stafford civil war park

The Stafford Civil War Park is one of the most recent attractions in Stafford County, VA. Just a ten minute drive from the Stafford County Courthouse, the Park is just south of the Brooke Virginia Railway Express (VRE) station. The park is in a mature forest that at one time was probably clear cut to provide timber for the Civil War effort. There is little to see except grave like indentations and signs to indicate spots where Union soldiers made simple huts to shelter themselves during the winter following the first battle at Fredercksburg. For someone who has not read a little local Civil War history, this site will not do much for you. However, if you are a Civil War buff or are interested in Military History and have an active imagination, the site will come alive for you as you relive the struggles the soldiers experienced in the winter that has been termed the Valley Forge of the Civil War.

this place is very quiet.. when you come here just close your eyes and you can see where the union army was and how they lived then.. you can all most reach out and touch them.. this is for anyone who enjoys history

This is a new park where you can go and see where the troops live in some of the huts . Also they have a few area with the north had their artillery

more a short drive through some nondescript woods with a few signs along the road that did not really provide much insight into the importance of the area in the varied campaign's against the army of northern virginia. the depredations and disease rampant in the local camps, which killed far more soldiers than battle, get scant mention- a learning opportunity missed

Coming from SC where everything civil war related is done up with very detailed displays/time period gear this is just a very expensive roadway that was placed thru the woods and they added some plaques to read about troop movement thru the area. I just live 10 minutes from here and was not very impressed with my tax dollars spent for this park. You can get more information and see details/mapping allot better on the internet.

We found this park just by driving through the area and happened to see the sign. I was very surprised to find such a well organized piece of property that is claimed to be the Army of the Potomac's "Valley Forge". About 135,000 Union Soldiers camped in the area after Fredricksburg and Chancelorsville. Later they moved from the Stafford camps to Gettysburg. The park has five driving stops with some historical significance to each and each stop has a little walking trail. The first stop is where we picked up the brochure. The trails are easy to walk and they don't take long. If you want a longer walk, just park the vehicle at Stop 1 and hike to the other locations. It's off the main roads so there is only the traffic of the park.There are only portajohns and no welcome center on location. There is a picnic area. Parking and entry is no cost. Just bring your own food, water and bug repellant. It's a nice half-day trip with family.