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.
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.
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.
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).
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).
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