Between Reb and Yank: A Civil War History of Northern Loudoun County, Virginia
Taylor M. Chamberlin and John M. Souders; McFarland & Co.
Following the October 1861 Battle of Ball’s Bluff—a Confederate victory that made it painfully clear to the Federals the war would not be over by that Christmas—Loudoun County was relegated to being seen as a relative backwater to the grand campaigns that occurred throughout the Eastern Theater over the next three years. All the same, the region would be the setting for innumerable minor skirmishes that sometimes had major cumulative effects.
Given the role played behind the scenes by spies, smugglers and guerrillas on both sides of the conflict, it is perhaps appropriate that two Central Intelligence Agency retirees from the Loudoun Valley, Taylor M. Chamberlin and John M. Souders, have channeled their research talents toward chronicling the important role that Loudoun played in the war. A wealth of accounts by combatants and civilians mired in the lengthy struggle— including pacifist Quakers who were caught in the middle and suffered mightily for their beliefs—make Between Reb and Yank a fascinating glimpse into a civil war within the Civil War.
Originally published in the April 2012 issue of Civil War Times. To subscribe, click here.
