Evening star., 1896-10-14
MANY BATTLEFIELDS
Fights That Took Place Around the
Capital.
At TIE GATES OF TIE CITY
Washington Often Threatened by
Confederate Troops.
POIN NTS OF IN T E R E S T

vicinity of Washington during the civil
war, but this neighborhood was well peo-
pied with soldiers, who were kept con-
stantly on the alert, for raids, skirmlshes
and small actions were matters Of ire
quent occurrence. The most sigil!ilcant
and the bloodiest fight of all was the first
Bull Run battle, which was fought about
twenty-one miles from the city. The sec
ond fight, known also the battle of
Bull Run. was fought at Manassas within
few miles of the first battle.
During the early part Of the war 'he
citizens of Washington were well acquaint-
ed with the sounds of the conflict. and the
fear of invasion was constantly In the
minds of ALL One of the earliest skir-
mishes that took place in this immediate VI
cinity was that at Edwards Ferry June Is.
| 1861, and again October 1. and October
81 aSd %, in the same year. there were
| actions at that place. An animportant
skirmsh took place at Seneca Mills June
| ii and 15, 1861, and July Of that year
| there were skirmishes at Rockville and
| Great Falls. A few Gays later. in July.
| the forces Of the two armies met at Silver
| Spring in a brief engagement.
Early In May, 1861, Alexandra was eVac-
uated by the confederate forces and later
| in the month the Union army moved into
Virginia and occupied Arlington Heights
! and Alexandria. capturing Captain Ball OF
the confederate army and his cavalry troop
| of thirty-five men. Colonel E: f. Ellis
worth. commanding the 1lth New York.
| known as the 1st Fire Zouaves of New
| York city, was shot and killed In AieXan-
| dria.
| Skfrmishes Across the River.
August Is, 1861, there was a skirmish at
| Pohick Church. Va. about twelve miles
| from Alexandria, and later in the month
| there were skirmishes at Balrs Cross
Roads and Bailey's Corners. The last day
| of August there was skrmsh at Mum
sons Hill Fairfax Court House, which
| is about seventeen miles from Washington,
| was the scene Of an engagement June l,
| 1861. when a company OF regular cavalry
| cut through the confederate lines Six
| Union soldiers were killed and twenty con-
federates. In the midi of July this
town was occupied by the Union forces.
| under General Mcdowell and this inaugu-
rated the Bull Run campaign. which ended
| In the first battle by that rame, which
| was fought July 81, 1861.
| June IL 1861, a train on the Loudoun
| and Hampshire railroad carrying the 1st
| Ohio was fired upon and brief battle was
fought, resulting in federal loss of twen-
ty-one men ard confederate loss of six
This engagement took place at Vienna
about twenty miles from Washington In
JULY there was another Skirmish al that
point, and in October the federal FROM
was established at Vienna, while the con-
| federates had retired to Fairfax Court
| House November 26 there was an unim
| portant skirmish at Vienna, and again In
December of the same year there was
brush between a scouting party of federals
| and a force of confederate cavalry anG
| infantry Forty-five Union soldiers were
| reported missing. November 26-21, lS6l
| there was skirmish at Dranesville. abou,
| twenty miles from Washington. December
30 there was a more important engage
| ent at the same place between the lSt
9Th 9th, 10th and 18th regiments of the
| Pennsylvania Reserve Corps, the lst Penn
sylyania Artillery and the 1st Pennsylvania
| 70 alrx q
| ginia Volunteers. the 9Th South Caroline
Volunteers the 10th Alabama Volunteers
the 1st Kentucky Volunteers. Sumpter'
Flying Artillery and North Carolina ant
| Virginia Cavalry on the other. The fed
erals lost seven killed and sixty-on'
| wounded, and the confederates forty-thre'
killed, 143 wounded and forty-four missing
Thus in the first year of the war. while
the northern armies were driving the con
federates back to safe distance iron
the national tapital,' There were freauen
, and the rumprs of great battles Tough
were frequently heard in the streets O.
Washington With the exception Of Bull
: Run. however, none of these engagement
proved serious.
The Second Year.
March 3 1862 there was brief skirmisl
5 at Pohick Church, resulting in a confeder
d. ate loss of four men. The day before ther
3 had been a skirmish at Dumfries, an,
| 1
) | from this neighborhood. March 10 ther
: was skirmish at Burke'S Station betweel
one company of the lst New York Cavalr,
| and a company Of confederate infantry
{ | with a federal loss OF one man and con
r | federate loss of nineteen.
March s the federal forces advanced t
Leesburg and occupied Fort Johnston. tn
t confederates falling back on Middlebure
0 In September there was good deal o
t fighting rear Leesburg, skirmishes occur
a ring September 2. B. t. Z, IA and 10. On tn
: last named date a serious engagement oe
n Cured, when the confederates secured pos
r session Of the town and the 10th Ne,
d York Cavalry, aided by the 9th Pennsy
e yania Cavalry and 1st New Jersey Cavalry
p recaptured the city and drove the confed
a crates to the hills with heavy loss. Th
:, same territory was kept lively in Octt
e ber by further operations. and just befor
0 the close of the year Leesburg was strong
ly occupied by Gen. Geary.
There was serious engagement late
= December near Fairfax station, where th
y confederates made a raid on that poin
le and there was some severe fighting. d.
r cember d. 1862, party Of confederate ca,
| o1rv foil into an ambush near Annandal