Amidst numbing cold and stinging rain, in late 1863 Union General George G. Meade and his Army of the Potomac attempted a year-end stroke against Robert E. Lee. This effort climaxed along Mine Run, two miles in front of you.

Since Gettysburg, much had happened but little had been accomplished by either side. In late November, General Meade tried to change all that. Meade's plan: cross the Rapidan below Lee's right flank, turn westward, and fight Lee in the open spaces of Orange County. The Union columns started on November 26, but the program went awry from the start. Part of the Union column delayed, then took a wrong turn. And Robert E. Lee responded faster than Meade anticipated.

Lee expected Meade to run for the vital railroads south of Fredericksburg, but instead he watched with pleasure as the Federals turned west, toward him. Lee marched quickly out of his camps along the Rapidan. By the time the Union columns reached here, Robinson's Tavern, Lee's army was contesting their every step. The Federals pushed to Mine Run and stopped; the Confederates dug in on the high ground west of the stream (two miles from here). Meade prepared to attack.

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Show me all markers in:  Locust Grove, VA  |  Orange County  |  22508  |  Virginia  |  United States of America

Face Off
Robinson's Tavern
Battle of the Wilderness
Mine Run Campaign
The Mine Run Campaign
The Mine Run Campaign
The Battle of Payne's Farm
The Battle of Payne's Farm
The Battle of Payne's Farm
The Battle of Payne's Farm

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