Developer and County Cooperate to Save Rappahannock Battle Land
By Deborah Fitts
September 2005
REMINGTON, Va. — The often-overlooked battle of Rappahannock Station has gained sudden notoriety thanks to action to save land on which was fought the largest battle ever to take place in Fauquier County.
The county paid $875,000 in July to create a 26-acre park on the banks of the Rappahannock River. The parcel comprises a small portion of the core of the Nov. 7, 1863, battlefield, including a key knoll that overlooked a pontoon crossing.
The purchase came in response to local concern when a development company, Danforth Homes, proposed 80 single-family homes on the outskirts of the small village of Remington.
“When they started filing their site plan, a couple of local historians said, ‘Whoa, this was a major battle,’” recalled Doug Larson, vice president of the Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC). “This [battlefield] was never on the radar screen of Fauquier County. It had never been looked upon as a tourist resource.”
The developer had already agreed to donate land in the flood plain to the county and was willing to sell several of the house lots for preservation, but wanted an answer in 30 days. The PEC couldn’t act that quickly, Larson said, but the county could. PEC has promised to repay the county $500,000 of the total by June 30, 2006.
The new county park will provide Fauquier’s only public access to the Rappahannock, Larson noted — “a very desirable amenity.” Danforth has also agreed to donate two house lots to the county to provide access to the park.
Jolly de Give, PEC field officer for Fauquier County, stated in a press release: “By placing this land in a park we seized a unique opportunity to combine the protection of a key portion of this Civil War battlefield with the preservation of a significant stretch of the Rappahannock River. The new park should greatly enhance the prospects for heritage tourism as well as recreational opportunities in southern Fauquier and the town of Remington.”
Remington recently won a listing on the Virginia Landmarks Register.
“Nothing like this has engendered so much positive support,” Larson said. “The county has jumped on this in a very surprising way, really,” and historical groups including the Sons of Confederate Veterans, the local business community and others have pledged to raise funds to help raise the PEC’s $500,000. The Friends of Rappahannock Station Park is a new coalition formed to protect and support the project.
The developer plans to build 71 single-family homes on the remaining 17 acres, according to Larson. “It isn’t the perfect outcome for a historic battlefield,” he said. “But given what could have happened it’s a terrific outcome.”
Two battles occurred near Rappahannock Station, the wartime name for modern-day Remington. The first occurred in August 1862 during the Second Manassas Campaign, when Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia sparred along the Rappahannock for several days with Union forces under Gen. John Pope. Union artillery was posted on the knoll to protect a bridgehead for forces on the Culpeper bank of the river.
According to chief historian John Hennessy at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park, in November 1863 the knoll became “the focal point of fighting” during the battle of Rappahannock Station. Confederates held the ground this time, protecting a pontoon bridge.
The bridge “became the scene of one of the greatest disasters ever to befall Lee’s army,” Hennessy said, “as nearly 2,000 troops — many of them trying to reach the pontoon bridge — fell into Union hands. Standing atop that knoll today, with its view of the bottomland leading to the pontoon crossing site, is a compelling experience.”
The battle took place on a broad plain near the river. Lee did not return again north of the Rappahannock.
The battle advanced the Mine Run Campaign of Union Gen. George Meade, who moved on into Orange County and the battle at Payne’s Farm. PEC participated in an effort to buy a conservation easement on nearly 400 acres of the farm, contributing to the preservation of nearly 700 acres at that battlefield. PEC also joined a coalition in a recent fight to save a portion of the Chancellorsville battlefield.
The Civil War Preservation Trust has pledged to support PEC’s efforts at Rappahannock Station. “We really appreciate the work that PEC has done to make this happen,” said Trust spokesman Jim Campi. “They have done a great job of promoting preservation in Virginia.”
The new county land served for decades as pastureland before Danforth bought it last year. Larson said a maple tree that appears in wartime photos is still present.
The property fronts the four-lane highway that comprises the combined routes 15 and 29. The 175-mile U.S. 15 corridor from Gettysburg in Pennsylvania to Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s home at Charlottesville, Va., is currently the subject of a massive preservation effort dubbed “Journey Through Hallowed Ground.” The Rappahannock Station battlefield “is a significant piece of that tapestry,” Larson said. [See August 2005 issue]
Larson also noted that the new park is within 5 miles of Kelly’s Ford on Rappahannock, a significant Civil War ford and battlefield in its own right. In fact the two sites are among several Civil War-related spots on the river that could be approached by canoe, “in an interesting angle on Civil War tourism.”
Larson predicted that public access to the property would be available by next year. A boat landing and interpretive signage are among the planned improvements.
