Modified from the Civil War Trails marker- On the night of June 1, 1861, just a few hours after the Battle of Fairfax Court House, a scouting party of Virginia militia attacked U.S. troops at Arlington Mill, which stood to your right. Company E 1st MI Volunteer Infantry Regiment was on picket duty at the mill guarding the Columbia Turnpike and the Alexandria, Loudoun, and Hampshire Railroad. In a nearby house, Company G, of the 11th NY Volunteer Infantry Regiment (1st New York Fire Zouaves), prepared to relieve the Michigan men. At about 11 P.M. the Virginians fired at the pickets, killing one (Private Henry S. Cornell of Company G, 11th NY) and wounding another (also a member of the Fire Zouaves), while the Virginians suffered one wounded during the firefight. The militiamen were driven off after a brief exchange of fire, with one man wounded. The “Skirmish at Arlington Mills ” as the New York Times called it, was among the first military engagements of the Civil War. It occurred only about a week after the May 23 vote ratifying the secession of Virginia from the United States. The fight helped show that Washington was vulnerable to Confederate attacks and its defenses needed to be strengthened. Arlington Mill was destroyed by fire in 1920.

Sources

The Glories of War, Small Battles and Early Heroes of 1861. by Charles P. Poland Jr.

Civil War Military Operations in Northern Virginia in May-June 1861 by William H. Price. The Arlington Historical Society. Volume 2, No. 1, October 1961.