Wolf Run Shoals

Last updated

Wolf Run Shoals on the Occoquan River as it appeared in July 2019 Wolf Run Shoals.jpg
Wolf Run Shoals on the Occoquan River as it appeared in July 2019

Wolf Run Shoals was an important crossing point on the Occoquan River in northern Virginia between Alexandria and Richmond during the 18th and 19th centuries. It consisted of three islands and a mill, now submerged under the Occoquan due to higher water levels following damming for flood control, water supply, and power generation. [1] It is located near the unincorporated communities of Butts Corner, Makleys Corner, and Farrs Corner in southern Fairfax County, Virginia.

Contents

History

Washington Rochambeau Wagon Road trail as it appeared in July 2019 Washington Rochambeau Route Wolf Run Shoals.jpg
Washington Rochambeau Wagon Road trail as it appeared in July 2019

During the American Revolutionary War on September 27, 1781, Wolf Run Shoals was the site of the southerly crossing of a combined American-French force under General George Washington and Count Rochambeau on their way to the Siege of Yorktown. It was also the site of multiple Civil War crossings by both Union and Confederate forces. Confederate General Wade Hampton's regiments encamped and picketed on the south side during the winter of 1861-2 until March 1863, while the Army of the Potomac's Second, Twelfth, and Sixth Corps forded north here in June 1863 en route to what became the Battle of Gettysburg. Shortly thereafter, Confederate General JEB Stuart's Army of Northern Virginia cavalry also crossed when the 2nd Vermont Brigade withdrew on orders and left the ford unguarded. [2] [3] [4]

Present day

Today Wolf Run Shoals is only an historical and recreational site located in Fountainhead Regional Park, accessible on the northern side from Wolf Run Shoals Road in Fairfax County. An historical marker was dedicated in Clifton, Virginia on June 21, 2014. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clifton, Virginia</span> Town in Virginia, United States

Clifton is an incorporated town located in southwestern Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, with a population of 243 at the time of the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Blackburn's Ford</span> Battle of the American Civil War

The Battle of Blackburn's Ford took place on July 18, 1861, in the Confederate state of Virginia, as part of the Manassas campaign of the American Civil War. Union general Irvin McDowell's Army of Northeastern Virginia was marching south towards the Confederate capital of Richmond, and encountered the Confederate Army of the Potomac under the command of P. G. T. Beauregard. McDowell sent troops from Daniel Tyler's division to probe the Confederate defenses along Bull Run Creek to locate the Confederate left flank. At Blackburn's Ford, the Union troops attempted to cross but Confederate fire broke up the attack. The repulse at Blackburn's Ford led McDowell to seek to attack the Confederates at a different point along their line, leading to the First Battle of Bull Run three days later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Battle of Rappahannock Station</span> Battle of the American Civil War

The First Battle of Rappahannock Station, as took place on August 23, 1862, at present-day Remington, Virginia, as part of the Northern Virginia Campaign of the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Mine Run</span> Battle during the American Civil War

The Battle of Mine Run, also known as Payne's Farm, or New Hope Church, or the Mine Run campaign, was conducted in Orange County, Virginia, in the American Civil War.

NOVA Parks is an inter-jurisdictional organization that owns and operates more than 10,000 acres of woodlands, streams, parks, trails, nature reserves, countryside and historic sites in Northern Virginia in the United States. The Authority was organized in 1959. NOVA Parks presently operates 34 regional parks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bull Run (Occoquan River tributary)</span> River in Virginia, United States

Bull Run is a 31.8-mile-long (51.2 km) tributary of the Occoquan River that originates from a spring in the Bull Run Mountains in Loudoun County, Virginia, and flows south to the Occoquan River. Bull Run serves as the boundary between Loudoun County and Prince William County, and between Fairfax County and Prince William County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colchester, Virginia</span> Unincorporated community in Virginia, United States

Colchester is a historic unincorporated community on the Occoquan River in Fairfax County, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2nd Vermont Brigade</span>

The 2nd Vermont Brigade was an infantry brigade in the Union Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">14th Vermont Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 14th Vermont Infantry Regiment was a nine months' infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It served in the eastern theater, predominantly in the Defenses of Washington, from October 1862 to August 1863. It was a member of the 2nd Vermont Brigade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington–Rochambeau Revolutionary Route</span> National Historic Trail of the United States

The Washington–Rochambeau Revolutionary Route is a 680-mile (1,090 km) series of roads used in 1781 by the Continental Army under the command of George Washington and the Expédition Particulière under the command of Jean-Baptiste de Rochambeau during their 14-week march from Newport, Rhode Island, to Yorktown, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Willard</span>

Fort Willard is a former Union Army installation now located in the Belle Haven area of Fairfax County in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is currently undergoing preservation treatment to protect its earthen walls and trenches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia State Route 612 (Fairfax and Prince William Counties)</span> Secondary state highway in Virginia, United States

State Route 612 in Fairfax and Prince William counties, Virginia, is a secondary state highway. The two counties are separated by water, so SR 612 contains a bridge that is one of only eight crossings between the counties. Because of this, SR 612 is heavily traveled during rush hour.

Bull Run Regional Park is a 1,568-acre (635 ha) multi-use facility located in Centreville, Virginia, owned and operated by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority.

Fort O'Rourke is a former Union Army installation now located in the Belle Haven area of Fairfax County in the U.S. state of Virginia. It was the southernmost fort built to defend Washington, D.C. in the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upton's Hill</span>

Upton's Hill, or Upton Hill, is a geographic eminence located in western Arlington County, Virginia. Its summit rises to 413 feet (126 m) above sea level and is located in Fairfax County just over the Arlington county boundary and just east of the driveway to Upton Hill Regional Park, near the batting cage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occoquan River</span> Tributary of the Potomac River in Northern Virginia

The Occoquan River is a tributary of the Potomac River in Northern Virginia, where it serves as part of the boundary between Fairfax and Prince William counties. The river is a scenic area, and several local high schools and colleges use the river for the sport of rowing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Vienna, Virginia</span> 1861 engagement during the American Civil War

The Battle of Vienna, Virginia was a minor engagement between Union and Confederate forces on June 17, 1861, during the early days of the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occoquan Regional Park</span>

Occoquan Regional Park is a regional park along a tributary of the Potomac River, located in Lorton in Fairfax County in Northern Virginia, USA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Fairfax Court House (1863)</span> Battle of the American Civil War

The Battle of Fairfax Court House was fought during the Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil War between two cavalry detachments from the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by General Joseph Hooker, and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by General Robert E. Lee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gum Springs, Virginia</span> Unincorporated community in Virginia, United States

Gum Springs is a community in Fairfax County in Hybla Valley along Route 1. The African American community, the oldest in the county, was established in 1833 by West Ford, a freedman who had been manumitted by Hannah Bushrod Washington, in 1805. A historical marker was erected by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources in 1991.

References

  1. "Wolf Run Shoals" . Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  2. "Military Operations" . Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  3. "Washington-Rochambeau Wagon Route" . Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  4. "Wolf Run Shoals" . Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  5. "Marker Dedicated at Wolf Run Shoals in Clifton Site played important role during Civil War" . Retrieved July 14, 2019.

38°43′30.8″N77°21′36.8″W / 38.725222°N 77.360222°W / 38.725222; -77.360222