesterday and Today

A few months ago I reviewed an excellent book on George Houghton's Civil War photography. Published by the Vermont Historical Society, "A Very Fine Appearance" covers Vermont soldiers in camp and on campaign in Virginia from 1861-63. The book contains many priceless photographs of the Vermont Brigade at Camp Griffin near present-day McLean, Virginia. As readers are well aware, I've written extensively on Camp Griffin, which was home to Gen. William F. "Baldy" Smith's division during the first winter of the war.  

One of Houghton's photographs has won a degree of fame as the cover illustration for the companion book to Ken Burns' acclaimed public television documentary on the Civil War. The photograph, reproduced below, shows soldiers of the 5th Vermont Infantry during a review in the fall of 1861. The troops stand at attention before a mounted officer. Local historian Carole Herrick has identified this officer as "Col. L.A. Grant." (Herrick 41.)*

5th Vermont at Camp Griffin (courtesy of Vermont Historical Society)

The most distinctive natural feature in the photograph is the large rock outcropping visible to the right of Grant.  This landmark remained undisturbed when the area underwent residential development at the start of the 1950s and survives today.  Local historians have used the outcropping to identify the precise location of the Houghton photograph along Kurtz Road in McLean.  (Hatch 89-91; Herrick 41.)  Many local residents are well aware of the existence of this rock and have mentioned it to me in casual conversation or on this blog.  The actual site of the 5th Vermont's camp was not far from Baldy Smith's headquarters at Salona.

Close-up view of the rock outcropping

This past weekend I took my twin boys for a walk in search of the rock outcropping.  A helpful local pointed me in the right direction, and I finally located the outcropping in the front yard of a private residence along Kurtz Road.  A map of the location at the intersection of Kurtz and Maugh Roads can be found here.  The outcropping is now embedded in a hillside and covered with ivy, but the feature is unmistakable.  I snapped a few quick shots on my iPhone to share with readers.  (My digital Nikon would have worked better, but sometimes it's best not to run around suburban neighborhoods toting a large camera!)

Current view of the rock outcropping along Kurtz Road 

Present-day view of the site of Houghton's photograph of the 5th Vermont.  The arrow indicates the location of the rock outcropping.  Today this area is part of a residential subdivision in the Northern Virginia community of McLean. The Google map linked to above contains a street-level view that allows readers to examine this spot in more detail.

Finding the location of Houghton's well-known photograph of the 5th Vermont is a piece of cake thanks to that rock outcropping.  We are not so lucky with many of the other photographs that Houghton took of the Vermont Brigade at Camp Griffin.  The landscape around here has dramatically changed since the Civil War, and many of the pictures hold few clues as to the precise location where Houghton took them.  That being said, I will continue my search for the campgrounds of the Vermont Brigade and other units that occupied the countryside near Lewinsville and Langley.  The closer I get to understanding where those camps were, the closer I may be to figuring out where Houghton may have taken his photos.  As always, I'll be sure to report my findings on this blog.

Notes
*According to the Vermont in the Civil War website, "L.A. Grant" is Lewis Addison Grant, who was a Lt. Col. when this picture was taken in the fall of 1861.

Sources
Winslow R. Hatch, Old Roads and New Insights: Adventures in Discovery (1985); Carole Herrick, Images of America: McLean (2011); Vermont in the Civil War (website).

The Union Army Moves into Camp Around Present-Day McLean

This month marks the 150th anniversary of the Union Army's occupation of Lewinsville and Langley, part of present-day McLean, Virginia.  When first writing this blog, I devoted considerable attention to Camps Griffin and Pierpont, which were established in October 1861 around Lewinsville and Langley.  Camp Griffin served as the winter quarters for Gen. "Baldy" Smith's division, including the famed Vermont Brigade and a brigade under the command of Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock.  Gen. George A. McCall's Pennsylvania Reserve Volunteer Corps established its base at Camp Pierpont.  I have also written a lot about McCall's HQ at Langley Ordinary, as well as Smith's HQ at Salona. 

Modern-day view of Langley Ordinary, site of Gen. McCall's HQ from October 1861-March 1862.  The building is located on Georgetown Pike in Langley, Virginia.

While I am away from the blog for a few days, I wanted to direct readers to some posts I have done on the two camps and related topics:

*For a general discussion of  Camps Griffin and Pierpont, including the movement of the Union Army to Lewinsville and Langley in October 1861, check here, here and here.

*For some period photographs of Camp Griffin, take a look here and here.

*The picket war around Lewinsville grew hot in mid-October 1861.  See a post I wrote on the skirmishing here.

*Readers will find more about the Pennsylvanians at Langley here.

*For the whole series of posts on the camps, click on the "Camp Griffin" and "Camp Pierpont" labels in the left hand margin under "Topics of Interest."

*Last October I had the opportunity to visit the historic Salona property.  My photos can be found here.

*Gen. George McClellan stayed at Salona in October 1861.  I wrote a post about the visit last fall.

*Gen. McCall's HQ at Langley Ordinary has been a subject of a few posts.  Check here for a tour of Civil War-era Langley, including the Ordinary.  See this post for a story about the preservation of the structure.

This fall I plan to post more information about Camps Griffin and Pierpont that I uncovered while doing additional research.  There are just so many topics to explore more fully, including camp life and the impact of the war on locals.  In the meantime, as we commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Union occupation of my adopted hometown, I invite you to take a look at the work I've done so far if you haven't seen it yet, or if you just want to refresh your memory as we look back to October 1861.

Book on McLean History, Including Civil War

Last month when speaking to the McLean Historical Society, I learned about the release of a new book on McLean's history.  As you can imagine, McLean doesn't get the same attention when it comes to history as some other towns around Northern Virginia, so I was particularly excited to hear this news.  The book, Images of America: McLean was written by Carole Herrick, a local historian and member of the Fairfax County History Commission.  When out running errands recently, I picked up a copy at a local bookstore. 

At close to 130 pages, Images of America: McLean contains a virtual treasure trove of pictures related to the history of McLean.  The book spans colonial times to the present.  The McLean area is rich in Civil War history, and the book has an entire chapter dedicated to the period.  Herrick has uncovered some really fascinating and hard-to-find images of Camp Griffin, Chain Bridge, Salona, Ft. Marcy, and other sites that I have blogged about over the past year.  And for those interested in other eras, the book does not disappoint.  A reader will find a wealth of material on McLean's connection to British settlement, the War of 1812, and the 20th century growth of the D.C. suburbs.  The only downside is the lack of maps or addresses to indicate the location of the historical sites. From my experience, other Images of America books suffer from this shortcoming.  However, with a copy of the Fairfax County Inventory of Historic Sites, and a modern street map, a reader can locate most sites.  Overall, I would recommend Images of America: McLean to history enthusiasts who are looking for a little more on a community that played an interesting, but often little-known part in our nation's past.

Preserving Salona

As I wrote several months ago, Fairfax County received a perpetual conservation easement on 41-acres of Salona in McLean.  The Fairfax County Park Authority has developed a draft of the Salona Park Master Plan and recently held a public hearing on the development of the property.  The Park Authority has also solicited written public comments.  This past weekend I finally got around to submitting my letter to the county and wanted to share it with readers:

I am writing in response to the Fairfax County Park Authority’s solicitation of public comments on the July 22, 2010 draft Salona Park Master Plan (“Master Plan”). As a McLean resident, Civil War enthusiast, and avid supporter of historic preservation, I am particularly interested in how Fairfax County intends to develop Salona. 

In a region where the developer’s bulldozer has often destroyed lands of historic significance, the Salona conservation easement provides the county with a major opportunity to protect one of Fairfax’s most treasured properties. However, with the easement comes the responsibility to ensure that Salona is developed in a manner that comports with its historic character.


Salona, which played a key role in the War of 1812 and the Civil War, should not become just another suburban residential park. Fortunately, many elements of the Master Plan appear appropriate for a site like Salona, and the county should be commended. For example, “interpretative features” would be installed across the park. These features would presumably educate the public on the history associated with Salona. There are also plans to preserve and restore the meadow fronting Rt. 123 and to offer an agriculture/education area.


For all of the upsides, however, a few key elements of the Master Plan have the potential to undermine the historic nature of Salona. The front of the park would consist of two large athletic fields, as well as a 100-space parking lot, a dog park, and a playground/picnic area. These types of installations, although consistent with the easement, would detract from the historic nature of the property and defeat the goal of preserving one of the last open, rural spaces in suburban McLean. The county should be able to find alternative sites for such activities. Possible uses of the core activity area at Salona could include a small museum, which would tell the history of Salona, as well as other events that occurred in the McLean area. The museum could even offer a reconstruction of part of a Union Army winter camp like that located at Salona in 1861-62. A parking lot could be placed next to the museum, far from the portion of the property fronting Rt. 123, and obscured by trees and other vegetation. The museum could also serve as a focal point for living history demonstrations related to Salona history. The agriculture/education area and the meadow preservation area could be expanded. These are only a few suggestions, but in any event, there are better ways to commemorate this historic property than through the installation of athletic fields, playgrounds, and dog parks.


Fairfax County has generally done an excellent job in preserving historic sites within the county’s borders. I hope that the Park Authority stays faithful to its record when developing the Salona property.

Salona property fronting Rt. 123, part of which would become athletic fields, picnic area, and dog park under the proposed plan.

According to an article in the November 24-30, 2010 edition of the McLean Connection, many other residents expressed similar sentiments about the plan at the November 17 public hearing. I hope that readers with an interest in historic preservation will write to the Fairfax County Park Authority to share their views.  Information on submitting comments can be found here.

McClellan Spends the Night in Lewinsville

The other day I wrote that Salona had a connection to General George McClellan, commander of the Union Army of the Potomac. Several of McClellan's letters from the fall of 1861 reference the tiny hamlet of Lewinsville, Virginia in the vicinity of Salona, which at the time was owned by the Smoot family.  On the night of October 12, 1861, he appears to have been a guest at the house, which was then serving as the headquarters of General "Baldy" Smith.  McClellan had learned earlier in the day that a Confederate force was approaching the Union lines in Northern Virginia.  He decided to remain in the field to direct operations rather than go back to Washington.  As McClellan told his wife, Mary Ellen, in a letter in following day:

On the 12th while at [General Fitz John] Porter's camp I heard that the enemy was advancing in force.  Spent last night in WF Smith's camp expecting an attack at daylight. 

George B. McClellan, Harper's Weekly, January 25, 1862 (courtesy of Mr. Lincoln's White House)

According to an account in Army of the Potomac: McClellan Takes Command, September 1861-February 1862 by Russel Beatie, McClellan and his staff enjoyed an evening at the house hosted by General Smith's wife.  (The Smoot family had already fled their place by this time.)  As he fell asleep that night in his room at Salona, McClellan surely had a lot on his mind apart from military affairs --  Mary Ellen had given birth to their daughter, Mary, on the morning of October 12.  Upon waking, McClellan soon discovered that his intelligence was faulty.  There was no attack on Union forces at Lewinsville, and McClellan returned to D.C.

Salona Marker Dedication and Visit

This past Sunday my friend Ken and I attended Fairfax County's dedication of the Salona marker. The DuVal family graciously agreed to open their well-preserved home and property to attendees of the event.  Readers will recall that I have blogged frequently about Salona, the site of General "Baldy" Smith's headquarters during the winter of 1861-62. (See, for example, here, here, and here.)  Little Mac himself paid a visit when touring the lines.  (And Salona was also the site where President Madison stayed when fleeing the British in 1814.) At the time of the Civil War, the estate was owned by the Smoot family, whose descendants I had a chance to meet at the reception.  Visiting the home and grounds on a crisp autumn day was like a trip back to the 19th century -- Old Virginia certainly lives on in this corner of McLean.   Enjoy the photos!



The Salona marker is "unveiled," Sunday, October 31, 2010.  The uncovered marker was installed back in the summer. For the ceremony, it was draped with a cloth bearing the seal of Fairfax County.



Front of the Salona house.  I was very excited to be able to visit the house, which is on private property and largely obscured by trees.




National Register of Historic Places and Virginia Historic Landmark markers on the front of the Salona home.




A marker on the origins of the house, affixed to the front wall.

 

A marker on the front of the house commemorating President Madison's stay, installed by the Daughters of the American Revolution.

 

Back side of the Salona house.

 

Property behind the Salona home.  Troops from the Vermont Brigade were camped around this area.



Close-up view of back entrance to the house.

Mr. DuVal had on display a binder of several wartime photos of Salona, including scenes of Camp Griffin.  He informed me that he had acquired these copies from the Vermont Historical Society.  On a side note, I learned from Carole Herrick, the Fairfax County History Commissioner who led today's ceremony, that a Civil War Trails sign on the Battle of Lewinsville is in the planning stages. I look forward to the installation of yet another marker commemorating the Civil War history around McLean, just in time for the Sesquicentennial.

The Union Takes Over Lewinsville and Langley

Over the last few months, I've written several times about the Union Army camps around present-day McLean.  (See, for example, here and here.)  Divisions under General "Baldy" Smith and General George McCall moved into the area in October 1861 and set up Camps Griffin and Pierpont.  The troops stayed until March 1862, when they headed out as part of the Army of the Potomac's spring offensive.  On October 11, 1861, the New York Times ran an article about the Union Army's movement into the region.  The correspondent provided readers with an interesting glimpse into the activities of the soldiers that had recently occupied farmers' fields around Lewinsville and Langley.  According to the Times:

A drizzling rain has been falling all the day [Oct. 10], and our troops have been engaged in the double duty of strengthening their new outposts and arranging for their personal comfort as well as they can. The Leesburgh [sic] turnpike, from Chain Bridge to Langley's, has been crowded with Government wagons all day, yet with all the camp equipage transported, many of the troops must bivouac in the rain to-night.

Establishing camp was clearly a logistical nightmare, and led to traffic jams long before the infamous ones we know today!  Soldiers' letters (more on that in a future post) confirm that tents, overcoats, and blankets were late in arriving when the Union Army moved into the vicinity of present-day McLean.



Photo and caption courtesy of Vermont Historical Society (http://www.vermonthistory.org/)

 The Times also provided details on the allegiances, and whereabouts, of local families. 

From Langley's west to Lewinsville nearly all the dwellings are deserted. Those belonging to Union families have been so since the retreat from Bull Run, though now Mr. CARPENTER, Mr. GREEN, Mr. CROCKER, Mr. GRIFFITH and Mr. GILBERT, who have been several weeks in Washington, will return to their homes to-morrow. The advance of our troops has caused the rebel families to remove to Secessia. Among them are those of HENRY JENKIS, a Colonel in the rebel cavalry; Mr. MUSE and Mr. COOK, formerly of the Navy, but now rebel officers. Their places are on the road between Langley's and Lewinsville. Mr. MACKALL, who lived near by, has also disappeared; and the residence of the family of the late Commodore AP CATESBY JONES, near Prospect Hill, was also found deserted. A son of the Commodore, PATERSON JONES, of the Navy, has remained loyal to his country. Another son, MARK JONES, is a rebel officer. DUNHAM, a rebel who kept a tavern at Langley's, has left. Mr. BURKE, a Union man, who has a similar establishment at the same point, has been able to remain at his place throughout the difficulties.

As the Times article reveals, the area around Lewinsville and Langley was fairly divided between Unionists and Confederates, including within the same family.  In fact, sympathies tilted towards the North -- Lewinsville was among three of 14 districts in Fairfax County to vote against Virginia's Ordinance of Secession in May 1861. 


The Times article also indicates that various commanders were already making themselves right at home:

Mr. SMOOT's dwelling, west of Langley's, until recently inhabited, was found without a tenant, and Gen. SMITH has located his head-quarters there. Gen. HANCOCK is at Dr. MACKALL's, from which GRIFFIN's Battery did such excellent service in the recent reconnoissances. The First Pennsylvania head-quarters is at Cook's.

General Winfield Scott Hancock (Library of Congress)

Of course, readers may remember that Mr. Smoot's house is none other than Salona, the estate where President Madison is rumored to have stayed during his flight from the British in 1814.  And many will be familiar with "Gen. HANCOCK" (that is to say, Brigadier General Winfield Scott Hancock), who would go on to lead the Second Corps of the Army of the Potomac at Gettysburg and after.  Hancock in October 1861 commanded a brigade in "Baldy" Smith's division.  The First Pennsylvania is one of the regiments in McCall's famed Pennsylvania Reserve Volunteer Corps, which arrived in Langley on October 9.

Once established on the soil of the Old Dominion, the troops around Lewinsville and Langley apparently had very little to fear from the Confederates.  According to the Times, "no attack is expected."  And again:

There are no indications of the presence of the enemy excepting cavalry pickets, and military officers incline to the opinion that there are no rebels in considerable force on the whole line of our Grand Army, or within six miles of its entire front.

Soon, the Northern troops would face a greater enemy in the poor winter weather and the diseases that spread through cramped quarters.

Letter to the Editor: McLean and the Civil War

Recently I wrote a letter to the editor of the McLean Connection, my local community newpaper.  The letter ran in the September 1-7, 2010 edition of the paper. I thought readers might be interested in the sentiments that I expressed:

Civil War History Overlooked

To the Editor:

I am writing in regard to Alex McVeigh’s article [“The Story That Is McLean,” McLean Connection, Aug. 25-31] According to Mr. McVeigh, “McLean has seen its share of history.” The article jumps from President Madison’s flight to the establishment of a railroad [] that took tourists along the Potomac River.  However, the article neglects an important period of McLean history — the American Civil War — when Union and Confederate armies skirmished at Lewinsville and the Union Army established winter camps before the famous Peninsula Campaign in the spring of 1862. I notice the unfortunate oversight frequently whenever the history of McLean is discussed, whether in your paper or elsewhere. Fairfax County has erected a couple of markers, at Salona and Benvenue, that recognize the importance of our community in the early days of America’s civil conflict. Nevertheless, for some unknown reason, there is little to commemorate the Civil War era. This is a shame, particularly as we approach the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. 

I have started a blog, “All Not So Quiet Along the Potomac” (http://dclawyeronthecivilwar.blogspot.com/) which seeks to shed some light on this forgotten history. I have discussed several aspects of the Civil War history of present-day McLean and intend to cover many other episodes from the 1860s. I invite you and other readers to take a look at the entries. I also hope that the McLean Connection will at some point feature the Civil War history of McLean, so that readers become familiar with this truly fascinating aspect of our history.

It really seems odd to me that discussions of McLean's Civil War past are so rare, particularly given the prominence of Civil War history in nearby communities like Fairfax and the Hunter Mill Road area. Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that McLean proper did not exist in the 19th century. Then again, President Madison's escape through the area happened long before the founding of McLean, and this event is often mentioned.  Perhaps the original residents of McLean chose to forget the earlier "occupation" by Union forces, and the collective amnesia ensured that newcomers didn't hear much about the war around here.  Whatever the reason, I am glad that I can use this blog to discuss interesting aspects of McLean's Civil War history, and I hope that my readers, wherever they are from, learn something about the lesser known events associated with the Civil War in Northern Virginia.  Of course, as I've told readers a few time before (here and here), I hope that we can get a few more markers installed to tell the whole story, but at least Fairfax County has started to take notice.

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.

Tenting Tonight on the Old Campground: Present-Day McLean During the Civil War, Part II

In the first installment on the Civil War history of McLean, I described how the area around Lewinsville and Langley became one large encampment for part of the Army of the Potomac from October 1861 to March 1862.  I sometimes drive down Dolley Madison Boulevard on my way to Chain Bridge and try to imagine the rows of tents and huts, laid out like city streets, and the blue clad soldiers drilling or sitting around campfires boiling coffee. Only a red light jolts me back to this century.

Camp Griffin, one of the Union encampments in the McLean area, occupied the historic Salona property and neighboring farms near Langley, including land where the CIA is now located.  During the time of the Civil War, Salona was owned by the Smoot family, who fled to Georgetown with slaves in tow when the Union Army arrived. The property once belonged to Confederate General Robert E. Lee's father and, according to several accounts, housed President Madison during his flight from British invaders in August 1814. (Today, the Salona property is privately-owned, but Fairfax County has a perpetual easement on 41 acres of the property and plans to develop a multi-use park there.) 

General "Baldy" Smith established his division headquarters at the Salona mansion.  According to Smoot family tradition, Salona also served as headquarters of General George McClellan, commander of the Army of the Potomac, from October 1,1861 to the following spring.  Correspondence from October 1861 indicates that McClellan had his headquarters in Lewinsville for a brief time.  He may have stayed at Salona, but for the most part, it appears that McClellan was based in Washington during the relevant time period.

Salona House, c. early1970s (courtesy of Virginia Department of Historic Resources).  Because the house is on private property, I was unable to get close enough to take a picture.

Field on the north side of the Salona property.  Photo was taken from Rt.123/Dolley Madison Blvd.

  

The famous First Vermont Brigade stayed at Camp Griffin starting in October 1861.  General Smith was instrumental in organizing this brigade, composed entirely of Vermont regiments (2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Vermont Volunteer Infantry).  The Vermont Brigade would go on to distinguish itself in several major battles, including the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Cedar Creek.

The 2nd Vermont Volunteer Infantry at Camp Griffin (Library of Congress)

Camp Pierpont, located around Langley, was the winter quarters of the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps, which had been sent to Washington after the disaster at First Bull Run.  These troops were officially organized as a division of the Army of the Potomac under Brigadier General George A. McCall, a Pennsylvanian and commander of the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps.  Following the Union victory at Dranesville, Virginia on December 20, 1861, Pennsylvania Governor Andrew Curtin came to Camp Pierpont to congratulate the Pennsylvania troops who had participated in the battle.

Regimental colors of the 9th Pennsylvania Reserves (courtesy of Company A, 9th Pennsylvania Reserves reenactment unit) 

According to Jeffry Wert's book The Sword of Lincoln, it appears that the Army of Potomac's 1861-62 winter encampments, like Camp Griffin and Camp Pierpont, were miserable places.  The days were filled with rain, snow, and mud.  Christmas only made the men homesick.  The rank-and-file grew increasingly impatient with the army's inaction.  There had not been a major campaign since Bull Run the previous July. 

The living conditions in cramped quarters became a breeding ground for diseases like typhoid fever, diarrhea, and pneumonia, which spread quickly throughout the camps.  Not far from Langley, the Union Army took over the sandstone house at Benvenue, located around the corner from where I live, and converted it into a hospital.  Hospital tents were also erected on the Benvenue property, and a cottage behind the main house sheltered nurses.  It is not difficult to the imagine the stream of sick young men who suffered at Benvenue during winter camp.

Early morning at Benvenue on Churchill Rd. (private residence)

Fairfax County historic marker at Benvenue (for text of marker and other photos, go here)

Civilians in the Langley and Lewinsville experienced many hardships and depredations during the Union Army's occupation.  Northern soldiers cut down trees and dismantled fences and buildings.  They used the wood for fuel and for building huts and stables.  Troops and horses were quartered on local farms, and the constant wagon traffic cut roads through local fields.  The Lewinsville Presbyterian Church, founded in 1846, was converted into a stable.  The Union troops also confiscated cattle, as well as crops such as oats, corn and hay.  Some soldiers -- the usual bad seeds -- looted private property, taking furniture and other valuables.  When the Union Army moved out in March 1862, it left behind barren countryside and destroyed property.  I am sure that more than a few local residents were glad to see the massive encampment go.