JUNE 17, 1861:
The
Battle of Vienna, Virginia. Brigadier General Irvin McDowell orders
reconnaissance near Vienna, Virginia. The Union troops, traveling by train, run
headlong into a Confederate reconnaissance “in force” unit, which opens fire
with shot, shell, and grapeshot. Eight Union troopers are killed before the
Confederates fall back in the face of greater numbers. Despite the Confederate retreat, the battle
is counted as a Federal defeat due to the deaths. Following hard upon the
defeat at Big Bethel, the Northern Press harshly criticizes the Union command,
while the Southern Press mocks it.
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