Editing College of William & Mary (section)

===American Civil War===
[[File:Wren 1859 william and mary.jpg|thumb|The College Building as it appeared from 1859–1862 with [[Italianate architecture|Italianate]] towers]]
At the outset of the [[American Civil War]] (1861–1865), enlistments in the [[Confederate States Army]] depleted the student body. On May 10, 1861, the faculty voted to close the college for the duration of the conflict. [[Charles A. Whittier|General Charles A. Whittier]] reported that "thirty-two out of thirty-five professors and instructors abandoned the college work and joined the army in the field".<ref>{{cite book|last=Gordon|first=John Brown|url=https://archive.org/details/reminiscencesci02gordgoog/page/n451/mode/1up|title=Reminiscences of the Civil War|publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons|year=1903|location=New York|pages=422}}</ref> The [[Wren Building|College Building]] was used as a Confederate barracks and later as a hospital, first by Confederate, and later Union forces. The [[Battle of Williamsburg]] was fought nearby during the [[Peninsula Campaign]] on May 5, 1862. The following day, on May 6, 1863, Williamsburg was captured by the [[Union army]]. The [[Brafferton (building)|Brafferton building of the college]] was used for a time as quarters for the commanding officer of the Union garrison occupying the town. On September 9, 1862, drunken soldiers of the [[5th Pennsylvania Cavalry]] set fire to the College Building,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wm.edu/vitalfacts/nineteenth2.php |title=1850–1899 {{pipe}} Historical Facts |work=Historical Chronology of William and Mary |publisher=Wm.edu |access-date=September 26, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704205939/http://www.wm.edu/vitalfacts/nineteenth2.php |archive-date=July 4, 2008}}</ref> purportedly in an attempt to prevent Confederate snipers from using it for cover.{{Primary source inline|date=May 2022}}