Alexandria, Virginia, a port city with deep roots in pre-Revolutionary America, was a heavily divided and conflicted city during the Civil War. Citizens, enslaved people, and Union Army occupiers struggled through four years, nursing the dying and wounded from the front and sheltering emancipated people. The memories of the war still resonate today.

Author and journalist Chuck Raasch guides you on a tour that courses through the heart of Old Town. Significant points along the way include the scorched walls of the offices of one of the nation’s oldest newspapers; Alexandria National Cemetery, one of the original national cemeteries, whose interred people represent many aspects of the war; and the site of the war’s first combat death. Other stops include St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, where a minister was arrested in the middle of a service, and Freedom House Museum, the notorious location where enslaved people were jailed and sold before the war.

Know Before You Go

• Tour participants meet at the entrance steps of the Hilton Alexandria Old Town, 1767 King Street, Alexandria, VA (King Street-Old Town Metro Station), and ends at the Alexandria waterfront.
• The tour involves approximately 1.5 miles of walking.

Additional Date Options for this Tour

• November 1, 10 a.m.
• November 3, 10 a.m.

General Information

• Registration for this tour will end by 2 p.m. ET on Friday, November 1, 2024.
• Smithsonian Associates is a mask-friendly environment. Please feel free to bring and wear a mask at any time during a tour, both for your safety or the safety of others.
• As we aim to move away from single use water bottles, guests are strongly encouraged to get in the habit of bringing their own reusable water bottle on tour.
• For additional tour information:
• Study Tour Policies
• Refund/Cancellation Policy