Morven Park: Loudoun's Civil War Rallying Point

Begin your exploration of Civil War sites by visiting Loudoun County's Civil War Rallying Point: Morven Park. Here you will hear stories about the War's effects on Loudoun County, get answers to your questions about where to visit, explore, and stay, watch a video presentation, and tour the former Confederate encampment that was based just yards away. Admission to the Rallying Point is free. Morven Park was the home of Baltimore’s former mayor, Thomas Swann, Jr., at the time of the Civil War. During the winter of 1861-62, following the Battle of Ball’s Bluff, Confederate soldiers of the 17th Mississippi Regiment built a camp on the property they named Camp Carolina. The soldiers’ huts were constructed of log with canvas or plank roofs. Each held four to six soldiers, and some had wood stoves installed inside. The mansion, where the officers stayed, had several Italianate-style towers rising above it, and many soldiers referred to it in their writings as "Swan’s Castle." In September 1862, Gen. Robert E. Lee’s army passed through Loudoun County on its way to the Battle of Antietam. Col. Thomas Munford and the 2nd Virginia Cavalry were sent ahead to clear the area of Union forces north of Leesburg. Their goal was to defeat the Independent Loudoun Rangers, a Union force raised in northwestern Loudoun by Capt. Samuel Means. The Rangers were joined by Capt. Henry Cole’s Independent Maryland Cavalry, which brought the Union force to about 180 men, versus about 200 on the Confederate side. Because of Col. Munford’s success in defeating the Union troops, Gen. Lee’s army was able to cross the Potomac with ease. Westmoreland Davis purchased Morven Park in 1903 and developed it into an agricultural showplace. He was sworn in as the 55th governor of Virginia in 1918. Today there are depressions and artifacts throughout the property where more than 60 Confederate soldier huts once stood. Replicas of those log huts have been constructed and provide the setting for portrayals of everyday camp life during special educational programs. Living "soldiers" share their war stories, with drilling and firing demonstrations for the public. Today, Morven Park encompasses 1,000-acres and includes the Museum of Hounds and Hunting, a carriage museum, gardens, and the governor’s residence.