Spotsylvania County, VA

Headnote
It is 23 miles long, and 17 wide. It is drained by head branches of the North Anna and Mattapony, and the Rappahannock forms its northern boundary. The soil on the streams is fine; but on the ridges, the land, originally thin, has much deteriorated by the wretched system of agriculture introduced by the first settlers, and long persisted in by their descendants. Gold has been found in the county, and at present it is obtained in considerable quantities. Pop. in 1840, whites 6,787, slaves 7,590; total, 15,161. (Historical Collections of Virginia, 1852)
Place Unit Type
County
Containing Unit
Virginia

Spotsylvania County, Virginia (Howe)

Gazetteer/Almanac
SPOTSYLVANIA was formed in 1720, from Essex, King William, and King and Queen, and named from Alexander Spotswood, then governor of Virginia. It is 23 miles long, and 17 wide. It is drained by head branches of the North Anna and Mattapony, and the Rappahannock forms its northern boundary. The soil on the streams is fine; but on the ridges, the land, originally thin, has much deteriorated by the wretched system of agriculture introduced by the first settlers, and long persisted in by their descendants. Gold has been found in the county, and at present it is obtained in considerable quantities. Pop. in 1840, whites 6,787, slaves 7,590; total, 15,161. There are several small places in the county, though none of much note, except the city of Fredericksburg. The C. H. is situated about the centre of the county, on the river Po.
Henry Howe, Historical Collections of Virginia… (Charleston, SC: William R. Babcock, 1852), 474.
Date Type
"Friendly fire" strikes and wounds General T.J. Jackson and several members of his staff on the Chancellorsville battlefield Personal
"Stonewall" Jackson's flanking movement seizes the initiative in the Battle of Chancellorsville Battles/Soldiers
- Battle of Fredericksburg Battles/Soldiers
In Spotsylvania County, Virginia, the Battle of the Wilderness continues for a second bloody day Battles/Soldiers
In Spotsylvania County, Virginia, the Battle of the Wilderness ends and Union maneuvering continues Battles/Soldiers
Lee's Army of Northern Virginia forces back entrenched Union forces at the Battle of Chancellorsville Battles/Soldiers
Nineteen year-old John Taylor Cuddy is captured with his regiment in the Wilderness Carlisle/Dickinson
- The Army of the Potomac concentrates on Chancellorsville in preparation for an attack on Lee Battles/Soldiers
The Battle of the Wilderness opens on ground fought over the year before at Chancellorsville Battles/Soldiers
- The beaten Union Army retreats across the Rappahannock, ending the Battle of Chancellorsville Battles/Soldiers
Union and Confederate armies collide near Chancellorsville in Spotsylvania County, Virginia Battles/Soldiers
Name Type
Chancellorsville, VA City or Town
Fredericksburg, VA City or Town
Spotsylvania, VA City or Town
A Different Story: A Black History of Fredericksburg, Stafford, and Spotsylvania, Virginia
How to Cite This Page: "Spotsylvania County, VA," House Divided: The Civil War Research Engine at Dickinson College, https://hd.housedivided.dickinson.edu/index.php/node/14365.