Port Royal in Caroline County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Port Royal
Union Supply Depot
Photographed By Kevin W., July 11, 2012
1. Port Royal Marker
Inscription.
Port Royal possessed the finest harbor on the middle reaches of the Rappahannock River. Although the town's permanent wharf had been destroyed by Union gunboats before the Battle of Fredericksburg, the excellent harbor made Port Royal an obvious choice for a supply depot when the Army of the Potomac moved south after ther Battle of the Wilderness. On May 20, 1864, Brigadier General John J. Abercrombie, then commanding the Union supply base at Belle Plain on the Potomac River north of Fredericksburg, was ordered to abandon Belle Plain and relocate to Port Royal. General Abercrombie established his headquarters at Riverview, a waterfront home in the town, and the Army Corps of Engineers constructed a floating wharf on pontoons. The Port Royal harbor was soon choked with ships bringing in supplies and evacuating wounded troops. This frantic activity lasted only two weeks, until the establishment of a new base on the North Anna River closer to Richmond. Residents of the area were actually sorry to see General Abercrombie and his staff depart, because the general had earned the gratitude of property owners by providing guards to help protect their property from marauders, both Union soldiers and Confederate deserters.
Port Royal possessed the finest harbor on the middle reaches of the Rappahannock River. Although the town's permanent wharf had been destroyed by Union gunboats before the Battle of Fredericksburg, the excellent harbor made Port Royal an obvious choice for a supply depot when the Army of the Potomac moved south after ther Battle of the Wilderness. On May 20, 1864, Brigadier General John J. Abercrombie, then commanding the Union supply base at Belle Plain on the Potomac River north of Fredericksburg, was ordered to abandon Belle Plain and relocate to Port Royal. General Abercrombie established his headquarters at Riverview, a waterfront home in the town, and the Army Corps of Engineers constructed a floating wharf on pontoons. The Port Royal harbor was soon choked with ships bringing in supplies and evacuating wounded troops. This frantic activity lasted only two weeks, until the establishment of a new base on the North Anna River closer to Richmond. Residents of the area were actually sorry to see General Abercrombie and his staff depart, because the general had earned the gratitude of property owners by providing guards to help protect their property from marauders, both Union soldiers and Confederate deserters.
Erected by Historic Port Royal with funding made possible through the sponsorship
Click or scan to see this page online
of the Washington-Lewis Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution.
Location. 38° 10.341′ N, 77° 11.334′ W. Marker is in Port Royal, Virginia, in Caroline County. Marker is on King Street north of Water Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 813 Water Street, Port Royal VA 22535, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), May 12, 2019
3. Port Royal Marker
Photographed By Kevin W., July 11, 2012
4. Riverview
This was the headquarters for General Abercrombie, as mention on the Port Royal Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on January 4, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 15, 2012, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,079 times since then and 31 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on July 15, 2012, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia. 3. submitted on May 12, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 4. submitted on July 15, 2012, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
