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Occupied Alexandria: How the Civil War Transformed a Southern City
Paperback
Series: Civil War
Civil War Period (1850-1877)General Political ScienceRegional: South
Publisher Price: $24.99
ISBN13: 9781467172448
Publisher: History Press
Published: Oct 27 2026
Pages: 144
Language: English
Explore the story of a city under martial law during the Civil War
The day after Virginia's secession in May 1861, Union troops marched from Washington to occupy its neighbor Alexandria. A former powerhouse in the slave trade, Alexandria was the first Confederate city to be occupied during the Civil War and governed under strict martial law. Overnight, this bustling urban town on the Potomac River transformed into a center of disease, death, and debauchery. Viewing all residents as potential threats regardless of allegiance, the military government resorted to heavy-handed actions to control its transient soldier population, counteract civilian opposition, combat waves of gunshot wounds and illness, and imprison those deemed disloyal to the Union cause.
Drawing upon true accounts of civilian and soldier experiences, historian Madeline Feierstein explores whether Union authorities kept order within the city or watched it fall into chaos.
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