Rappahannock Station, Va. Federal encampment near railroad;
Civil war photographs, 1861-1865, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.

Along the banks of the Rappahannock River and situated near a railroad, the area of the proposed Rappahannock Station Park was the site of two significant Civil War battles.

The first battle came in August of 1862 during the Second Manassas Campaign.  General Robert E. Lee’s troops engaged in several small battles with the army of General John Pope along the river.  The Union troops protected their bridgehead with the installation of artillery on a knoll.

A second battle occurred on November 7, 1863. General Lee had withdrawn his troops beyond the Rappahannock River, intending to use the river as a defensible line throughout the winter.  Major General John Sedgwick and Major General William French of the Union Army foiled Lee’s plans and attacked. forces and marched them south for fear of becoming pinned against the Rapidan River.  At the end of the fighting, 1670 Confederate troops were killed as opposed to 419 Union troops.

The Fauquier County Parks and Recreation department acquired the land after interest was expressed by a developer in creating a subdivision there.  Thanks to the actions of the Piedmont Environmental Council and the Fauquier County Government, the core of the battlefield was preserved from development and plans to create a park on this land are underway.  For more information, please watch our video about the area https://youtu.be/P00SHsqIyxs

Rappahannock Station, Va. Sutler's hut and stockade of 50th New York Engineers;
Civil war photographs, 1861-1865, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.