Culpeper Battlefields State Park

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Culpeper Battlefields State Park
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Location of Culpeper Battlefields State Park
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Culpeper Battlefields State Park (the United States)
Location Culpeper County, Virginia
Nearest city Culpeper, Virginia
Coordinates 38°28′04″N78°02′48″W / 38.4678201°N 78.046658°W / 38.4678201; -78.046658
Area263 acres (106 ha)
Established2024 [1]
Governing body Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation

Culpeper Battlefields State Park is a state park in Culpeper County, Virginia. The park was authorized for creation by Governor Glenn Youngkin on June 21, 2022 and officially dedicated on June 8, 2024. Many of the sites are already protected by other land preservation organizations. [2] [3] It is the first state park in Culpeper County and the northern Virginia Piedmont region.

Contents

The park features several disconnected battlefields where major engagements took place during the American Civil War, with primary focus on the Cedar Mountain battlefield, just south of Culpeper, and Brandy Station Battlefield, located northeast of the town. In addition, parts of the battlefields at Kelly's Ford and Rappahannock Station, and the Union winter quarters on Hansbrough's Ridge near Stevensburg are included in the park. [4] [5]

History

Governor Glenn Youngkin at the dedication for the park in June 2024 Culpeper Battlefields State Park Dedication, Culpeper - 6-8-24 - 043.jpg
Governor Glenn Youngkin at the dedication for the park in June 2024

Culpeper County's geographic location between the Rapidan and the Rappahannock rivers made it high priority for both the Union and Confederate armies. At the Battle of Cedar Mountain, fought on August 9, 1862, a Confederate army under Maj. Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson pushed back Union forces under Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks attempting to capture the railway junction at Gordonsville. The Battle of Brandy Station, fought on June 9, 1863, came at the beginning of the Gettysburg campaign and featured the largest cavalry battle ever in North America. [4] In addition to the many battles that took place in Culpeper County, the land is steeped in African American and Native American history. Thousands of escaped slaves fled Culpeper County across the Rappahannock River in an attempt to gain their freedom, with some returning to fight as free men. [6]

Details

The park currently comprises 263 acres (106 ha), but will grow to over 2,200 acres (890 ha) over the next few years through a series of planned acquisitions from American Battlefield Trust, Brandy Station Foundation and the Cedar Mountain Battlefield to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. [6]

As required by the Code of Virginia, a state park master plan is currently in development. State park master plans cover all details of the park, including significance, size, locations of facilities, infrastructure, and development costs. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Fredericksburg</span> Major battle (1862) of the American Civil War

The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat between the Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia under Gen. Robert E. Lee included futile frontal attacks by the Union army on December 13 against entrenched Confederate defenders along the Sunken Wall on the heights behind the city. It is remembered as one of the most one-sided battles of the war, with Union casualties more than twice as heavy as those suffered by the Confederates. A visitor to the battlefield described the battle as a "butchery" to U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.

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Culpeper County is a county located along the borderlands of the northern and central region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 52,552. Its county seat and only incorporated community is Culpeper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Brandy Station</span> 1863 cavalry engagement during the American Civil War

The Battle of Brandy Station, also called the Battle of Fleetwood Hill, was the largest predominantly cavalry engagement of the American Civil War, as well as the largest ever to take place on American soil. It was fought on June 9, 1863, around Brandy Station, Virginia, at the beginning of the Gettysburg Campaign by the Union cavalry under Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton against Maj. Gen. J. E. B. Stuart's Confederate cavalry.

The Second Battle of Rappahannock Station took place on November 7, 1863, near the village of Rappahannock Station, on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Cedar Mountain</span> 1862 battle of the American Civil War

The Battle of Cedar Mountain, also known as Slaughter's Mountain or Cedar Run, took place on August 9, 1862, in Culpeper County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. Union forces under Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks attacked Confederate forces under Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson near Cedar Mountain as the Confederates marched on Culpeper Court House to forestall a Union advance into central Virginia. After nearly being driven from the field in the early part of the battle, a Confederate counterattack broke the Union lines resulting in a Confederate victory. The battle was the first combat of the Northern Virginia campaign.

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The Battle of Kelly's Ford, also known as the Battle of Kellysville or Kelleysville, took place on March 17, 1863, in Culpeper County, Virginia, as part of the cavalry operations along the Rappahannock River during the American Civil War. It set the stage for Brandy Station and other cavalry actions of the Gettysburg Campaign that summer. Twenty-one hundred troopers of Brig. Gen. William W. Averell's Union cavalry division crossed the Rappahannock to attack the Confederate cavalry that had been harassing them that winter. Brig. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee counterattacked with a brigade of about 800 men. After achieving a localized success, Union forces withdrew under pressure in late afternoon, without destroying Lee's cavalry.

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The Bristoe campaign was a series of minor battles fought in Virginia during October and November 1863, in the American Civil War. Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, commanding the Union Army of the Potomac, began to maneuver in an unsuccessful attempt to defeat Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. Lee countered with a turning movement, which caused Meade to withdraw his army back toward Centreville. Lee struck at Bristoe Station on October 14, but suffered losses in two brigades and withdrew. As Meade followed south once again, the Union army smashed a Confederate defensive bridgehead at Rappahannock Station on November 7 and drove Lee back across the Rapidan River. Along with the infantry battles, the cavalry forces of the armies fought at Auburn on October 13, again at Auburn on October 14, and at Buckland Mills on October 19.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Virginia campaign</span> Series of battles fought in Virginia during the American Civil War

The Northern Virginia Campaign, also known as the Second Bull Run Campaign or Second Manassas Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during August and September 1862 in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee followed up his successes of the Seven Days Battles in the Peninsula campaign by moving north toward Washington, D.C., and defeating Maj. Gen. John Pope and his Army of Virginia.

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The First Battle of Auburn was fought on October 13, 1863, between Union infantry and Confederate cavalry forces at the start of the Bristoe Campaign during the American Civil War. A Union infantry column stumbled upon a Confederate cavalry reconnaissance party and a short, inconclusive fight ensued. The Confederate cavalry withdrew in the face of the superior Union force, but a much larger body of Confederate cavalry under Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart, attempting to raid a Union wagon train became entrapped by the column, forcing them to abandon the raid and hide in a ravine overnight awaiting Confederate infantry to come to their aid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Bristoe Station</span> 1863 battle of the American Civil War

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Culpeper Court House</span> Battle of the American Civil War

The Battle of Culpeper Court House was an American Civil War skirmish fought September 13, 1863, near Culpeper, Virginia, between the cavalry of the Union Army of the Potomac and that of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. The Union victory opened up the Culpeper region to Federal control, a prelude to the subsequent Bristoe Campaign.

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References

  1. https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/history
  2. "Info & News". The Friends of Culpeper Battlefields. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  3. "New Battlefield State Park Coming to Virginia!". American Battlefield Trust. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  4. 1 2 Schemmer, Clint (2022-06-03). "Culpeper Battlefields State Park approved by Virginia General Assembly". Culpeper Star-Exponent. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  5. "Culpeper Battlefields State Park". www.dcr.virginia.gov. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
  6. 1 2 Champion, Allison Brophy. "'A lot more stories to tell': Master planning is underway for Battlefields State Park". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  7. "State Park Master Plans". www.dcr.virginia.gov. Retrieved 2024-01-15.