Alexandria, Virginia

Alexandria is a city in Northern Virginia directly south of Washington D.C.  It was a strategically important location during the Civil War, a necessary buffer against the Confederacy which Washington bordered. .  The city itself had been a slave trading city before the Civil War.  It became an important part of the North’s supply route with access to both trains and ships.  The land around Alexandria became a part of the defenses of Washington, and many forts were built during the very beginning of the war.  Fort Scott, the fort from which Charles Goodyear wrote, was one of those forts.  Unlike many cities in Northern Virginia, Alexandria did not have any battles, and as such survived the war physically unscathed, although its economy suffered greatly.
Source:
http://alexandriava.gov/historic/info/default.aspx?id=29540#civilwar

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