Commemorating the Battle of Unison

As one local historian sees it, if not for the Battle of Unison, a fight at a small town in Loudoun’s rural west, the Civil War might have ended earlier. This weekend a celebration commemorates the dedication of the town as an historic district.

Seeing an opportunity in late 1862 to seize the initiative following horrific fighting at the Battle of Antietam, a frustrated Abraham Lincoln traveled out to the Virginia Piedmont to meet with General George McClellan. The Union army had somehow managed to find itself closer to Richmond than the Confederates, and Lincoln hoped to take advantage by attacking the Confederate capital.

“First he suggested, then he directed, and then he ordered McClellan to take a shortcut through Loudoun Valley to Richmond,” Paul Hodge from the Unison Preservation Society informed me recently. “His hope was to catch Lee napping and bring an early end to the war. Unfortunately, McClellan dilly-dallied, finding reasons not to move, saying his troops were tired or he needed more boots or they should build another rail line, until Lincoln finally said ‘enough!’”

When McClellan eventually followed the orders, he did so listlessly, allowing a cavalry unit led by General J.E.B. Stuart to intercept the Union troops near Unison, VA.  The ensuing battle lasted three days and allowed the main body of the Confederate troops to get ahead of the Union army and thwart Lincoln’s plans.

Apoplectic, Lincoln immediately fired McClellan.

This Friday, April 30, a celebration and fundraiser in Upperville to commemorates the dedication of the 8,000-acre Unison Battlefield Historic District. Supported by more than 20 preservation groups and hosted by the Unison Preservation Society and the Land Trust of Virginia, the gala celebration features historical presentations and vintage music.

In early May, three new Civil War Trail signs will be installed in Loudoun – one in Philomont, one in Upperville and one near the town of Unison. Numerous conservation easements have been set aside in the area, and very little has changed since the 1860s, allowing visitors to see things much as the soldiers did. 

Hodge believes the battle, while it did not feature many casualties, dramatically changed the war by protecting the Confederate capital.

“Lincoln had a plan, and had it succeeded, it would have brought the Civil War to an end much earlier,” Hodge said. “Richmond was undefended.  It would have had a dramatic impact.”

To learn more about the Battle of Unison or the upcoming celebration, go to www.unisonva.org.