Winter 1862-1863 - Aquia Landing Defenses / Union Winter Camp

Winter 1862 - 1863

Stafford, VA

Aquia Creek Landing Defenses:

NY Troops of the XII Corps, 2nd Division, Army of the Potomac 

Union Infantry Winter Camp:

XI Corps, 1st and 3rd Division, Army of the Potomac (NY, OH, CT, PA, IL and WI units)

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=2191

"On the ridge to the north stood the third of three large fortifications or redoubts built during February and March of 1863 by the Army of the Potomac. This redoubt protected Aquia Landing and the nearby camps of the Union 12th Corps. The fortification was square-shaped and designed for a garrison of 100 men. It was supported by four 3-inch guns. The actual site of redoubt No. 3 is currently marked with a large granite memorial erected in 2005."

The actual site of redoubt No. 3:

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=2192

"Established on this spot in February of 1863, by New York troops of the 12th Corps, 2nd Division, Army of the Potomac, Redoubt #3 was manned by up to 100 soldiers and supported by 4 rifled artillery pieces. It guarded the approaches to the Union Supply Depot at nearby Aquia Landing and the 12th Corps camps on the hills to the East during the winter of 1862-1863. Redoubt #3 was a square enclosure approximately 70' long and 12' high."

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=39548

"In the woods on this hill are the remains of a regimental-sized union infantry winter camp. A New York regiment of the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, most likely occupied this camp, the remains clearly visible and run in most cases in lines from the bottom to the top of the hill. The remains of hut sites dug into the ground by the camp’s occupants remain clearly visible and run in most cases in lines from the bottom to the top of the hill. The site was preserved by Syg Associates Inc. and the Friends of Stafford Civil War Sites prior to construction of the Sentinel Ridge Subdivision in 2005."

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I went to cross "Aquia Creek" off my list of early Civil War engagements (in the East), but stumbled upon the glorious Stafford Civil War Park, site of the Union Army's winter camps, as well as several protective batteries. A lot of them died right here...

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=194353

" In 1863, over 135,000 Union Army of the Potomac soldiers established winter camps throughout Stafford County - the largest encampment of any Army during the Civil War. Two-thirds of Civil War deaths occurred while armies were in camp. Many soldiers throughout Stafford compared their camps and experiences to Valley Forge during the Revolution. Unlike Valley Forge however, none of the Stafford camps have been preserved in a park - until now.

"The Army of the Potomac reached its lowest point in Stafford after the Battle of Fredericksburg and the disastrous "Mud March," eventually suffering hundreds of desertions a night. Still, by late April of 1863 under new leadership, the Army recovered its faith in itself and its fighting spirit. Army organization, food, weaponry and training were all improved. Even after its defeat at Chancellorsville and return to Stafford in early May, morale remained strong. By the 12th of June, 1863 the Army of the Potomac was headed North, eventually to Gettysburg, where it won what most consider the most important battle of the war.

This park is dedicated to the over 3,500 Union soldiers left behind in Stafford graves who died during that winter of 1863 of disease, exposure, accidents, and other causes. It is also dedicated to Stafford's citizens, outnumbered by 15 to 1, who suffered greatly as their farms became camps, their homes headquarters or hospitals, and their woodlands disappeared in the thousands of campfires that surrounded them that winter.

This park preserves over 41 acres of land camped on, traversed and fortified by elements of the Union Army of the Potomac's 11th Corps, 1st and 3rd Divisions. Historical sites here are representative of many others that once existed in Stafford, most lost to farming or development since the Civil War. Follow the tour stops to see the remains of a winter camp, soldier-built or improved roads, remains of a pre-Civil War bridge, an early Stafford quarry, and three large earthen artillery batteries constructed to defend this area. Each stop has historic signs and/or trails leading to historical sits and interpretive signs. There is a picnic area with several tables located at Stop 3. Park roads, parking areas and historical sites are depicted on the map at right and included in Stafford Civil War Park brochures."

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=70397

"You are now standing inside the perimeter of what was once a Union 11th Corps winter camp. Soldiers not only camped and drilled here, but also built roads and fortifications in and around this park. Since the Civil War, the majority of Stafford’s Civil War camps have been lost to farming or development. This site’s trail takes you through a regimental-size camp that today still contains visible remains of soldiers’ hut sites, chimneys, trash holes and defensive positions. Individual camp features are identified throughout the camp by small white signs. We do not know which specific regiment camped here, although many years ago, large numbers of New York buttons, bullets and some U.S. accoutrements were found in this camp by local citizens who had permission to search for artifacts in this area.

A soldier’s description of the march to, and construction of, winter quarters, Stafford County Virginia, 1863

At right are translated excerpts from a letter of an 11th Corps soldier to his parents in Germany. The author, Sergeant Wilhelm Francksen, immigrated to the United States from Germany in late 1861 and subsequently joined the Union army.  At times the translation is awkward as he tries to explain various American concepts or terms to his German parents. After departing Stafford, Sergeant Fraucksen was badly wounded in the neck at Gettysburg, PA. The wound partially paralyzed his legs, and he was discharged from the Army in February of 1864. He died in the 1870’s."

“Camp near Stafford, Virginia March 1,1863”

My dear father,

We marched 13 miles in 2 days, moving forward slowly with frequent stops because our wagons could not proceed. Completely drenched and frozen to the bone, we arrived where we were to be posted on the 2nd afternoon, made a fire and put up our little cotton tents, after we had brushed off the ground in a makeshift fashion. Then we toiled to make a cup of coffee and gulped it down along with a few Crackers, a hard wheat bread, a kind of ships biscuit, and a piece of salt pork, and finally 2-3 men cowered together tightly wrapped in Blankets—woolen covers—under the small linen roof, pressed close together to keep at least a little warm. The next morning snow was piled high on the tent, and our joints were stiff from lying on the cold ground. During the day the order came to build some sturdy warm huts, and so we started cutting down trees and dragging them back through the woods without any path. We also had to cook our own food and get hold of wood and water for this. We were bustling around like ants in an anthill. A few days later a little town had grown out of this wasteland, consisting of good huts made out of raw tree logs, with chimneys, a fireplace and comfortable places to sleep. The soldier in the field is quite inventive, as was demonstrated by the construction and the furnishings of our little houses. Some of them were so delightful and cutely made, I would have liked to wrap one of them up and send it to you as a curio. The tree trunks were fit very skillfully together, the joints filled out with green moss, there was a porch in front of the hut with green firs, cedars and wild laurel, with red berries with moss and colorful stones in front. Inside too, everything was very clean and tastefully furnished: a fireplace, seats, a little table, with beds in the back, 2 bunk beds, each one for 2 men….”

Sgt Wilhelm Francksen,

26th Wisconsin Infantry

Source: Germans in the Civil War, The Letters They Wrote Home by Walter D. Kamphoefner & Wolgang Helbich, 2006

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=194352

"These woods contain remains of hut sites, chimneys and defenses of a large Army of the Potomac winter camp, soldiers of the 11th Corps 1st and 3rd Divisions moved to this area from Belle Plain and Stafford Courthouse in late Feb/early Mar, 1863, in camps like this throughout Stafford 135,000 plus soldiers in 8 Corps recovered from the Battle of Fredericksburg, the Mud March and Chancellorsville, many called these camps their "Valley Forge," NY, OH, CT, PA, IL and WI units camped in or near this park. Over 3,500 Union soldiers that died and were buried around the Stafford Camps were moved to National Cemeteries 1866-1870."

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=194354

"The Potomac Church Road dates from the 17th century. During the late 18th century, and well into the 19th century, this road and the Old Telegraph Road to its west, now roughly Route 1 were primary travel routes connecting Stafford with important points south. In 1863 the Union Army corduroyed sections of this road to facilitate troop and artillery movements and to help protect and supply Union army encampments. The trail at the west end the parking area leads to a Union battery. Sections of the original road and pre-war bridge remain."

"The Daniel Bridge first appears in county records on a deed map dated 1837. The bridge had three sandstone piers, the remnants of which are still visible today and which likely supported a wood superstructure. The bridge likely took its name from Peter V. Daniel (1784-1860) who along with his wife, Lucy, owned land south of Accokeek Creek. Daniel was admitted to the VA bar in 1808. In 1818 he was elected President of the Council of State in served as Lieutenant Governor. He served on the U.S. Supreme Court from 1841 until his death in 1860."