A referendum on retrocession was held on September 1 & ndash; 2, 1846.
12.
Members of Congress proposed retrocession because they found disenfranchisement of the District's residents to be unacceptable.
13.
One argument against retrocession was that the federal government did in fact use Alexandria : as a cemetery.
14.
Virginia legislators were concerned that the people of Alexandria County had not been properly included in the retrocession proceedings.
15.
There had been four county equivalents in the District prior to the retrocession of Alexandria to Virginia in 1846.
16.
Mirel, a 35-year resident of the city, acknowledged that gathering support for retrocession will be difficult.
17.
On February 2, 1846, the Virginia General Assembly agreed to accept the retrocession of Alexandria if Congress approved.
18.
After months of debate, the Virginia General Assembly voted to formally accept the retrocession legislation on March 13, 1847.
19.
Kruger was absent due to his illness, but he did attend the official retrocession five days later in Church Square.
20.
Some representatives rejected the idea of retrocession entirely and concluded that the Congress lacked the constitutional authority to return the territory.
