Advanced Courthouse Road Redoubt

Near Stafford, Virginia, this archaeological site preserves a compact Civil War earthen field fortification that served as the central position in a line of three, possibly four, Federal defensive works. Ordered in February 1863, these defenses protected the approaches to the Union supply depot at Aquia Creek Landing, a crucial wartime base. Nearly 95 feet square, the redoubt was built for immediate military defense rather than permanence. Its significance rests in what it reveals about the Union army’s efforts to secure vital supply lines and protect an important logistical center during the war.

Virginia · United States