Ask Molly: American Civil War Sites Around CIA Campus

Dear Molly,

I'm passing through Virginia for a few days and understand Northern Virginia is home to some American Civil War locations. I was able to visit Manassas National Battlefield Park and Arlington House. I'm curious if CIA Headquarters is on or near a historic Civil War site too?

~ Virginia is for Lovers

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Dear Virginia is for Lovers,

Welcome (back) to NoVa! Your question comes at a perfect time because this fall marks the 165th anniversary of two Civil War sites on or near CIA's Langleycompound. In fact, the battle history of Manassas is related to the sites around Langley, a community that was a Union stronghold within the Confederate commonwealth of Virginia.

Now you're probably wondering why I'm sharing an old picture of a tree. Well, it's not just any tree. This majestic specimen did not survive the blight that devastated American Chestnut trees across the eastern U.S. at the turn of the 20th century. Back in the day, however, it was the namesake for Camp Big Chestnut and later known as Camp Griffin, which extended across McLean, Virginia, including part of the grounds where CIA Headquarters now stands.

Camp Griffin-renamed in honor of Captain Charles Griffin who distinguished himself in combat during the First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas) in July 1861-was where Major General William "Baldy" Smith's First Vermont Brigade and its 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Vermont Infantry Regiments began training in October 1861 and stayed over the winter.

I'm sure you understand that CIA's campus is a restricted national security area, one so historical that sightseeing is prohibited. You're not missing much though because there are no Civil War historic markers or displayed relics of Baldy Smith's encampment. Each and every day, CIA officers drive around the Original Headquarter Building and New Headquarters Building, hunting for a spot in the sprawling parking lots, oblivious to the land's Civil War past.

Suburban development has also rendered other areas of the original Camp Griffin unrecognizable, but here are a few photos to give you an idea of what it looked like back then.

Situated just outside today's CIA perimeter was Camp Pierpont, which housed Union troops from Pennsylvania from October 1861 until March 1862. The Pennsylvania Reserves arrived in response to President Lincoln's call for volunteers to help protect Washington, DC after the Confederate victory in Manassas. By the way, in West Virginia, there's a historic marker for a different Camp Pierpont where Union troops from western Virginia were based in June 1861.

Beyond the Civil War, I want to recommend another site to visit around Northern Virginia, if you're up for it: Prince William Forest Park near Quantico, Virginia. The park served as a training ground for the Office of Strategic Services, CIA's predecessor organization during WWII, and has its own secrets to tell if you wander the quiet deer trails, retracing the footsteps of spies.

Hope you enjoy the rest of your trip!

~ Molly