The four counties of Northern Virginia were the most important of the Civil War in a number of campaigns. At the outset of the war, troops from the distant reaches of the North and South arrived there ready for battle. As this important area falls to urban development the author has ceaselessly recorded its Civil War sites for posterity. In many cases, the author was able to duplicate Civil War scenes from the same spot the artist or photographer positioned himself over 140 years before.

Visit First & Second Manassas, Ox Hill, Balls Bluff and the fast disappearing sites made famous by both the common soldier and Generals Lee, Beauregard, Stuart, Kearny, McClellan and the renowned Colonels John S. Mosby and Elijah White. See the site where the famous Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, first cared for Union casualties. This book is full of lavish “Then and Now” photos, original prints, maps and sketches, all carefully described and compared. The role of the civilians of the area is examined before, during and after the war. Particular emphasis is placed on the effect this devastating war had on the lives of Northern Virginia’s resident families.

The following is a review in the Vol. 30 No. 1/2003 North South Trader’s Civil War magazine by publisher Steve Sylvia:

“This is the latest addition to the prolific author’s list of published titles.
Unlike his usual fare of relics, however, the author here offers a presentation of then and now images of the vanishing historic sites of his beloved Northern Virginia. …………………………

The author has done a creditable task of preserving some vestige of what has been lost in 138 pages of this work. Using period photos, sketches, and maps, he has matched scenes with modern-day views from the same vantage point. Although Northern Virginia will never return to what it was in the 1860’s, we can at least take some measure of comfort in Howard Crouch’s preservation of the visual record.”