The Civil War

The Civil War. . Four long years of bitter Civil War devastated Culpeper more than any other community in the country. Savage battles at Cedar Mountain, Kelly's Ford and Brandy Station left thousands of young Americans dead and wounded. Culpeper's homes, churches and businesses served as hospitals and as blessed shelter for bloodstained men of both armies. Although the sweeping Piedmont between the Rappahannock and Rapidan Rivers witnessed momentous battles throughout the first three years of the war, the single military event that ravished Culpeper more than any other involved the arrival in December 1863 of the Army of the Potomac, 100,000 strong. For five months, General George Meade's occupying Federal Army took total command of Culpeper's homes, farm lands, and local economy. Here before you in this beautiful park, imagine hundreds of white tents and just beyond, thousands of bluecoated soldiers marching in formation. These were the 15,000 men of the First Corps, Army of the Potomac, and right before you they camped until leaving for the Wilderness Campaign in May 1864. In early May, the Federals turned their backs on Culpeper, never to return; in their path, the Yankees left homes wrecked, churches destroyed, businesses ruined, and farm fields barren. But out of the depths of desperate starvation and financial chaos, a hopeful and undaunted Culpeper resolved to recover. And so it has., 1862 , July 20 , Federal forces occupy Culpeper., 1862 , August 17 , Major General J.E.B. Stuart orders Fitzhugh Lee to cross Rapidan River. , U.S. General Pope learns of Lee's movements and leaves Culpeper., 1862 , October 6-7 , Rebel troops retreat through Culpeper after defeat at Barbee's Crossroads., 1862 , October 7 , Skirmishes at the burnt Rappahannock railroad bridge., (Photo Captions) , Confederate General A.P. Hill, November 9, 1825 (Culpeper, Virginia) - April 2, 1865, Photograph from the main eastern theater of war, Meade in Virginia, 1863. Shows two African American men sitting in front of a tent, one with a cigar and the other with a soup ladle., Culpeper Courthouse and railroad depot yard., Camp of the 114th Pennsylvania Infantry, Brandy Station, Virginia, March 1864., Brandy Station, Virginia, Capt. Samuel A. McClellan, Capt. J. Henry Sleeper, Capt. O'Neil W. Robinson, all of the Artillery Brigade, 3d Corps, and Alfred R. Waud, artist correspondent., Encampment, Culpeper, Virginia, August 1862., Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart, February 6, 1833 - May 11, 1864, Headquarters of Army of Potomac, Wallach's house, Culpeper, Virginia, September 1863., General Andrew A. Humphreys standing in front of the door facing General George G. Meade, seated. Standing, to Meade's right is Major J.C. Biddle, A.D.C., on the steps of Wallach's House, the headquarters of the Army of the Potomac, Culpeper, Virginia, September 1863., Photos and descriptions courtesy of the Library of Congress , Nattarive and timeline courtesy of Claude Guinn, Bud Hall, Rose Marie Martin, Giles Miller, Zann (Miner) Nelson