For five months, from October 1861 to March 1862, the Confederate military succeeded in blockading the Potomac River, the Union army’s main riverine supply route to and from Washington, D.C. This created an embarrassing situation for Union politicians and military leaders. At the mouth of Neabsco Creek in Prince William County, Freestone Point Battery, constructed in September 1861, was the most northern of the blockade’s gun emplacements. The battery is situated on a bluff, ninety-five feet above the Potomac. It consists of four individual gun emplacements. The Freestone Point Confederate Battery apparently was abandoned when the three other batteries in the blockade network were built up to sufficient strength. The rest of the batteries were abandoned after March 1862 when the Confederate army withdrew south. The earthwork today is maintained as a historic feature of Leesylvania State Park. The Freestone Point Confederate Battery is listed in the registers under the Civil War Properties, Prince William County Multiple Property Documentation form.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Programs
DHR has secured permanent legal protection for over 700 historic places - including 15,000 acres of battlefield lands
DHR has erected 2,532 highway markers in every county and city across Virginia
DHR has registered more than 3,317 individual resources and 613 historic districts
DHR has engaged over 450 students in 3 highway marker contests
DHR has stimulated more than $4.2 billion dollars in private investments related to historic tax credit incentives, revitalizing communities of all sizes throughout Virginia