Culpeper Battlefields State Park is a

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...

Culpeper County, Virginia Culpeper County is a county located along the borderlands of the northern and central region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 52,552. Its county seat and only incorporated community is ...

. The park was authorized for creation by Governor

Glenn Youngkin Glenn Allen Youngkin (born December 9, 1966) is an American politician and businessman serving as the 74th governor of Virginia since 2022. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he spent 25 years at the Private equi ...

on June 21, 2022 and officially dedicated on June 8, 2024. Many of the sites are already protected by other land preservation organizations. It is the first state park in Culpeper County and the northern

Virginia Piedmont The Piedmont region of Virginia is a part of the greater Piedmont physiographic region which stretches from the falls of the Potomac, Rappahannock, and James Rivers to the Blue Ridge Mountains. The region runs across the middle of the state fr ...

region. The park features several disconnected battlefields where major engagements took place during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, with primary focus on the Cedar Mountain battlefield, just south of Culpeper, and Brandy Station Battlefield, located northeast of the town. In addition, parts of the battlefields at Kelly's Ford and Rappahannock Station, and the Union winter quarters on Hansbrough's Ridge near Stevensburg are included in the park.

History

Culpeper County's geographic location between the Rapidan and the Rappahannock rivers made it high priority for both the Union and Confederate armies. At the Battle of Cedar Mountain, fought on August 9, 1862, a Confederate army under Maj. Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson pushed back Union forces under Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks attempting to capture the railway junction at Gordonsville. The Battle of Brandy Station, fought on June 9, 1863, came at the beginning of the Gettysburg campaign and featured the largest cavalry battle ever in North America. In addition to the many battles that took place in Culpeper County, the land is steeped in African American and Native American history. Thousands of escaped slaves fled Culpeper County across the Rappahannock River in an attempt to gain their freedom, with some returning to fight as free men.

Details

The park currently comprises , but will grow to over over the next few years through a series of planned acquisitions from

American Battlefield Trust The American Battlefield Trust is a charitable organization (501(c)(3)) whose primary focus is in the preservation of battlefields of the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the American Civil War, through the acquisition of battlefield lan ...

, Brandy Station Foundation and the Cedar Mountain Battlefield to the

Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation is a Ministry (government department), department of the government of Virginia, United States; it oversees all List of Virginia state parks, Virginia state parks and Virginia Natural Area Pre ...

. As required by the

Code of Virginia The Code of Virginia is the statutory law of the U.S. state of Virginia and consists of the codified legislation of the Virginia General Assembly. The 1950 Code of Virginia is the revision currently in force. The previous official versions were t ...

, a state park master plan is currently in development. State park master plans cover all details of the park, including significance, size, locations of facilities, infrastructure, and development costs.

References

External links

Culpeper Battlefields Initiative
{{Protected areas of Virginia State parks of Virginia Protected areas of Culpeper County, Virginia Protected areas established in 2022 2022 establishments in Virginia

History

Details

See also

References

External links