Alexandria: A Union City in Dixie?

Can a town be considered “Confederate” even when its Secessionist population fled to Dixie? Is it still pro-Southern if Northern forces occupy it during wartime? How should we view a city that was home to the 17th Virginia Infantry even though the Rebel army tried numerous times to invade and destroy it? While philosophical in nature, the City of Alexandria, Virginia encompassed all of this and more in the wake of the Lost Cause. In refreshing how we research and discuss Alexandria’s Civil War history, it is even more critical to address these questions. Was Alexandria a Confederate or Union city? Let’s weigh the evidence.

While some Southern locales expressed overwhelming political support for secession or advocated for slavery’s continuation and their Northern counterparts equally pushed for abolitionist beliefs, Alexandria experienced a mix of both ideologies on the street and in the ballot box. This port city embraced ardent antebellum values, such as its heinous role in the slave trade, while industrializing to send cargo to factories in the North. Several prominent families acquired property in Alexandria in the early 19th Century, like the Lees and Fairfaxes, bringing with them a new generation of loyalty to the deeper South. Others fell somewhere along the Unionist spectrum: advocating against war, pushing for compromise, or considering disunion against American nationalism.

George W. Brent encompassed the true mix of Unionist and Southern sentiment that afflicted many Alexandrians. A Virginia politician who represented the city at the state secession convention, he warned that a war would lead to slavery’s demise – calling for further legislation to protect Southern (and Alexandrian) interests. After failing to prevent his state’s parting, Brent himself joined the 17th Virginia to protect slavery, which was comprised of a good number of local men.^[1] Despite being pro-Union, Brent’s story exhibits the line that many Northern Virginians straddled as their nation’s politics grew increasingly black-and-white. Alexandrians sent a man to the convention who promoted slavery’s permanence in the law, while strived for concession on secession. While not every “Rebel” must be rabid or pious in their support of the cause, did Brent’s compromise point more toward Unionism and not to the spirit of a Confederate town?

While Brent represented Alexandria on the political stage, the citizenry truly showed the city’s Southern values. Its role in the slave trade stained the reputation of this town and the citizens once prospered from its economy. In the 1860 election, however, and despite having a significant “secesh” population, Alexandrians voted for John Bell and the Constitutional Union Party, further separating themselves from stronger Confederate stances on slavery and secession.^[2]

The day after Virginia seceded, the Union Army began a military occupation of the city. An overwhelming amount of citizens fled into the Confederacy, leaving their homes and businesses relatively unpacked since many believed this war would be over quickly. As secessionism became synonymous with subversion during the occupation, relocating to Richmond helped to avoid confrontation for their secessionist beliefs. This flight into Dixie represented their perceived safety concern over governance by the military, and the lengths they would go to adhere to their views.

The Union occupation of Alexandria transformed the city into a “Yankee” military base overnight. It was seized in order to control the port, send supplies to “Union blue” by rail, and protect Washington from the Confederates. Between the construction of two dozen forts and armed patrol for potential espionage, this prevented Alexandria from falling into Rebel hands. Confederate raids in Northern Virginia were planned to extend through Alexandria at an attempt to get to the capital; “liberating” it from Northern clutches was a secondary reason. Today, we do not read about a “battle of Alexandria” in textbooks. It is a well-preserved Southern town due to the Union’s fortifications and efforts to keep the Confederates out.

As a final consideration, Alexandrians did choose to return to their hometown. Hundreds of citizens filed formal complaints against the federal occupation with the Southern Claims Commission. It was both a way to replenish lost funds or materials and a maneuver to assert at least some power or control over their uprooted lives. This mass return to Alexandria meant that the former residents did not judge their town as tainted by the Union presence. We can view this as a reclamation of their property and the start of a movement to restore their values. The “Lost Cause” flourished in a city populated by Confederate veterans, depleted businesses, and elite Southern families with a grudge. The Mary Custis Lee-17th Virginia Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy reinterred Rebel soldiers out of the Alexandria National Cemetery, opened the Robert E. Lee Camp Hall Museum to honor their infantry, and constructed the “Appomattox” statue that once stood in the middle of town – all in an effort to assert that Alexandria, although captured by the Union, was a Confederate city.

Biography

Madeline Feierstein is an Alexandria, VA historian specializing in psychiatric institutions, hospitals, and prisons. A native of Washington, D.C., her work has been showcased across the Capital Region. As Lead Historian for the Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden, Madeline leads efforts to document the sick, injured, and imprisoned soldiers that passed through Civil War Alexandria. Additionally, she supports the National Museum of Civil War Medicine and interprets the burials in Alexandria’s historically rich cemeteries with Gravestone Stories. Madeline holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminology from George Mason University and a Master’s in American History from Southern New Hampshire University. Explore her research at www.madelinefeierstein.com.

Endnotes

^[1] Library of Virginia. “George William Brent.” Online Classroom, 2001. https://edu.lva.virginia.gov/oc/union-or-secession/people/george-william-brent.

^[2] The Constitutional Union Party, compromised of former Whigs, hoped to avoid secession over slavery. Many members opted not to join the Republican or Democratic Party once the Whig Party dissolved. They viewed the enforcement of the U.S. Constitution as paramount and peace-seeking as the primary task in the wake of secessionist movements.