Site Search

Lt. James Nelson Decker, 2nd NY Cavalry, killed-in-action at Falmouth. Lieutenant James Nelson Decker, Company D, 2nd New York (Harris Light) Cavalry, was a 22 year-old from Orange County, NY.  In the skirmish at Falmouth he “fell at the head of his men, having reached the center of the rebel camp [sic].”  His men were…

Above is an artist’s depiction of the skirmish on the night of April 18th. Two cavalry regiments (2nd New York-Harris Light and 1st Pennsylvania) were followed by the 2nd United States Sharpshooters, the 84th New York Infantry, otherwise called the “14th Brooklyn Chasseurs” New York State Militia, and Battery B of the 4th United States…

Most soldiers would write negative descriptive accounts of Stafford’s courthouse area.  The jail, opposite the courthouse, was described by a Union chaplain.  “…the jail, which stands in the middle of the road, is a miserable two-story affair, built of rough stone.  The lower story is occupied by hogs, and the upper is reached by stairs…

The newspaper, “The Norfolk Day Book of Saturday” wrote the following about the Falmouth Skirmish: “Our [Union] loss was five killed and sixteen wounded. The gallant achievement of General Augur in driving back from a strong position an enemy consisting of three regiments of infantry, four of cavalry, and two batteries of artillery, elicits the…

Lt. Charles Morton, 2nd New York Cavalry, described the events to Falmouth from his perspective: “About nightfall on Tuesday, the 15th instant, General Augur’s brigade was ordered to advance. The General and his staff preceded the troops, and arrived at Catlett’s Station late at night, after a most disagreeable ride in the darkness, through sloughs…

From the earliest days of Virginia’s history, the Clerk of the Court was one of the most important county officers. His primary responsibility was to maintain the court records and the vital statistics for his county. Until the mid-nineteenth century, the clerks were also critical to the effective administration of their jurisdictions. While most county…

On April 2nd, Sickles’ New York brigade left Maryland, opposite Stafford.  He and a large force of  “one thousand cavalry and 2,000 infantry” left Maryland by steamboat and traveled to Evansport, now called Quantico.  On April 4th, they headed south and had a brief skirmish at Aquia Church with “forty Texas scouts.”

The first Federal occupation of Stafford began in April of 1862 when Union troops of Brigadier General Dan Sickles crossed over from Maryland. Three years before, Sickles made a name for himself when he killed his wife’s lover in front of the White House.  His trial was covered by the media and the nation clamored…

It is true that most large-scale mining ceased in Stafford after gold was discovered in California in 1849. Although Virginia gold was of a high quality, Western gold was cheaper and easier to mine as the constant problem with water seepage in the Stafford mines made obtaining the precious mineral far more difficult and expensive.…

Near Stafford’s southwest border is the little replicated gold mining village of Goldvein. You can see how gold was mined in the area. You can even pan for gold. Visit a miner’s bunk house and the office of a gold mining company.

“Smithfield Mine” adjoined and was within sight of Eagle. Both were taking ore from the same vein. Smithfield operated from c. 1836 until sometime after 1885 and for some years was run by the Virginia Gold Belt Company of Philadelphia. “Horsepen/Rattlesnake Mine” operated c.1833-c.1894. During its early years, Horsepen was owned and run by Mourning…

This letter, written in Stafford and printed in a Warsaw, New York newspaper, The Wyoming Mirror confirms that gold mining activity took place in Stafford during the Civil War. WYOMING MIRROR, WARSAW, SEPTEMBER 2, 1863. OUR ARMY CORRESPONDENCE FROM THE 5TH N. Y. CAVALRY. CAMP AT GOLD MINE, NEAR UNITED STATES FORD, Stafford Co., Va.,…