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Fauquier County and Warrenton

For information about Fauquier's Civil War sites, stop at the visitor center located just off Route 17 in Warrenton. More info: 800-820-1021.

The following sites in Warrenton and Fauquier County are marked by Civil War Trails interpretation unless otherwise noted:

Warrenton Cemetery, across the street from the visitor center off Route 17 – A dramatic new memorial to more than 600 Confederate soldiers who died in nearby makeshift hospitals stands near the grave of Confederate raider John S. Mosby. [No Trails sign.]

Spilman-Mosby House
Trails signs located at the house (173 Main St, Warrenton VA 20186) and the Warrenton/Fauquier County visitor center.
 Road map 
   Constructed 1859-1861 by Judge Edward Spillman, this home was owned by the famed Confederate cavalryman John S. Mosby, who bought the house in 1875. When his wife died Mosby sold the home to another famous Confederate Eppa Hunton.

Old Jail Museum, Warrenton – Good Civil War displays, with some great Mosby items, are included in the excellent small museum. Jail dates to 1808. 10 am–4 pm Tuesday-Sunday. Free. Trails sign begins a walking tour of the town. 540-347-5525.

Thoroughfare Gap – Major route through the Bull Run Mountains was the site of dramatic Civil War events including those leading up to the Second Battle of Manassas. Trails sign located on Route 55 between The Plains and Haymarket.

Sky Meadows State Park (Mount Bleak)
On Route 17
540-592-3556
    Beautiful vistas and the historic Mount Bleak, home of the Abner Settle family, are highlights in the park. Stonewall Jackson's troops camped here before leaving for the Battle of First Manassas. Many Mosby associations. Trails sign at house. Park open 8 am–dusk. Inquire about house tours at the visitor center.

Rappahannock Station, Business Route 29 just outside Remington – The Orange and Alexandria Railroad crossed the Rappahannock River here, making this place a strategic goal for both armies. Fighting Nov. 7, 1863, put the crossing under Union control for the rest of the war. Driving tour information at the Fredericksburg National Park visitor center.

Catlett's Station, Catlett – J.E.B. Stuart's cavalrymen attacked this Union supply depot Aug. 22, 1862, capturing, among other things, Federal commander John Pope's cloak, hat and dispatch book. Intelligence gathered here helped Stonewall Jackson plan his Second Manassas campaign.

Delaplane (Piedmont Station) – Stonewall Jackson's Confederate troops boarded trains here July 19, 1861, to travel to Manassas. It was the first time in history railroads were used to move soldiers to an impending battle. Many of the buildings here date to that time.

Buckland Races, Trails sign at the commuter parking lot near the junction of U.S. 17 and 29 – Trap sprung by Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry on approaching Union counterparts Oct. 18-19, 1863, resulted in precipitous Federal withdrawal. Part of the end of the Bristoe Station campaign.

Marshall (historic Salem) – Trails sign features John Singleton Mosby's Confederate raiders who fought (Oct. 5, 1864) and finally disbanded (April 21, 1865) here. Stonewall Jackson marched through here and was cheered silently on his way to the Battle of Second Manassas. More information at the nearby Fauquier Heritage Society.

Rectortown, near intersection of Route 713 and 710, north of I-66 – Sprawling Union campground around the small railroad town where Federal commander Gen. George McClellan was relieved of command, replaced by Gen. Ambrose Burnside, Nov. 7, 1862.

Town of The Plains – Located on the Manassas Gap Railroad and the Warrenton Turnpike, The Plains was a busy place during the war. Spies of all sorts reported on the movements of campaigning armies (including Second Manassas) as they marched through. Trails sign at intersection of Routes 55 and 626.

See also Upperville in the Route 50 Corridor tour.

Jump back to Fauquier County and Warrenton

Loudoun County

Loudoun Museum
16 Loudoun St., Leesburg
703-777-7427
   Exhibits cover history of this rapidly changing area. Much Civil War content including information about Ball's Bluff and the county's role in the no-man's-land of the war. Changing Civil War exhibits. Walking tours of Leesburg available May-October. Open Monday, Wednesday and Saturday 10 am–5 pm; Sunday 1–5 pm. Adult admission $3.

Morven Park
Trails sign located at the mansion, 17263 Southern Planter Lane, Leesburg VA 20176
703-777-2414
 Road map 
    Confederate troops used the land surrounding the mansion Swan’s Castle as a training ground from the summer of 1861 to March 1862. The soldiers were stationed here and elsewhere in Leesburg to guard the many Potomac River fords in the area. They built log structures here that winter. More than 50 of those sites have been located on the property. See the website or call about visiting the site.

Ball's Bluff Battlefield
Park located west of the Route 15 bypass north of Leesburg (route takes you through a large housing development)
703-737-7800
   A tiny National Cemetery and a 223-acre park represent this small but significant battle fought Oct. 21, 1861. Federal troops tried to cross the Potomac River here but were overwhelmed. Pushed off the bluff on the Virginia side, the Union soldiers made easy targets for Southern guns as they tried to re-cross the river. Bodies floated downstream to Washington. Lincoln's good friend Senator Edward Baker was killed in the battle. Walking tours of the battlefield are given April–October on Saturdays and Sundays at 11 am and 1 pm.
   In addition to the park, a Civil War Trails sign locates a possible concealed Confederate battery that controlled the approach to Leesburg from Edwards Ferry. (Note: The “battery,” if it even existed at the time of the battle, which is not known for sure, was not attacked nor defended on the day of the battle of Ball’s Bluff. However, there was a brief exchange of fire a short distance to the east.) The sign is located about 3/4 mile from the bypass on Edward's Ferry Road.

Town of Leesburg, interpretation at the visitor center – Trails sign here offers a chronology of Leesburg-area events including stories about the Antietam campaign and the adventures of Mosby's Rangers and their pursuers. More information at the Loudoun Museum.

Mile Hill, at Morven Park, north of downtown Leesburg – A surprise attack led by Confederate Col. Thomas Munford on Sept. 2, 1862, routed Federal forces. Trails sign at Tutt Lane, 1/4 mile west of Route 15, north of Leesburg.

Guilford Signal Station
Site in Claude Moore Park (north section) in Sterling, entrance on Cascades Parkway just south of Route 7
571-258-3700
   The First Corps of the Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Gen. John Reynolds camped here June 18-24, 1863, keeping a Federal force between Washington and the Confederate army then known to be on the move. The armies collided a few days later at Gettysburg. A telegraph/flag signal station was located on high ground here with a commanding view of the Potomac River Valley. Information about the Civil War history is available at the visitor center. The site of the signal station, its view still commanding, is a short hike away. Free. Visitor center open 9 am–5 pm daily.

Oatlands, south of Leesburg on Route 15 – Confederate troops preparing for another Union attack after the Battle of Ball's Bluff in October 1861 concentrated on the grounds here. Gen. Nathan "Shanks" Evans made the house his headquarters. Civil War Trails interpretation planned.

Ambush at Heaton's Crossroads, Trails sign at the Loudoun Valley High School, 340 N. Maple Ave., Purcellville – Union cavalry attacked a column of Confederates under Gen. Jubal Early here July 16, 1864, after the Southerners ended their campaign into Maryland, which briefly threatened Washington DC. The attack captured or destroyed dozens of Confederate wagons, many of which were filled with booty from the campaign.

The Loudoun Rangers
Trails sign at Route 287 and 673 on the Lovettsville Town Square
 Road map 
The Rangers, composed of fewer than 200 men from Waterford and Lovettsville, were the only organized body of Union troops raised in present-day Virginia. The Rangers clashed frequently with Confederate units with the Southerners mostly getting the upper hand. An estimated 40 Rangers died in Union service.

For more Loudoun County sites, see Mosby Country, Route 50.

Rappahannock County

Corbin’s Crossroads
Trails sign at Amissville Baptist Church, 776 Viewtown Road, Amissville VA 20106
 Road map 
Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart fought a series of running cavalry battles while screening Robert. E. Lee’s infantry march through the Blue Ridge following the Battle of Antietam in September 1862. The last fight was here. Stuart escaped but got a “close shave” when a bullet clipped his moustache.

Sister Caroline
Trails sign at footbridge, 12018 Lee Highway, Sperryville VA 22740
 Road map  
Born a slave, “Sister” Caroline Terry lived most of her life in Rappahannock County. Her owner bought several buildings in town including the Sperryville Hotel (now Hopkins Ordinary), which housed many famous generals during the war. Over the war years, when thousands of soldiers from both sides camped here, she managed to collect many war relics and stories.

“Twlight of Slavery”
Trails sign in parking lot, intersection of US 211 and VA Route 729, Rappahannock VA 20106
 Road map 
Slaves in this area fled to Union lines when the Federals occupied the region in the summer of 1862. Commanding Gen. Robert Milroy put the men to work in various capacities and created a construction company composed of the ex-slaves. A year later, a local slave became a cook for Union Gen. George A. Custer.

Confederate Monument
Trails sign at the Rappahannock County Courthouse, 250 Gay St, Washington VA 22747
 Road map 
More than 1,000 county men served in the Confederate army and at least 115 died during the war. This monument, sculpted by William Randolph Barbee, was erected in the early 20th century.

"Kitty Payne"
Trails sign on the Rappahannock County Courthouse grounds, 250 Gay St, Washington VA 22747
 Road map  
Born in 1816 to her owner, Samual Maddox, and one of his slaves, Katherine Payne had to deal with the physical and legal constraints of slavery her entire life. She married a freedman and was emancipated by her owner; yet she and her children had to struggle in the courts over their status. They eventually used the "Underground Railroad" to freedom in Gettysburg PA.

The following two Trails signs are located Route 665 near its northern intersection with Route 522:

• Chester Gap – This gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains was of strategic importance throughout the Civil War. Both sides sparred for control of the area both before and following the 1862 Battle of Antietam. Union cavalry camped here briefly in December 1864.
• Minding the Gaps – Confederate troops under Gens. Richard Ewell and A.P. Hill and Gen. James Longstreet’s wagon trains — more than half of Robert E. Lee’s army — passed through here June 11–19, 1863, on their way to Pennsylvania. Following the Battle of Gettysburg, July 21–22, a fight broke out here during the Confederate retreat. Although slowed, Lee’s troops were able to move on to Culpeper.

A Tale of Two Mills
Trails sign located between U.S. Business 211/522 and Rappahannock County Library on the rise above the Rush River
 Road map 
    According to local tradition this area was an informal trading area among Union and Confederate soldiers. The site of large Union camps, the Jett Mill area became a burial ground. The Federal soldiers buried here were relocated later to National Cemeteries.

Mosby and Sneden
Trails sign located on east side of Route 522 on the east side of Woodville VA
 Road map 
    Union Pvt. Robert Knox Sneden, who had been captured by Confederate Col. John S. Mosby at Brandy Station, was marched through here Nov. 27, 1863. Sneden was imprisoned eventually in Richmond. Sneden, an artist, mapped and sketched this area and others during the war. His art, some of it used in the Battles and Leaders series, remained largely unnoticed until purchased by the Virginia Historical Society in 1994. Sneden’s art, diary and maps now illustrate many exhibits and books.