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In his latest book, The Civil War in Fairfax County: Civilians and Soldiers, Charles Mauro has given voice to the heretofore silent majority of the participants in the Civil War: the civilians. This overdue study examines the full spectrum of men, women, slaves and freedmen who lived in Fairfax County, Virginia, during this chaotic, uncertain period. Drawn from the files of the Southern Claims Commission, Mauro recounts the stories the civilians told the Commission after the war to document their losses, lives and living conditions. The citizens of Fairfax County found themselves occupying front row seats at the most horrific show that this country has ever seen. Because of its position just across the Potomac River on the doorstep of the city of Washington, Fairfax County was heavily targeted by the Confederate army and defended with equal determination by the Union army. Fairfax was the first county in the South that the Union army invaded, and the last it occupied as soldiers were mustered out of service after the Grand Review. The Civil War in Fairfax County contains stories of the devastation that both armies brought upon the civilians and their property, as well as the daily strife caused by a war that pitted neighbor against neighbor and family members against themselves. It gives an important, fascinating and unprecedented look into the everyday lives of the civilians who lived through the most tumultuous four years in American history, in a county that was occupied by both the Confederate and Union armies throughout the entire Civil War.

A no-man's land through which raiding armies frequently passed, Loudoun County, Virginia, was itself a land of divided loyalties--one in three voters rejected secession in 1861--but with each new regiment came strengthened resolve to salvage their shattered lives despite defeat and military occupation.
In this look at Loudoun County's role in the Civil War, historian Stevan Meserve narrates not only the large-scale fighting at Ball's Bluff in 1861 and in the Loudoun Valley cavalry battles of 1863, but also the lives of the citizens who
sacrificed their crops and livestock, cared for the wounded and buried the dead of storied regiments such as White's Comanches, Cole's Potomac Home Brigade, Mosby's Rangers and the Independent Loudoun Rangers. Drawing upon military accounts and other historical documents, The Civil War in Loudoun County celebrates their eventual triumph and the vibrant communities that exist today.

From 1861 to 1865, hundreds of thousands of troops from both sides of the Civil War marched through, battled and camped in the woods and fields of Spotsylvania County, earning it the nickname 'Crossroads of the Civil War.' When not engaged with the enemy or drilling, a different kind of battle occupied soldiers boredom, hunger, disease, homesickness, harsh winters and spirits both broken and swigged. Focusing specifically on the local Confederate encampments, renowned author and historian Michael Aubrecht draws from published memoirs, diaries, letters and testimonials from those who were there to give a fascinating new look into the day-to-day experiences of camp life in the Confederate army. So huddle around the fire and discover the days when the only meal was a scrap of hardtack, temptation was mighty and a new game they called 'baseball' passed the time when not playing poker or waging a snowball war on fellow compatriots.

Join author John V. Quarstein as he recounts the history and stories of the Civil War on the Virginia Peninsula through vintage images.

The Civil War on the Virginia Peninsula is the first comprehensive pictorial history interpreting the events that occurred on the Virginia Peninsula during the war that forever changed our nation. This volume offers over 200 fascinating images from museums, archives, and private collections throughout America; together they tell powerful stories of valor, leadership, technology, and strategy. Photographers and famous artists alike vividly portrayed soldiers, leaders, and innovations in a compelling manner that brings alive the glory and sadness of the American Civil War. This enthralling visual history chronicles the war's first year, during which the Virginia Peninsula was the focus of Union efforts to capture the Confederate capital 70 miles away at Richmond. Beginning with Union General Benjamin F. Butler's arrival at Fort Monroe in May 1861, until the time of Major General George B. McClellan's pivotal march on Richmond in the spring of 1862, the Virginia Peninsula was the scene of some of the Civil War's most critical events, including the ""contraband of war"" issue; the Battle of Big Bethel, the war's first land battle; the Monitor-Merrimac engagement, the first battle between ironclad ships; and the Peninsula Campaign.

The US Coast Guard has a long history of saving lives and deterring and defeating threats in the Hampton Roads area that dates to the Revolutionary War era. The Coast Guard in Hampton Roads has interdicted hundreds of millions of dollars of illegal drugs; saved countless lives; operated lightships, lighthouses, and lifesaving stations; ensured safe navigation in one of the largest and busiest coastal waterway systems in North America; inspected thousands of shipping containers; conducted security and safety boardings of foreign flagged vessels; and tracked commercial vessels using the Harbor Surveillance System. The team at Coast Guard Sector Virginia is composed of nearly 500 active duty and civilian personnel, 130 reservists, and 1,300 auxiliarists. The area is also home to several multimission boats and ships. Hampton Roads regional Coast Guard personnel and assets continue their multimission capability to ensure strategic and economic prosperity for the one of the gateways to the United States.

When the CSS Virginia (Merrimack) slowly steamed down the Elizabeth River toward Hampton Roads on March 8, 1862, the tide of naval warfare turned from wooden sailing ships to armored, steam-powered vessels.

Little did the ironclad's crew realize that their makeshift warship would achieve the greatest Confederate naval victory. The trip was thought by most of the crew to be a trial cruise. Instead, the Virginia's aggressive commander, Franklin Buchanan, transformed the voyage into a test by fire that forever proved the supreme power of iron over wood. The Virginia's ability to beat the odds to become the first ironclad to enter Hampton Roads stands as a testament to her designers, builders, officers and crew. Virtually everything about the Virginia's design was an improvisation or an adaptation, characteristic of the Confederacy's efforts to wage a modern war with limited industrial resources. Noted historian John V. Quarstein recounts the compelling story of this ironclad underdog, providing detailed appendices, including crew member biographies and a complete chronology of the ship and crew.

On December 31, 1862, 16 men perished that stormy New Year's Eve when the USS Monitor sank off Cape Hatteras, N.C.

The United States Navy's first ironclad warship rose to glory during the Battle of Hampton Roads on March 9, 1862, but there's much more to know about the USS Monitor. Historian John Quarstein has painstakingly compiled bits of historical data gathered through years of research to present the first comprehensive picture of the lives of the officers and crew who served faithfully in an iron ship unlike any vessel previously known.

""The Monitor Boys,"" a moniker the men gave themselves, is a reflection of how these hundred-odd souls were bound together through storms, battles, boredom and disaster. Just living aboard the ironclad took uncommon effort and fortitude. Their perseverance through the heat, stress and unseaworthiness that defined life on the ship makes the study of those who dared it a worthy endeavor. Many recognized that they were part of history. Moreover, the Monitor Boys were agents in the change of naval warfare.

Following Quarstein's compelling narrative is a detailed chronology as well as appendices including crew member biographies, casualties and statistics and dimensions of the ship. Readers can dive into the world of the Monitor and meet William Flye, George Geer and the rest of the men who risked everything by going to sea in the celebrated ""cheesebox on a raft"" and became the hope of a nation wracked by war.

The Army of the Potomac's mounted units suffered early in the Civil War at the hands of the horsemen of the South. However, by 1863, the Federal cavalry had evolved into a fighting machine. Despite the numerous challenges occupying officers and politicians, as well as the harrowing existence of troopers in the field, the Northern cavalry helped turn the tide of war much earlier than is generally acknowledged. It became the largest, best-mounted, and best-equipped force of horse soldiers the world had ever seen. Further, the 1863 consolidation of numerous scattered Federal units created a force to be reckoned with—a single corps ten thousand strong. Award-winning cavalry historian Eric J. Wittenberg chronicles this story, debunking persistent myths that have elevated the Confederate cavaliers over their Union counterparts.

The Virginia Navy, led by Commodore James Barron, raised more than fifty vessels to aid the fight against the British Empire. The ships kept open vital trade passages to the West Indies that allowed for goods and supplies to reach American shores despite English blockades. Barron defended his birthplace at the Battle of Hampton, suffered near-destruction at the hands of Benedict Arnold and supported the French navy in the decisive victory at Yorktown. Author James Tormey reveals these stories and more in a maritime adventure through the history of the Virginia Navy in the Revolutionary era.

Try to meet me in Heaven where I hope to go.

These poignant words were written in the summer of 1865 by twenty-year-old Confederate Sergeant Isaac Newton Koontz, in a letter he penned for his fiancée just hours before his death at the hands of Union firing squad in the heart of Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. The execution of Koontz and Captain George Summers came after the surrender at Appomattox Court House, and remains one of the most tragic yet little-known events of the Civil War.

One month prior to kneeling on the hard ground to face their deaths, Koontz and Summers, along with four other Confederate soldiers, stole horses from a Union troop stationed near their home. Soon after the theft, the young men--remorseful and goaded by their fathers to uphold their honor--returned the horses and were offered a pardon by Union Colonel Francis Butterfield. The rebs returned home, free of mind and clean of conscious. All had been forgiven. Or so they thought.

As the sun crept over the horizon on June 27, 1865, Union soldiers--under new command--swarmed the family homes of Summers and Koontz in a swift raid and arrested the two bewildered men. They were told that their pardons were no longer valid, and later that same day they were tied to a stake and shot with Union muskets--no trial, no judge, no jury.

Before their deaths, Summers and Koontz were allowed to write farewell letters to their loved ones, and these heartrending documents serve as the basis for Robert Moore's insightful recounting of the Summers-Koontz execution. An experienced Civil War writer and a direct descendent of Koontz's fiancée, Moore brings this shocking story to life with a clarity that will appeal to Civil War experts and enthusiasts alike. Exhaustively researched and well written, Tragedy in the Shenandoah Valley tells one of the great and largely untold stories of the Civil War.

When the United States entered World War I in 1917, the Virginia Peninsula immediately became a center for the intensive activities required to prepare the nation for war. The fertile farm fields overlooking the James River, Hampton Roads, and the Back River were quickly transformed into military camps, air
fields, and training bases. Almost overnight, Newport News became the second leading port for men, horses, and supplies embarking to Europe. Shipyard workers labored around the clock producing ships. Each vessel was considered "a death blow to Prussianism," which was required to achieve victory. The Peninsula experienced rapid population growth, necessitating the construction of houses and public transportation systems. Individuals on the home front worked like "soldiers without guns" as they organized bond drives, provided recreation for doughboys passing through the port, and honored local fallen heroes. World War I on the Virginia Peninsula is the first comprehensive pictorial history documenting the events that occurred on the
Virginia Peninsula during the war that was fought, as President Woodrow Wilson advised, to "save the world for Democracy." In nearly 200 compelling photographs from local museums, archives, and private collections, this volume vividly documents the places, people, and industries that framed the community's wartime experience.

The effort to win the war began at home--and for the researchers at Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory, enhancing America's military aviation arsenal was the key to victory.

Formed in 1915, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics established itself over the next 25 years as one of the world's finest research organizations. When World War II began in 1939, the NACA employed a mere 500 workers and maintained a budget slightly in excess of $4 million. To meet the demands of the war, a special partnership was quickly forged between NACA researchers, industry designers, and military planners. The Langley laboratory possessed world class aeronautical research facilities and flight research operations, making it ideally suited to help America win the war.

Military historian Mark Chambers tells the story of the monumental task of developing the planes that spurred Allied victory in World War II.

On 4 April 1862, Major General George McClellan marched his 121,500-strong Army of the Potomac from Fort Monroe toward Richmond. Blocking his path were Major General John B. Magruder's Warwick-Yorktown Line fortifications and the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia. Despite outnumbering Magruder almost four to one, McClellan was tricked by Magruder's bluff of strength and halted his advance. Yorktown, the scene of Washington's 1781 victory over Cornwallis, was once again besieged. It was the Civil War's first siege and lasted for twenty-nine terrible days. Just as McClellan was ready to bombard Yorktown, the Confederates slipped away because of his delays, McClellan lost the opportunity to quickly capture Richmond and end the war. Historians John V. Quarstein and J. Michael Moore chronicle the Siege of Yorktown and explore its role in the 1862 Peninsula Campaign and the final battles surrounding Richmond.