Program

Great American Rail-Trail

Subject

Event, Site

Location

333 Park St, Vienna, VA 22180, USA

Lat/Long

38.901015, -77.259475

Grant Recipient

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

One of the first American railroad battles occurred during the second month of the Civil War. Brigadier General Robert C. Schenck was ordered to send one of his regiments, the First Ohio Volunteers, on a scouting expedition in Vienna, Virginia on June 17^th, 1861. 271 men from Companies C, E, G, and H were ordered to board a train on the Loudon and Hampshire Railroad to Vienna. Companies D and F (135 men total) were stationed to guard the railroad and its bridges; however, they could not sufficiently protect their fellow soldiers.

Colonel Maxcy Gregg of the First South Carolina Infantry and his Confederate troops were at the Fairfax Courthouse when they got word of possible enemy intrusion in Vienna, Virginia. He called for reinforcements, to which 600-1,000 men arrived. A quarter mile from Vienna, the Union train turned a curve and was fired upon by the masked battery of Confederate troops. The battery had placed two six-pound guns on a hill by the Loudon and Hampshire Railroad and fired round shot and grapeshot at the train.

The engineer could not steer the train away from the fire and destruction and the engine came to a halt. The Union soldiers were forced to abandon the locomotive and flee to the woods, where skirmishes ensued. The train engineer eventually detached the engine and escaped, leaving the Union soldiers behind. The First Ohio Volunteers were forced to retreat and wait for reinforcements about 5 miles outside of the city. 8 men were killed and 4 wounded. The battle received international attention. Those in Ohio criticized Schenck, saying that “he lost his presence of mind” in commanding the Ohio regiment (“The Affair at Vienna,” 1861).

Sources:

The Affair at Vienna – The First Ohio Regiment. (1861, June 19). The Ohio Statesman.