PUBLIC "-//Thomas Balch Library//TEXT (US::ViLeTBL::viletbl00189:: Civil War Research Collection 1859-1865)//EN" "viletbl00189.xml" A Guide to the Civil War Research Collection, 1859-1865 Civil War Research Collection SC 0095 Shannon Fuller Thomas Balch Library © 2006 By Thomas Balch Library. All rights reserved.

Conditions of Use

Machine-readable finding aid derived from MS Word, created by Elizabeth Preston, 13 October 2011 Description is in English 2013-11-21 Converted to schema conforming EAD by dtd2schema.vh.xsl. A Guide to the Civil War Research Collection, 1859-1865 A Collection in theThomas Balch Library SC 0095 Shannon Fuller

Thomas Balch Library 2006 Shannon Fuller Thomas Balch Library Descriptive Summary Thomas Balch Library Civil War Research Collection 1859-1865 SC 0095 English 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. Unknown Administrative Information Access Restrictions

Collection open for research.

Use Restrictions

No physical characteristics affect use of this material.

Preferred Citation

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

Acquisition Information

Unknown

Alternative Form Available

None

Accruals

2011.0258x, 1995.0042

Custodial History

Formerly filed in Thomas Balch Library Vertical Files.

Processing Information

Shannon Fuller, 12 October 2011

Historical Information

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.

 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.

Adjunct Descriptive Data Bibliography Ancestry Library Edition, Thomas Balch Library, http://www.ancestrylibrary.com/ (accessed 11 October 2011). Civil War Research Collection, 31 January 1860-9 April 1866 (SC 0095), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA. Loudoun Cemetery Database, Thomas Balch Library, http://www.leesburgva.gov/index.aspx?page=940 (accessed 11 October 2011). Meserve, Steve, Loudoun Civil War 150th, The Civil War in Loudoun, http://civilwar.visitloudoun.org/The-Story/Civil-War-in-Loudoun (accessed 11 October 2011). The History of Loudoun County, Virginia, A County Divided, Loudoun County and the Civil War: A History and Guide, http://www.loudounhistory.org/history/loudoun-cw-divided.htm (accessed 11 October 2011). The History of Loudoun County, Virginia, Loudoun County and the Civil War 1861-1865-A County Divided, A Civil War Chronology of Loudoun County, Virginia, http://www.loudounhistory.org/history/loudoun-cw-chronology.htm (accessed 11 October 2011). Other Finding Aid

None

Technical Requirements

None

Related Material

Civil War Letter, Leesburg, VA (SC 0090), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA; Donohoe Family Collection (SC 0021), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA.

Contents List NARA letters, June 1861-Decemeber 1864 Civil War letters, January 1860-September 1865 Charles Paxon diary, July 1859-June 1865