Virginians voted overwhelmingly for secession form the Union on May 23, 1861. Overnight, Union Army troops stationed in Washington, D.C., moved to occupy what is now Arlington County. The main body of the troops crossed the Potomac River via 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. Shells launched from that high ground could have reached federal buildings across the river.
The Advance Guard of the Grand Army of the United States Crossing the Long Bridge on the Potomac at 2 A.M. on May 24, 1861, from Harper's Weekly, June 8, 1861. Today's 14th Street railroad bridge built at the same location is also called the Long Bridge.
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