News

Lee-Fendall House hosting living history event, lectures on Civil War medicine in Alexandria

By James Cullum

During the Civil War, the former home of Revolutionary War hero Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee was converted into a hospital for wounded Union soldiers. On Saturday (March 19), the Lee-Fendall House will briefly be converted into a hospital with living history reenactors.

The home of the former Virginia governor, and father of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, was also the site of the first-known successful blood transfusion.

The event is one of the following historical discussions taking place at the Lee-Fendall House this month:

  • Friday, March 18 —  Historian Dianne Murphy will conduct a lecture on the Civil War’s impact on modern medicine at 6 p.m.
  • Saturday, March 19 — The living history event will be conducted from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Friday, March 25 —  Historian Amanda Roper will conduct a lecture on “The Fight for Freedom at L’Ouverture Hospital” at 6 p.m. The hospital was where United States Colored Troops and African American civilians  were treated during the war in Alexandria

The events cost $10 for adults and $5 for students ages 17 and under.

 

About the Author

  • Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.