The night after Virginia voted to secede from the Union on May 23, 1861, Union army units crossed the Potomac River from Washington, DC, and occupied the shoreline of what is now Arlington County. Late on the afternoon of May 24, Company B of the Second United States Cavalry advanced along the Georgetown Wagon Road (present-day Wilson Boulevard) to the Alexandria, Loudoun, and Hampshire Railroad line, which in 1861 reached from Fairfax Street, Alexandria, to Leesburg. The cavalry unit stopped an Alexandria-bound passenger train in the area of present-day Bluemont Park and arrested everyone on board as secessionists, including two Confederate soldiers. In August and September of 1861, after the Battle of First Manassas (First Bull Run), the Bluemont area became a no-man’s-land between the front lines. Units of the two armies scouted and skirmished between the front lines, from Hall’s Hill to Bailey’s Crossroads. For the remainder of the war, the county was a staging area and occasional home for the Army of the Potomac.

By the Battle of Second Manassas (Second Bull Run) in August of 1862, medical conditions for soldiers was much improved, but there were so many casualties that the wounded had to be transported closer to Washington, DC, for treatment. Brought by train through Alexandria, the number of wounded was so high and the facilities so few that there was often a backlog. From the train cars, the soldiers were transported by wagons to makeshift hospitals. One such hospital existed in Bluemont at the intersection of N. Harrison and 5th Streets. The need for hospitals in this area was so great that following the second battle the Fairfax Military Hospital was built on the property where the Army-Navy Country Club is now located.

The area was transformed by the presence of thousands of soldiers, living and foraging on the land. Crops were trampled and destroyed. Fence rails were used for firewood. Livestock was confiscated by the military or sold for a fraction of its value and driven away on hoof to feed the troops. Most of the standing timber was cut to facilitate the firing of artillery, allow for an unobstructed view during battles, or supply building materials. Rifle trenches and ammunition bunkers were dug along the ridges and high ground. Barns, outbuildings, and private homes were occupied, damaged, or destroyed to accommodate the almost 100,000 Union troops who were stationed in Arlington. By the end of the war, the supply of wood and timber had dwindled so much that the army imported them from Loudoun. Many residents of Bluemont left the area, and so the area was resettled by army veterans, camp followers, and former slaves.

Discussion is under way among Civil War historians and enthusiasts in Arlington County to mark the significance of the Civil War in the Bluemont area. This could lead to a one-day educational event in a nearby park, and possibly to a historical marker. Many events are planned to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Check out those being held in Virginia: http://www.virginiacivilwar.org/committeeevents.php.

Thanks to John Moroz, Arlington resident and member of the Arlington County Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee, for contributing to this article.

Got a story to share?

If you have historical tales of life and goings on in Bluemont that you would like to share with your neighbors, please contact Newsletter Editor Carla dal Cais at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 703-967-8458. Your story might make its way into this new “Bygone Bluemont” section of the newsletter.