The Rappahannock River rises in Virginia’s Piedmont near the town of Culpeper and flows generally southeast until emptying into Chesapeake Bay. For many months it was the border between Union and Confederate controlled territory. Four of the deadliest battles of the Civil War, taking place over a year and a half, were within twenty miles of Fredericksburg.

Map of the Civil War sites in the Rappahannock River area of Virginia

Fredericksburg (December 1862)
Chancellorsville (May 1862)
Second Fredericksburg (May 1862)
Salem Church (May 1862)
Guinea Station (May 1862)
Brandy Station (June 1863)
The Wilderness (May 1864)
Todd’s Tavern (May 1864)
Spotsylvania Court House (May 1864)
Harris Farm (May 1864)