Colonel Robert E. Lee was an Arlington resistant; he was offered to be a Union commander, but, refusing to support his hometown, he declined and became a Confederate commander. On April 22, 1861, Robert E. Lee left his home at Arlington House and headed towards Richmond.
Union troops took control of Arlington (Alexandria County) on May 24, 1861. The 100,000 Union troops, stationed at 22 forts and encampments throughout Arlington, built rifle trenches all over the country in protection of the nation’s capital. Property was taken with little acknowledgement to the rights of the owners of the land.
In 1860, Alexandria Country had a population of 12,652 people, 1,386 of which were slaves.
Specifically during the Civil War, almost no battle ever took place in Arlington as one soldier told, “...with the exception of drilling, guard mounting and inspection of knapsacks, we had but little to do...” Some Union soldiers stationed in Arlington were used as reinforcements for General Grant’s army headed towards Richmond. Several locations across Arlington were used as hospitals for Union soldiers.Lacking battles throughout the war, Arlington was a place for technological development; for example, the manned balloon was developed and used to spy military movements of the Confederacy in 1861.
Sources
Primary:
"Historical Census Browser." University of Virginia Library. Available from http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/php/county.php. Internet; accessed 24 May 2011.
Secondary:
"The Civil War in Arlington." Arlington Historical Society. Available from http://www.arlingtonhistoricalsociety.org/learn/snapshots/civil_war_history.html. Internet; accessed 24 May 2011.
"Arlington County, Virginia." Wikipedia. Available from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlington_County,_Virginia. Internet; accessed 24 May 2011.
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