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The Battle of Vienna, Virginia was an engagement on June 17, 1861 between a Union Army force of 271 men of the 1st Ohio Infantry and a Confederate States Army force of about 750 men, including about 575 men of the 1st South Carolina Infantry, two companies of cavalry and one company of artillery in the village of Vienna, Virginia in Fairfax County, Virginia, during the early days of the American Civil War. In an effort to expand and protect the area of Union control in northern Virginia after Union forces entered the area opposite Washington, D.C. on May 24, 1861, Union Army commanders determined to guard about of the Alexandria, Loudon and Hampshire Railroad line in Fairfax County, Virginia between Alexandria, Virginia and Vienna, Virginia. They also planned to establish camps at the outlying point of Vienna. Union Brig. Gen. Robert C. Schenck took the 1st Ohio Infantry along the railroad line toward Vienna, leaving detachments on guard duty along the way, in an effort to accomplish these goals. On June 17, 1861, by chance, a Confederate force from Fairfax Court House, Virginia under Colonel (later Brig. Gen.) Maxcy Gregg, which was on a scouting mission, heard the train approaching Vienna. They were able to set up an ambush along the tracks before the train reached their position. With darkness approaching, the Confederates hit the train with two cannon shots which inflicted casualties of eight killed and four wounded on the Union soldiers. The Union force scrambled off the flat cars that they were occupying and sought protection, mainly in the woods. The engineer fled with the locomotive and left the Union force to retreat on foot. The Confederates briefly pursued but the darkness and broken terrain, their orders to return to camp that night, and their apprehension that the Union force was the advance of a larger force led the Confederates to quickly call off the pursuit. Soon it would be obvious that this was a small affair in the context of the war, but all military actions were given extensive coverage and took on exaggerated importance at this early time in the war. In this minor engagement, the Union Army had suffered another loss one week after their defeat at the Battle of Big Bethel. The Union commanders were coming under increasing pressure to produce a significant victory over the Confederate rebels before the term of service of the 90–day regiments expired. A notable aspect of this battle was the first military movement of troops by train in the American Civil War and involvement of a railroad in a combat situation, about a month before the Battle of First Bull Run. In fact, it was very likely the first such train movement and combat involving a railroad in any war in world history. ==Background== In the early morning of May 24, 1861, the day after the secession of Virginia from the Union was ratified by popular vote, Union forces occupied Alexandria, Virginia and Arlington, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. Union troops occupied the area up to distances of about from the river.〔Weigley, p. 39.〕 On June 1, 1861, a small U. S. Regular Army patrol on a scout as far as from their post at Camp Union in Falls Church, Virginia rode into Fairfax Court House, Virginia and fought a small and brief battle with part of a company of Virginia militia (soon to be Confederate Army infantry) at the Battle of Fairfax Court House (June 1861).〔Long, p. 81.〕 The patrol brought back to the Union Army commanders an exaggerated estimate of Confederate strength at Fairfax Court House. Together with an even smaller affair the same night at a Union outpost in Arlington, the Battle of Arlington Mills,〔 the Fairfax Court House engagement made Union commanders hesitate to extend their bridgehead into Virginia.〔Long, pp. 81–86.〕〔Connery, p. 54.〕〔(Poland, p. 44 ).〕 On June 16, 1861, a Union force of Connecticut infantry under Brig. Gen. Daniel Tyler rode over about of the Alexandria, Loudon and Hampshire Railroad line between Alexandria, Virginia and two miles (3 km) past Vienna, Virginia. They reported the line clear, although one soldier had been wounded by a shot from ambush.〔Davis, p. 70.〕 Confederate forces were in the area, however, and it was apparent to Union Maj. Gen. Irvin McDowell who was in charge of the department that the railroad would not remain safe without a guard force, especially because he had received information that the Confederates planned to obstruct it.〔(Lossing and Benson, p. 525. )〕〔(Tomes, p. 323 ).〕 On June 17, 1861, McDowell sent Brig. Gen. Schenck with the 1st Ohio Infantry under the immediate command of Col. Alexander McDowell McCook〔(Crafts, p. 235 ).〕 to expand the Union position in Fairfax County.〔 Schenck took six companies over the Alexandria, Loudon and Hampshire Railroad line, dropping off detachments to guard railroad bridges between Alexandria, Virginia and Vienna, Virginia. As the train approached Vienna, about north of Fairfax Court House and from Alexandria, 271 officers and men remained with the train.〔〔(Poland, p. 44 ) says the number was 274. Yet Poland says in a footnote on p. 84 that Schenck left camp with 697 and detached 387 for guard duty, which would have left him with 310 men. Given Eicher's and Davis's number of 271 for the remaining Union force, the 274 number Poland gives on p. 44 should be closer to the correct number of men on the train as it approached Vienna.〕〔Eicher, p. 78, gives the slightly different figure of 271 men, which actually coincides with General Schenck's report.〕〔Davis, 1977, p. 71〕 On the same day, Confederate Col. Gregg took the 6–month 1st South Carolina Infantry Regiment, about 575 men, two companies of cavalrymen (about 140 men) and a company of artillery with two artillery pieces (35 men), about 750 men in total, on a scouting mission from Fairfax Court House toward the Potomac River.〔〔〔〔(Scott, pp. 128–130 ).〕 On their return trip, at about 6:00 p.m., the Confederates heard the train whistle in the distance. Gregg moved his artillery pieces to a curve in the railroad line between the present locations of Park and Tapawingo Streets in Vienna and placed his men around the guns.〔〔Eicher, p. 78〕〔Williams, p. 8〕 Seeing this disposition, an elderly local Union sympathizer ran down the tracks to warn the approaching train of the hidden Confederate force. The Union officers mostly ignored his warning and the train continued down the track.〔 In response to the warning, an officer was placed on the forward car as a lookout.〔(Poland, p. 45. )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Battle of Vienna, Virginia」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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