Get to Know Rappahannock County

Rappahannock County in the Civil War

Rappahannock County has a rich Civil War history. While there were no large-scale military actions in the county, several dozen skirmishes and many troop movements occurred in the county. As a gateway to the northern Shenandoah Valley, Rappahannock was a major thoroughfare for Union and Confederate forces on a number of occasions. It also was a part of the territory known as (Col. John) Mosby's Confederacy. In the most notable military encounter, Gen. George Custer narrowly escaped with his life following an attack on Confederate Gen. A.P. Hill's Corps at Newby's Crossroads during its march south after Gettysburg. Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry crossed the county a number of times. The Union Army of Virginia under Gen. John Pope was located in the county during the summer of 1862. This occupying force brought with it the deprivations of "total war," a Union strategy designed to inflict pain upon civilians supporting the rebel army. Many residents left the county to find refuge with friends or family away from the war zone.

Rappahannock units participated in many of the important campaigns of the war including 1st and 2nd Manassas, The Seven Days, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Spotsylvania and Petersburg.Virginia Civil War Trails roadside markers will be placed soon at a number of the historic locations in the county.