page_title: Orange and Alexandria Railroad
section_title: American Civil War
hierarchical_section_title: Orange and Alexandria Railroad / American Civil War
caption_attribution_description: English: Eastern view of round house and depot, Orange and Alexandria Railroad. Photograph shows a locomotive moving away from the roundhouse at the Orange &amp; Alexandria railroad yard in Alexandria, Virginia. Railroad signal lights on pole in foreground.
context_page_description: The Orange and Alexandria Railroad was a railroad in Virginia, United States. Chartered in 1848, it eventually extended from Alexandria to Gordonsville, with another section from Charlottesville to Lynchburg. The road played a crucial role in the American Civil War, saw the first of many mergers in 1867, and eventually became an important part of the modern-day Norfolk Southern rail system.
context_section_description: The O&A was strategically important during the Civil War (1861–1865) and was repeatedly fought over and wrecked. In connection with the Virginia Central, it was the only rail link between the belligerants' capitals at Washington and Richmond. An 1861 Union Army attempt to gain control of Manassas Junction led to the First Battle of Bull Run, and the junction traded hands numerous times during the war. Confederate Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson attacked it in the Battle of Manassas Station Operations to draw the Union into the 1862 Second Battle of Bull Run. The 1863 Battle of Brandy Station and Second Battle of Rappahannock Station were also fought near the railroad line.
caption: The O&A depot and roundhouse at Alexandria were located in today's Carlyle/Eisenhower East area.
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