Glenfiddich House, also known as Harrison Hall, is a historic house in Leesburg, Virginia. The house was built in three sections, with the first section completed in 1780. When viewing the house from the street, the left wing of the residence is the original home. Between 1850 and 1860, the main block of the home was built for Henry and Jane Harrison (hence Harrison Hall), by the Norris Brothers of Leesburg, and is a good example of the Italianate style of home. The property still includes historic outbuildings: a log springhouse with V-notched corners, circa 1800, and a brick meat house, circa 1855.The Town of Leesburg, "Exploring Leesburg", 2003 During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

Harrison Hall became a hospitality center for

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...

officers passing through the area. After the

Battle of Ball's Bluff The Battle of Ball's Bluff was an early battle of the American Civil War fought in Loudoun County, Virginia, on October 21, 1861, in which Union Army forces under Major General George B. McClellan suffered a humiliating defeat. The operation was ...

on October 21, 1861, wounded soldiers were tended to at Harrison Hall. Among those was Colonel E. R. Burt of the 18th Mississippi. He died of his wound four days after the battle. The most famous Civil War visitor was none other than General

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

. The general broke one of his hands and sprained the other when his horse,

Traveller Traveler(s), traveller(s), The Traveler(s), or The Traveller(s) may refer to: People Generic terms *One engaged in travel *Explorer, one who searches for the purpose of discovery of information or resources *Nomad, a member of a community withou ...

, shied from a fast approaching courier. On September 4, 1862, General Lee received treatment at Harrison Hall; that evening he held a war council, planning the confederate invasion of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, which ended with the

Battle of Antietam The Battle of Antietam (), or Battle of Sharpsburg particularly in the Southern United States, was a battle of the American Civil War fought on September 17, 1862, between Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Union G ...

. Among the planners in attendance were Generals Lewis Armistead, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson,

James Longstreet James Longstreet (January 8, 1821January 2, 1904) was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Horse". He served under Lee as a corps ...

, and James Ewell Brown “Jeb” Stuart. From 1966 to 1968 poet and author James Dickey resided at Glenfiddich House, an easy commute to his position as poetry consultant to the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

It was during his stay that he began his manuscript for his novel

Deliverance ''Deliverance'' is a 1972 American survival thriller film produced and directed by John Boorman, and starring Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, and Ronny Cox, with the latter two making their feature film debuts. The screenplay was adapted ...

. The desk that he wrote the first drafts of the novel is still at Glenfiddich House.

References

External links

Leesburg, VA

Mort Kunstler

Literary Traveler
Houses in Loudoun County, Virginia {{Virginia-struct-stub