Civil War
On May 24, 1861, one day after Virginia voted to secede from the Union, Federal troops seized Alexandria due to its strategic importance to the defense of Washington. Before the next sunset, both Union and Confederate causes would have their first casualties of the war.
Docking on the city's wharves, the Union soldiers entered the streets of Alexandria. Led by young Colonel Elmer Ellsworth, the 11th New York Infantry "Fire Zouaves" marched west on King Street, heading for the telegraph office. As they passed the Marshall House, they saw a large Confederate flag defiantly waving from its rooftop. Entering the inn, Ellsworth went to the roof and cut the banner down. As Ellsworth descended the stairs, the proprietor, an ardent secessionist named James W. Jackson, met Ellsworth with a shotgun and killed him. In the ensuing melee, Jackson, too, was killed. Following the incident, both Ellsworth and Jackson became martyrs for their respective causes.
Alexandria's transformation from small southern town to military district took its toll on the city. Two-thirds of the population fled and large private homes, churches, and other public buildings were "requisitioned" to support the military occupation. The city became the headquarters for the U.S. Military Railroad and one of the largest Union hospital centers in the East.
Alexandria remained under Union control for the duration of the war, distinguishing it as the longest occupied territory of the Civil War.
For more information on Alexandria's Civil War history, purchase a copy of Occupied City: Portrait of Civil War Alexandria, Virginia ($8.95) at the Alexandria Visitors Center at Ramsay House, 221 King St., or call 703/838-5005.
