Suburbs of Washington DC

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Alexandria

For more information about Alexandria Civil War-oriented walking tours, call 888-458-6778.

Fort Ward Museum and Historic Site
4301 Braddock Road
703-838-4848
   One of the 68 forts that ringed the Federal capital has been restored and interpreted. A nearby museum offers excellent Civil War exhibits relating to Alexandria's war-time experience and other topics. This is the place to get oriented for a tour of Civil War fortifications in the Washington area. Restrooms, gift shop. Hours April–October: Tuesday-Saturday 9 am-5 pm, Sunday noon-5 pm. Hours November–March: Tuesday-Saturday 10 am-5 pm, Sunday noon-5 pm. Free, donations welcome. To get there: From I-395, take the Seminary Road exit east. At the fourth traffic light, turn left (North Howard Street). Turn right on West Braddock Road. Look for park entrance almost immediately on the left.

Alexandria National Cemetery, Wilkes and Gibbon streets – One of the earliest of the National Cemeteries, established as the Soldiers Cemetery in 1862.

City of Alexandria – Trails sign at the train station on King Street tells the story of the first officer killed in the war (Union Col. Elmer Ellsworth) and the initial Federal occupation of the city in 1861. A Civil War walking tour is available at the visitor center.

Arlington

Arlington National Cemetery
and Arlington House
    Robert E. Lee left his home in Arlington and his long career in the Federal army to take command of Virginia forces in April 1861. Union soldiers occupied his estate a month later. In 1864, burials of Union soldiers began on the grounds and by the end of the war 16,000 graves scarred the lawn and gardens of Lee's former home. Today Arlington National Cemetery is studded with famous memorials including the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the graves of John F. and Robert Kennedy. A small section is devoted to the remains of Confederate dead. Another section (27) is dedicated to the United States Colored Troops and residents of the Freedman's Village.
    Don't miss the self-guided tour of the restored Arlington House (Lee's home).
    Admission is free but there is a parking charge. Save time and shoe leather; buy a Tourmobile ticket. The cemetery is open daily 8 am–7 pm April–September. It closes at 5 pm other months. Arlington House is open 9:30 am-4:30 pm; nearby museum is open 8 am-4:30 pm.

Freedman's Village
Historic location in what is now Arlington National Cemetery
    Refugee slaves made their way to the Washington area after the outbreak of the war. The government selected this site to house and educate them. Graves of the Freedman's Village residents are located in Section 27. Civil War Trails interpretation located in Soxcroft Heights Park (corner of Oak Street and Southgate Road) overlooking Arlington National Cemetery.

Fort C.F. Smith
County park located at 2411 N. 24th St.
Between I-66 and the George Washington Memorial Parkway, off Spout Run Parkway (From Spout Run, turn on Lorcom, then right on Fillmore and right on 24th Street)
703-243-7329
   Well-preserved Union fortification built in 1863 to extend the Arlington defenses to the Potomac River. Nice county park. Call for programs. Civil War Trails interpretation.

Fort Ethan Allen
Located just off the Old Glebe Road at the Madison School just south of the George Washington Parkway
    Built in 1861 to command approaches to the Chain Bridge over the Potomac into Washington, this is a companion fortification to Fort Marcy (Fairfax County), on the Washington Parkway. Historical marker and school parking lot at the south face of the fort. Civil War Trails interpretation located near the south face of the fort past the soccer fields.

Fall's Church

Falls Church, Civil War Trails interpretation near the Route 50 intersection, just off Route 7 – Material here highlights first Union occupation of this once-small farm town and the balloon ascensions here by the famed Thaddeus Lowe.

Fairfax

Fairfax Museum and Visitor Center
10209 Main St., Fairfax City
800-545-7950
   Exhibits here outline the rich history of the city with some emphasis on the Civil War. Nearby Chantilly battlefield is highlighted. Restrooms and shop. General travel information available. Open daily 9 am-5 pm. Free, donations welcome. Saturday morning walking tours featuring Civil War sites in old Fairfax are scheduled some months. Civil War Trails interpretation.

Chantilly (Ox Hill) Battlefield
Park on West Ox Road just south of US Route 50
Site of Reid-Ballard House 1/4 mile south
   A small park and a Civil War Trails marker devoted to the Sept. 1, 1862, battle are well worth visiting as is a second Civil War Trails marker indicating the site of the Reid-Ballard House, landmark during the Federal advance. Monuments to Union Gens. Phillip Kearney and Isaac Stevens, both killed during the fighting are located in the park. Modern development surrounds the battlefield.

Fort Marcy
Parking lot off north-bound George Washington Parkway near Route 123
703-289-2500 (George Washington Parkway Park Service)
    Part of the Washington defenses, these earthworks were built in 1861 to protect the Potomac River crossing at Chain Bridge. The fort boasted 17 guns and three mortars and was named for Gen. Randolph Marcy, Gen. George McClellan's chief of staff. A trail connects several hundred yards of well interpreted and preserved earthworks maintained by the National Park Service. Companion fort to Ethan Allen. See Arlington County.

St. Marys Church
About 1.5 miles south of Fairfax Courthhouse near Fairfax Station
    Civil War Trails sign planned at this 1858 church describes the action here Aug. 8, 1864 when Confederate horsemen led by John Singleton Mosby routed a Union cavalry encampment.

Fairfax Station
11200 Fairfax Station Road
Call 703-425-9225 before you visit
    Trails sign at station. Nurse Clara Barton played a role here as the wounded streamed in after the Second Battle of Manassas. Countless Union soldiers guarded the Orange and Alexandria Railroad stop against raids by JEB Stuart and JS Mosby. Building now houses the Fairfax Station Railroad Museum, open most Sundays 1–4 pm. Includes Civil War history.

Sully
Historic plantation located off Route 28 just north of Route 50
703-437-1794
   This late-18th-century estate, established by Richard Bland Lee (Robert E. Lee's uncle), offers tours of the nicely preserved house and outbuildings. The estate was visited by troops of both sides during the war. The men of the Union-favoring family often fled to Alexandria, escaping capture by Confederate visitors, leaving the estate's management to the women during much of the war. Pick up a Civil War-oriented flyer with your ticket. Some Civil War material and exhibits offered during tours of the 1794 home. Open every day except Tuesday 11 am–4 pm. $6/adult.

Dranesville Tavern, Trails sign just off Route 7, 1/4 mile east of Fairfax County Parkway – This 1820 roadside inn was in no man's land between armies in the winter of 1861. On Dec 20, Union infantry and Confederate cavalry and infantry clashed here. Both sides withdrew from the area after the battle, but the Federals claimed a tactical victory, lifting their morale after the disaster at First Manassas.

Orange and Alexandria RR (Lake Accotink). Directions to Trails sign: From the Capital Beltway, take Exit 54B to Braddock Road East, turn south on Backlick Road, turn right on Highland Avenue, and follow signs to the park – The park's access road lies on top of the original roadbed of the strategic Orange and Alexandria Railroad. The area was occupied early by Federal troops, but the railroad continued to be the target of frequent Confederate raids.

Herndon

Mosby's Raid, Trails sign at train station – Story here about a March 1863 raid by famous Confederate partisan John Singleton Mosby against this lightly protected rail station. Mosby's action captured dozens of prisoners and forced Union outposts to move closer to Washington.

Vienna

The following Vienna sites are marked with Civil War Trails interpretation:

Freeman Store/Museum, 131 Church St. – Trails sign here tells the story of the role of this site, used by Union and Confederate troops, and directs visitors to other historic sites.

Civil War Fort, 330 Center St., near American Legion Post No. 180 – Star-shaped Civil War fortification is of undermined heritage but is one of many unidentified field works in the hotly contested Northern Virginia area. 703-938-9535 (Legion phone number).