This small Union victory is often overlooked, but it was emblematic of the fighting that was to come. At Dranesville, civilians were caught up in the spreading Civil War, and officers, who would become household names, gained early experience.

Ryan Quint, a native of Maine, earned his degree in history from the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA. He has worked in the field of public history, including at the George Washington Foundation, Colonial Williamsburg, and the National Park Service.