Information Panel: Trophy of War

Information Panel: Trophy of War

NPS / Claire Hassler

Quick Facts

Amenities

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Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Tactile Exhibit

As Union forces threatened to occupy northern Virginia in 1861, the Lee family evacuated Arlington House. Looking across the river, you can see the vantage point it offered to protect the capital city. The hilltop swelled with tents, cannons, wagons, and horses. Union officers moved into the house, transforming it into a headquarters. The soldiers stole cherished family heirlooms from the shelves as war souvenirs.

A Union soldier penciled these words into a wood beam in the Arlington House attic, shown above at two times thickness.

"I grieve at the necessity that drives you from your home."

Robert E. Lee to his wife, Mary, May 8, 1861