The March Across the Long Bridge

After Virginians voted overwhelmingly for secession from the Union on May 23, 1861, Union Army troops stationed in Washington, D.C., moved overnight to occupy what is now Arlington County, with the main body crossing the Potomac River by way of the Long Bridge. Construction of fortifications began early on the morning of May 24. The Union occupation of Northern Virginia prevented Confederate forces from mounting artillery on the Arlington Heights two miles west of here, where shells from that high ground could have reached federal buildings across the river. Today's 14th Street railroad bridge, built at the same location, is also called the Long Bridge.

Arlington, Virginia · United States