| The War Between the States. The War of | | | | contructed. The bridge is located near some |
| Northern Aggression. The Civil War...whatever | | | | of the Civil War trails found in Stafford. |
| you wish to call it, there's no denying that | | | | |
| those five years in the mid nineteenth | | | | Hartwood Presbyterian Church |
| represented one of the darkest times in our | | | | |
| nation's history. More than a century later, | | | | This red brick church is included on the |
| the turmoil of brothers pitted against | | | | Virginia Landmarks Register and the National |
| brothers, and a people's desire for freedom, | | | | Register of Historic Places. At this site the |
| continues to hold a fascination for some. | | | | Confederate army enjoyed a victory over Union |
| Books and films about this time remain | | | | troops in 1863, capturing over 150 men. The |
| popular, and vacations are planned around | | | | church was utilized as a post by both sides |
| Civil War sightseeing. Nowhere better can one | | | | during the war. |
| absorb the experience of this bygone era than | | | | |
| in Stafford County. | | | | Chatham |
| | | | |
| The next time you plan an historical tour for | | | | This stately home once served as Union |
| your vacation, consider making a few detours | | | | headquarters. It was here where Clara Barton |
| at these Stafford County attractions on the | | | | tended to wounded soldiers, and Walt Whitman |
| way to Gettysburg or Washington, DC: | | | | gave his time to the cause. Chatham is |
| | | | purporteded the only private residence to |
| Aquia Landing | | | | have been visited by George Washington and |
| | | | Abraham Lincoln. Today, this mansion is |
| If you think of the Civil War and sea | | | | perfectly preserved to welcome visitors |
| battles, the Monitor and Merrimac most likely | | | | interested in its storied history. |
| come to mind. However, Union gunboats were | | | | |
| also active fighting Rebel forces along the | | | | George Washington's Ferry Farm |
| creek beds of Aquia Landing. Here is where | | | | |
| the first torpedos of the war were used, too. | | | | While the Ferry Farm is a place rich with |
| Aquia Landing is now a popular county park, | | | | Washingtonian history, as the president spent |
| open from Memorial Day to Labor Day with many | | | | a number of formative years here, there |
| landmarks to pinpoint pivotal battles of the | | | | exists some Civil War history that one can |
| war. | | | | learn. Guests can view the wildlife currently |
| | | | in residence and learn more about the |
| Cornstalks and Beanpoles Bridge | | | | nation's early history and how Washington |
| | | | grew to become an important figure in these |
| Though the original bridge built in 1862 no | | | | times, as well as the conditions of the Civil |
| longer exists, you can still see its stone | | | | War as lived in this area. |
| foundation where Union engineers had to | | | | |
| quickly build a connection over Potomac | | | | Mansions, sites of battle, roadside markers. |
| Creek. The bridge gets is name from President | | | | Stafford County offers much to the Civil War |
| Lincoln, who compared the original bridge to | | | | enthusiast in terms of history and interest. |
| "beanpoles and cornstalks," given the | | | | Why not make Stafford a stop on your next |
| hurriedness with which the bridge was | | | | educational tour? |