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Newspaper The Local News (Alexandria, Va.) 1861-1862

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About The Local News (Alexandria, Va.) 1861-1862

The Alexandria Local News was published daily from the office of the Alexandria Gazette during the suppression of that paper by Union forces during the Civil War. Federal troops had captured Alexandria on May 24, 1861, and the following day, the Gazette suspended publication. The Local News, a small single sheet, was issued merely to fill a temporary want. It was published from October 7, 1861, to February 10, 1862, during which time the Gazette was shut down and its office burned. Fortunately, the early file of the paper had been removed to the residence of the editor.

During the Union invasion of Alexandria Col. Orlando Wilcox had demanded that Gazette editor Edgar Snowden publish a proclamation of martial law. Snowden closed down the newspaper rather than consent to the demand. As a result of this action, Federal troops seized the office of the Gazette, demolishing property and looting bonds and certificates. For five months, the city of Alexandria was without a newspaper.

Samuel Snowden, Edgar’s father, had become sole owner and editor of the Gazette in 1800, a paper that traces its ancestry back to 1784 and that boasts of being the oldest daily newspaper printed continuously and still in circulation. Edgar Snowden succeeded his father as editor at the age of 21. He served as Mayor of Alexandria in 1841 and was the first representative of Alexandria to the Virginia Assembly after the retrocession of Alexandria to Virginia in 1846.

By October 1861, Snowden was ready to resume the operation of his newspapers. He published along with W. F. Crane the Local News as “a temporary experimental [sheet] issued in the conviction that it is responsive to a public want.” Snowden wrote, “The Local News is issued about half-past three p.m. and contains all town matters of public interest, and a general and condensed summary of the current news of the day, prepared expressly for it, strictly with reference to the truth, as far as that can be reached.” Snowden offered to the citizens of Alexandria, “we hope to see this (little sheet) a welcome visitor every afternoon to the dwelling houses, counting rooms, stores and shops of every resident of Alexandria. We labor diligently to make it deserving of public patronage. Though small, it contains all the Local News of any interest whatever, with a condensed summary of the stirring incidents which mark the present era every day.”

Edgar Snowden would have one more run-in with Union forces before publication of the Local News ceased. When the rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church omitted the prayer for the Union president, an irate Union officer promptly had him arrested. The following day, Snowden characterized the incident as an “outrage on Christianity and propriety.” Union soldiers retaliated by setting the newspaper’s headquarters on fire. Operation of the Local News ceased on February 10, 1862. The Alexandria Gazette resumed publication on May 13, 1862, and ran until October 31, 1864, when Snowden was arrested by military authorities. The Gazette resumed publication on January 3, 1865, and has been in print since.

Provided By: Library of Virginia; Richmond, VA

About this Newspaper

Title

  • The Local News (Alexandria, Va.) 1861-1862

Dates of Publication

  • 1861-1862

Created / Published

  • Alexandria, Va. : E. Snowden, Jr. & W.F. Carne, 1861-1862.

Headings

  • -  Alexandria (Va.)--Newspapers
  • -  Virginia--Alexandria
  • -  United States--Virginia--Alexandria

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Daily (except Sunday)
  • -  Oct. 7, 1861-Feb. 10, 1862.
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format as part of the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.
  • -  Published from the office of the Alexandria gazette during the suppression of that paper by Union forces.

Medium

  • 1 volume ; 46 cm

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn85025008

OCLC Number

  • 11539546

ISSN Number

  • 2163-453x

Additional Metadata Formats

Availability

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress believes that the newspapers in Chronicling America are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions. Newspapers published in the United States more than 95 years ago are in the public domain in their entirety. Any newspapers in Chronicling America that were published less than 95 years ago are also believed to be in the public domain, but may contain some copyrighted third party materials. Researchers using newspapers published less than 95 years ago should be alert for modern content (for example, registered and renewed for copyright and published with notice) that may be copyrighted. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item.

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

The Local News Alexandria, Va. -1862. (Alexandria, VA), Jan. 1 1861. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn85025008/.

APA citation style:

(1861, January 1) The Local News Alexandria, Va. -1862. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sn85025008/.

MLA citation style:

The Local News Alexandria, Va. -1862. (Alexandria, VA) 1 Jan. 1861. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/sn85025008/.