Period dinner to honor 1861 Grand Review

Following the Union loss at First Manassas, President Lincoln and the country needed reassurance the government could put a formidable army in the field. On Nov. 20, 1861, Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan gave that assurance with a Grand Review at Bailey's Crossroads, Va., which Lincoln attended.

The Lincoln At the Crossroads Alliance wants to create a version of that important event as part of the Civil War sesquicentennial observance. To support that effort, the Alliance is holding a benefit, period dinner at the Willard International Hotel in Washington on Nov. 4.

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Tickets for the "A Call To Union" dinner are $200 and reservations must be made by Oct. 31. Contact Maria Elena Schacknies at 703-820-1904 or meschacknies@latcra.org. Speakers include Lincoln expert Frank J. Williams, and Civil War historian, author and editor William B. Styple. Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) has been invited.

The Alliance was created to commemorate the Grand Review, which put 70,000 troops on parade for an appreciative audience that included Lincoln, his cabinet and an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 spectators. McClellan was a genius for organization, and in a few months had drilled the troops into impressive marching units. The review also included seven regiments of cavalry and 120 pieces of artillery.

The reenactment -- with approximately 5,000 participants -- is also meant to draw attention to Bailey's Crossroads, a bustling cosmopolitan area of Northern Virginia with high rise condos, a sprawling shopping district, a college and a delightful assortment of small ethnic businesses.

The Crossroads neighborhood, located about seven miles west of the White House, was a far different place in November 1861. It was a rural area which had only recently been abandoned by Confederate troops but they hadn't gone far. The Stars-and-Bars could be seen flying on a nearby hill.

The reenactment is scheduled for Nov. 12, 2011. Other events planned for the day include a series of lectures, two Civil War balls and a commissioned painting of the 1861 Grand Review.

By Linda Wheeler  |  October 18, 2009; 8:38 PM ET
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