ProspectusWebsite ProposalThe Loudoun County Rangers
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| This is a proposal to do a website on the Loudoun County Rangers, the
only Virginia Regiment to fight for the Union in the Civil War. They were
from Waterford which was then a mostly Quaker town. Many were Quakers or
former Quakers who had to choose between their belief in pacifism and the
abhorrence of slavery. The unit engaged in a number of skirmishes and battles
with John Mosby’s Raiders and other Confederate cavalry units in the
Shenandoah Valley.
I published an article on the Loudoun Rangers several years ago so I have some familiarity with the sources. There are also a number of local resources and historians I could draw upon for help. In addition, there are a number of regimental history websites devoted to various units that I could study (and contact their designers for advice). The town of Waterford does have a page on its website about the Rangers. There are only a few other references to the Rangers on the web and no actual websites. This is somewhat surprising given the importance of the unit and the number of sources available. The only book on the regiment, the History of the Independent Loudoun Rangers, was published in 1896 by Briscoe Goodhart, a a veteran of the regiment. I used this book for my article “Loudoun Rangers Wage Lonely Fight for Union” (August 1, 1998) which can be viewed in the archives of the Washington Times newspaper. I would be most grateful for any comments or suggestions regarding this project. |
| Ron Maggiano October 23, 2003 |