June 15, 2007

Civil War History of Hunter Mill uncovered in “Danger Between the Lines”

A local group of Civil War historians, writers, and researchers has completed a video portraying the Civil War conflict and the resulting anguish experienced by soldiers, neighbors, and raiders along the seven mile stretch of Hunter Mill Road in Oakton, Vienna, and Reston, Virginia. The Hunter Mill Defense League production was made with a desire to educate citizens of all ages and to help preserve this historic Virginia Byway.

The one hour and eighteen minute movie provides a rarely seen perspective of the war by using period photographs, sketches, journals and letters to bring both the military and civilian experience to life. Authentic period music underscores the movie courtesy of one of the nation’s premier Civil War Reenactment bands, the 2nd South Carolina String Band. The video features the well-known local historian Tom Evans and is narrated by nationally renowned speaker Dave Yoho.

“Control of the Hunter Mill Corridor alternated ten times between Confederate and Union forces during the War, said producer Steve Hull. “The civilians living along the road were a mixture of Union and Confederate-leaning farmers, many with deadly-strong convictions. The flow of armies in and out of the area heightened their tensions. This is the drama portrayed in the movie.”

The video was shown for the first time to the two-hundred-member Bull Run Civil War Round Table on June 14th at the Centreville Regional Library.  After the showing, amidst cheers, comments like “Good as Ken Burns” and “That was truly top-notch” were heard.

The video in DVD form is now offered for sale for $16 to the public at www.HMDL.org. All proceeds from the sale of the video will be used to support local preservation efforts, historical research and placement of historical markers.