Civil War Research Collection 1859-1865

Access and use

Location of collection:
Thomas Balch Library
Thomas Balch Library
208 West Market Street
Leesburg, Virginia 20176
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Alexandra S. Gressitt
Phone: (703) 737-7195
Fax: (703) 737-7195
Restrictions:

Collection open for research.

Terms of access:

No physical characteristics affect use of this material.

Preferred citation:

Civil War Research Collection, 1859-1865 (SC 0095), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA.

Summary

Creator:
Unknown
Abstract:
This collection consists of photocopies of letters and a diary relating to the Civil War and Loudoun County, Virginia. The letters from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) are mostly official correspondence, including letters from colonels, judge advocates, and the Secretary of War. The official correspondence includes requests of aid, complaints of threats, reports on rebel sympathizers, and more. The other Civil War letters are mostly letters of personal correspondence including letters from soldiers, friends, and family members. These letters include descriptions of Loudoun County, battles, and the "Burning Raid." A chronological list of items is included with both sets of letters. The diary of Charles E. Paxon (1818-1903) recorded events that took place in Loudoun including a list of deaths, battles, and other events.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Civil War Research Collection, 1859-1865 (SC 0095), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection consists of photocopies of letters and a diary relating to the Civil War and Loudoun County, Virginia. The letters from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) are mostly official correspondence, including letters from colonels, judge advocates, and the Secretary of War. The official correspondence includes requests of aid, complaints of threats, reports on rebel sympathizers, and more. The other Civil War letters are mostly letters of personal correspondence including letters from soldiers, friends, and family members. These letters include descriptions of Loudoun County, battles, and the "Burning Raid." A chronological list of items is included with both sets of letters. The diary of Charles E. Paxon (1818-1903) recorded events that took place in Loudoun including a list of deaths, battles, and other events.

Biographical / historical:

Loudoun County, Virginia was a divided county in 1861, even prior to the outbreak of the Civil War. The southern and eastern portions of the county supported the South, while the northern and western portions of the county were sympathetic to the North. In April of 1861, in the days following the firing on Fort Sumter, the Virginia Convention debated and passed the Ordinance of Secession by an 85 to 55 vote. Loudoun County voted 1,626 to 726 for secession. Virginia's secession from the Union placed Loudoun not only on the border of two enemy nations, but also between two Union states, Maryland and West Virginia.

Loudoun County was a major crossroads for the Union and Confederacy with both armies traveling through the county at many points during the war. The county was the site for only one major battle, the Battle of Ball's Bluff. Many skirmishes, small actions, and raids took place in Loudoun, however. The county suffered the most devastation in late 1864 as a result of the "Burning Raid", when a division of Union soldiers were ordered to drive off livestock and burn barns and crops.

The Civil War ended on 6 April 1865 and Loudoun's civilian government was restored with their first post-war election on 1 June 1865. In 1872, Congress reimbursed many Union sympathizers in Loudoun County for property losses suffered during the war.

Acquisition information:
Unknown
Custodial history:

Formerly filed in Thomas Balch Library Vertical Files.

Processing information:

Shannon Fuller, 12 October 2011

Accruals:

2011.0258x, 1995.0042

Physical / technical requirements:

None