Near Fredericksburg in Spotsylvania County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Hamilton's Crossing
The Battle of Fredericksburg
| | Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park | |
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, April 18, 2023
1. Hamilton's Crossing Marker
This footpath leads to the site of Hamilton's Crossing, a critical supply base for Confederate troops camped near Fredericksburg during the winter of 1862-63. Prior to the Civil War, Hamilton's Crossing had been merely a flag-stop on the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad line. But once Union troops occupied Stafford County, the trains could no longer run safely into Fredericksburg. Hamilton's Crossing, four miles south of the town, became the new railhead.
After the December 1862 battle, Hamilton's Crossing burgeoned into a major supply base as trains from Richmond unloaded daily shipments of food, clothing, and other supplies for Lee's army. After the war, rail service to Fredericksburg resumed and the station at Hamilton's Crossing closed for good. Today, no evidence of it remains.
"the Depot is removed from Fredericksburg to our Crossing....We are surrounded with soldiers, camps and all the paraphernalia of war. It is so exacting, and our feelings are so above the ordinary ones that we can't tell whether it is pleasant or the contrary."
Erected 2009 by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Railroads & Streetcars • War, US Civil. A significant historical month for this entry is December 1862.
Location. 38° 14.872′ N, 77° 26.123′ W. Marker is near Fredericksburg, Virginia, in Spotsylvania County. It is on Lee Drive when traveling west. Marker is at the end of Lee Drive in the Fredericksburg National Military Park, just beyond a fence. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6 Lee Dr, Fredericksburg VA 22408, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area, in Northern Virginia, and in the Piedmont. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in the Mid-Atlantic, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other
Photographed by Craig Swain, July 25, 2009
2. Hamilton's Crossing Marker
More about this marker. The background of the marker is a photo graph of the Hamilton's Crossing area. The many buildings that comprised the wartime depot at Hamilton's Crossing were never photographed. By 1892, when this picture was taken, all traces of the railroad station had vanished.
Photographed by Craig Swain, July 25, 2009
3. Hamilton's Crossing Marker
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, April 18, 2023
4. Hamilton's Crossing Marker
Photographed by Craig Swain, July 25, 2009
5. Hamilton's Crossing Today
Credits. This page was last revised on April 24, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 19, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 3,853 times since then and 66 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on April 24, 2023, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 2, 3. submitted on August 19, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 4. submitted on April 24, 2023, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 5. submitted on August 19, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.
