Reaping the Whirlwind

The winds of war blew long and hard in Loudoun County, Virginia during the Civil War. Situated on the south bank of the Potomac River, it was part of Confederate Virginia but bordered Union Maryland. Located 30 miles west of Washington, DC, invading armies passed through the land with frequency, often bringing devastation and death in their wake. The flags of the invaders brought hope to some and fear to others. In between, deserters, scouts, partisans, and bandits preyed on the people. Without a functioning local government, Loudoun was a no-man’s land.

The people of Loudoun were divided as well. More than one-third of Loudoun County voters rejected secession in 1861. Most of these people were concentrated in the northern part of the county.[1] When the fighting started, people picked sides. Frank Myers of Waterford enlisted in the 35th Virginia Cavalry. Briscoe Goodhart from nearby Taylorstown joined the Union war effort with the Loudoun Independent Rangers. Both served for the remainder of the conflict as partisans, spending stretches of their time in Loudoun County. On many levels, Loudoun County was contested territory.

After the war, both Frank Myers and Briscoe Goodhart wrote books about their experiences. What does a comparison of these two accounts tell us about the life and times of combatants in Loudoun County during the Civil War? This website explores their words on the war that remade America.

[1] Stevan F. Meserve, The Civil War in Loudoun County, Virginia: A History of Hard Times (Charleston, SC: History Press, 2008), 20.