Fleetwood Hill's commanding view made this "Famous Plateau" an ideal wartime observation post, and the surrounding landscape remained central to military operations in the region. During the winter of 1864, Federal Second Corps troops camped on and around Cole's Hill, which also served as a prominent signal station, while Gen. Alexander Hays's division of the Union Second Corps made its winter camp on Hansborough's Ridge. The Orange & Alexandria Railroad, built in the mid 1850s, was a vital supply line for both Federal and Confederate forces throughout the war. Clark Mountain, more than 1,000 feet high and the tallest mountain in Virginia east of the Blue Ridge, repeatedly served as a Confederate signal station and observation post, and Pony Mountain was an important signal station for both sides, especially for the Union during the winter of 1863-1864. Cedar Mountain was the site of an important Confederate victory on August 9, 1862. During the Battle of Brandy Station on June 9, 1863, Union Lt. Col. Sir Percy Wyndham's brigade crossed these fields to attack Fleetwood Hill, and Wyndham's cavalry charged up Fleetwood Hill from Flat Run. Brandy Station, first called Crossroads, later took the name Brandy from a local tavern and then became Brandy Station. The Old Carolina Road, once an Iroquois hunting path, developed into a colonial road linking Pennsylvania and North Carolina, while Confederates moved around Thoroughfare Mountain during the Second Manassas and Bristoe Campaigns. Culpeper Courthouse served as the seat of government for Culpeper County.