Lignum in Culpeper County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Lafayette's 1781 Campaign in Culpeper

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, October 25, 2025

1. Lafayette's 1781 Campaign in Culpeper Marker

Inscription. Pursued by British Major Banastre Tarleton, the Marquis de Lafayette camped near here June 4-6, 1781. Lafayette commanded about 3,000 Continental soldiers and militia which were positioned between Great Fork Church, about one-half mile to the east, and Robert Slaughter's home, over a mile to the northwest along the old Fredericksburg Plank Road. The Slaughter home was later renamed The Grange after Lafayette's home in France, while the filed south of Slaughter's home became known as the Quarter Field. On June 6, 1781 Lafayette moved west on Kirtley Road and then south along the Carolina Road to cross the Rapidan River at Raccoon Ford. Four days later reinforcements from Pennsylvania under Gen. Anthony Wayne joined Lafayette's forces against Tarleton and General Cornwallis.

Erected 2024 by The Museum of Culpeper History.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Patriots & Patriotism • War, US Revolutionary. A significant historical date for this entry is June 6, 1781.

Location. 38° 26.042′ N, 77° 49.479′ W. Marker is in Lignum, Virginia, in Culpeper County. It is at the intersection of Maddens Tavern Road (Virginia Route 610) and Youngs Lane ( Route 724), on the left when traveling north on Maddens Tavern Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Lignum VA 22726, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area

and in Northern Virginia.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

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.

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At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Madden's Tavern (a few steps from this marker); No Quarter (within shouting distance of this marker); Madden's Tavern USCT Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Ebenezer Baptist Church (within shouting distance of this marker); Battle of Kelly’s Ford (approx. 3.3 miles away); Salubria (approx. 3.4 miles away); a different marker also named Salubria (approx. 3.4 miles away); Welcome to Historic Stevensburg, Virginia (approx. 3½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lignum.

Regarding Lafayette's 1781 Campaign in Culpeper. The Slaughter house no longer stands, but a contemporary building was expanded post-Civil War just south of the original home's foundation and is still called La Grange today. It is a private residence, located at 22357 Stones Mill Road; the field referenced in the marker is just east of the driveway, against Mountain Run.

The Raccoon Ford that Lafayette used is not the same Raccoon Ford in the hamlet of the same name in modern years. The original Raccoon Ford, according to local historian Eugene Scheel, is about 3/4 of a mile up the Rapidan River from the current ford - or roughly at 38°21'26.3"N 77°57'17.4"W, where the Carolina Road trace on the old General Gordon farm 'Retreat' makes its way to the river

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, October 25, 2025

2. Lafayette's 1781 Campaign in Culpeper Marker

south of Algonquin Trail.

A portion of Kirtley's Road from 1730, little altered and well preserved, is visible at 38°26'30.9"N 77°51'12.4"W just across from the intersection of Madderns Tavern Road and Carrico Mills Road. Lafayette would have followed this trail, about a mile of which survives on private property, until it intersected with the Carolina Road north of Stevensburg, in the vicinity of Norman's Mill Ford over Mountain Run (the southern border of Lenn Park). A trace of this portion of the Carolina Road survives in the field south of Run from the park.

Kirtley's Road image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, October 25, 2025

3. Kirtley's Road

The trail used by Lafayette, visible at the intersection of Maddens Tavern Road and Carrico Mills Road.

Credits. This page was last revised on December 22, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 21, 2025, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 96 times since then and 55 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 21, 2025, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.