Last updated: November 21, 2021
Place
Hamilton's Crossing
NPS Photo
Quick Facts
Significance:
Hamilton's Crossing was a railroad stop that provided critical supplies to the Confederate Army and the right flank of the Confederate Line during the Battle of Fredericksburg.
Amenities
2 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Trailhead
Hamilton's Crossing was a railroad stop on the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad. This location constituted the right anchor of General "Stonewall" Jackson's Confederate line in the Battle of Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862. It was also the supply base for the Confederate Army during the Fredericksburg Campaign after the depot in Fredericksburg came within range of US artillery in late November 1862, and trains could not go further north.
The railroad traversed the Rappahannock River valley and connected Fredericksburg, about five miles north of Hamliton's Crossing, with Richmond, about forty-five miles to the south. The railroad was a vital link between the Confederate Army and their supplies. Facilities here consisted of a small station building where the Mine Road intersects the railroad. a telegraph shanty, and likely a quartermaster tents and several sidings.
The crossing was named for Captain George Hamilton whose home, "Forest Hill," stood on a knoll just southwest of the intersection. Though the home is gone now, the Hamilton cemetery still exists. Mine Run dates to colonial times when it meandered through Spotsylvania County from the iron mines in the northwestern section of the county to the Rappahannock River below Fredericksburg.
Confederate reserves in Jackson's second line moved up along Mine Road through Hamilton's Crossing to aid in the struggle. Henry Handerson of the 9th Louisiana wrote, "we were ordered forward at the 'double quick,' and...plunged into the woods in our front, where the shells were bursting with rapidity and considerable accuracy..." The railroad embankment soon became a combat zone of fierce fighting. At the battle's end the Confederates retained control of their line.
Today the surroundings give little hint of the thundering cannon and fierce combat that swept through the area more than a century ago, though the silence is still broken by the trains which still pass through Hamilton's Crossing.
From the parking area at Prospect Hill, take this short trail that leads to the site of Hamilton's Crossing.
The railroad traversed the Rappahannock River valley and connected Fredericksburg, about five miles north of Hamliton's Crossing, with Richmond, about forty-five miles to the south. The railroad was a vital link between the Confederate Army and their supplies. Facilities here consisted of a small station building where the Mine Road intersects the railroad. a telegraph shanty, and likely a quartermaster tents and several sidings.
The crossing was named for Captain George Hamilton whose home, "Forest Hill," stood on a knoll just southwest of the intersection. Though the home is gone now, the Hamilton cemetery still exists. Mine Run dates to colonial times when it meandered through Spotsylvania County from the iron mines in the northwestern section of the county to the Rappahannock River below Fredericksburg.
During the Battle of Fredericksburg
On the foggy morning of December 13, Jackson's right flank terminated at the crossing and the nearby woods teamed with Confederate soldiers. At about 10am, the fog lifted, revealing the 55,000 soldiers of General William Franklin's wing of the US Army of the Potomac on the fields in front of Jackson's Confederates. As the battle commenced, federal cannon roared from the plains and showered the forest with lead.Confederate reserves in Jackson's second line moved up along Mine Road through Hamilton's Crossing to aid in the struggle. Henry Handerson of the 9th Louisiana wrote, "we were ordered forward at the 'double quick,' and...plunged into the woods in our front, where the shells were bursting with rapidity and considerable accuracy..." The railroad embankment soon became a combat zone of fierce fighting. At the battle's end the Confederates retained control of their line.
Today the surroundings give little hint of the thundering cannon and fierce combat that swept through the area more than a century ago, though the silence is still broken by the trains which still pass through Hamilton's Crossing.
Walk to Hamilton's Crossing from Prospect Hill
0.64 mi (1 km) round tripFrom the parking area at Prospect Hill, take this short trail that leads to the site of Hamilton's Crossing.