Milroy's Camp
Woodville
Woodville's location about a day's march from Culpeper Court House encouraged both Union and Confederate forces to camp here frequently. They established many camps in the fields and hills around the town, and both sides in the conflict used the sites multiple times.
The longest camp of the war in Woodville took place in July 182, when Union Gen. Robert H. Milroy's Independent Brigade occupied it for a month. Milroy made his headquarters at Clover Hill (now Eldon Farms) a mile north. He participated in a mock battle here on July 31 with part of the Army of Virginia camped at Sperryville, five miles north. Milroy was a fierce Unionist, a staunch abolitionist, and a hater of West Point graduates, for whom he expressed boundless contempt. He rounded up more than 100 white residents and required them to take the oath of allegiance to the United States. He also reported that a large number of slaves fled to freedom at his camp; he hired many as wagoners, cooks, pioneers, and general laborers, "to do, in short, all the drudgery that would otherwise have to be done by the soldiers." A year later, his attitudes regarding Southern civilians, slaves, and professional soldiers intensified, leaving him with few supporters. His defeat at the Second Battle of Winchester effectively sidelined him for the remainder of the war. In a bit of
irony, his defeat came at the hand of Confederate Gen. Richard S. Ewell, who had marched his men past this location en route to the northern Shenandoah Valley.
"I am now camped in a beautiful rolling, hilly mountainous country. Large farms, mostly of clover and timothy, cattle being the chief business. Rich old farmers and large flocks of slaves. … All the [white] people are hot secessionists. … All the young men are in the rebel army and [those] at home are of course very bitter … and scowl upon us with black … looks." — Gen. Robert H. Milroy to Mary Milroy, July 14, 1862
Erected by Virginia Civil War Trails.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical month for this entry is July 1862.
Location. 38° 36.33′ N, 78° 10.536′ W. Marker is in Woodville, Virginia, in Rappahannock County. Marker is on Hawlin Road (County Road 618) 0.1 miles west of Sperryville Pike (U.S. 522), on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 893 Hawlin Rd, Woodville VA 22749, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Mosby and Sneden (here, next to this marker);
Credits. This page was last revised on April 19, 2021. It was originally submitted on April 19, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 208 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 19, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.