Civil War Comes to Oatlands

The Civil War arrived in Loudoun County on October 21, 1861, with the Battle of Ball's Bluff. As Confederate forces gathered to protect Leesburg, Elizabeth Grayson Carter, the widowed mistress of Oatlands, wrote in her journal on October 17, "Our troops falling back on Centerville - Mississippi Regt's encamped at the Mill - Solders here all day."

Elizabeth's son Benjamin served with the 8th Virginia Infantry Regiment, while her son George acted as a courier. On the day of the battle, she wrote, "A day of excitement - Ben came home at night wounded in the little finger. Wonderful escape - Terrible Battle near Leesburg - great victory for us tho' our loss is great."

Anticipating another Union attack, Confederate Gen. Nathan "Shanks" Evans withdrew his exhausted troops to Carter's Mill on Goose Creek and told Mrs. Carter he intended to make Oatlands his headquarters. Before leaving for the safety of her family home in Upperville on October 23, she wrote: "Servants cooked all day for this last detachment of prisoners. 131 prisoners passed. We left O[tlands] for Bellefield. Troops collecting in the field beyond the creek. 2 new Regiments and part of the Washington Artillery arrived. General Evans and Staff made O. Headquaters."

Elizabeth Carter remained at her Upperville residence until her death in 1885. Oatlands served throughout the war as a haven for family, friends, and soldiers, including Eppa Hunton, Norborne Berkeley, Baron Von Massow, and Mosby's Rangers.

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