Civil War Park Debuts Saturday in Dumfries

DUMFRIES, VA — A historic Civil War site related to a shipping blockade opens for the first time this weekend.

The Cockpit Point Civil War Park, 18245 Cockpit Point Road, will open at 11 a.m. with guided tours by reservation only.

As a bonus, there are two bald eagle nests on the property.

According to Prince William County officials, the battery served as part of the Confederate's Potomac Blockade against Union shipping between October 1861 and March 1862 and is the best preserved of all of the batteries that lined the Potomac River during the Civil War. The Potomac Blockade was established as a Confederate strategic plan to try and put pressure on the Union, which had to ship supplies, personnel and equipment by rail while the blockade remained in effect.

While the blockade lasted until March 1862, Cockpit Point fell to the Union Navy in the Battle of Cockpit Point in January 1862, when two Union ships – the USS Yankee and the USS Anacostia – blasted away at the battery's cannons from positions that couldn't be easily hit by return fire. As the USS Anacostia fired dozens of rounds at the battery, the USS Yankee sailed within range of the battery's guns, and Confederate forces were able to hit the USS Yankee with one of only four shots fired. The shot caused minor damage to the ship and slightly wounded a Union seaman. The Union shots from the USS Anacostia were accurate enough to force the Confederates to abandon one of the batteries.

The Battle of Cockpit Point was the only naval battle to be fought in Prince William County.

Tours are $20 per person. Call 703-792-4754 to register. The tours begin at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m, and will include off-trail hiking over difficult terrain.

Image via Prince William County