As many as 70,000 men formed a semi-circle four miles long in the Bailey's Crossroads section of Fairfax County, Virginia. A crowd of 20,000-30,000 civilians watched on as McClellan and Lincoln rode along the line of troops, greeted by the soldier's cheers.

If you dare listen, you'll hear distant marching…cannon fire…muffled cries. These are the ghosts of the Civil War, and some say they put the extra chill in October's air.

Once known as Earp's Corner, then Providence, then Fairfax Court House, the City of Fairfax has a long and colorful history dating back to the early 1700s. And one trip to the Fairfax Visitor Center and Museum will tell you that one of the most critical historic roles the city played was during the Civil War.

Major General Philip Kearny, son of a wealthy New York family, could have pursued any career. But after studying law at Columbia University, he chose to serve. And he eventually met his fate in Fairfax County, Virginia.

Initially viewed by many as a great adventure, a sobering reality set in that fateful Sunday when the Battle of First Manassas ultimately produced over 4,500 causalities and ended the innocence of a young nation. July 2011 brings with it Virginia's most significant commemoration of the Civil War's sesquicentennial to date.

In June 1861, nearly two months after the firing on Fort Sumter, the northern press and public were eager for the Union Army to capture Richmond and put an end to the secession movement once and for all. Subsequent Union incursions into Fairfax County, Virginia resulted in skirmishes, including one at Fairfax Court House that was the first land conflict of organized military units in the Civil War.

Over a month before the Civil War's first well-known battle at Manassas, Fairfax County, Virginia was already engaged in conflict. From the moment Virginia voters chose to secede from the Union on May 23rd, this region found itself in the unenviable position of being on the front lines of two nations about to clash.

In April and May of 1861, our nation was in the midst of an internal crisis deeper than any previously known in US history and, arguably, unmatched since. Our united states were no longer united. Dissent reached fever pitch. And a war between patriots loomed dangerously on the horizon.

For the state of Virginia, the road to war was long and heart wrenching, pitting the interest of the state's Secessionists against those of the Unionists. A look back into the county's history, however, reveals the slow swelling of unrest that turned the tide in the final months leading up to war.

There is perhaps no greater example of irony than the role of African Americans in the Civil War. Until President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation nearly two years into the war, African American men were not allowed to fight for their own freedom.

With the Civil War's Sesquicentennial now upon us, Fairfax County, Virginia introduces a new section of our website to guide you through the commemoration!