Hopewell Gap

Hopewell Gap (HM7MY)

Location: Haymarket, VA 20169 Prince William County
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Country: United States of America
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N 38° 51.488', W 77° 41.065'

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Inscription

Mountain Pass and Mosby's POW Camp

During the Civil War, this narrow pass in the Bull Run Mountains was a strategic avenue for military movements. On August 28, 1862, during the Second Manassas Campaign, Confederate Gen. James Longstreet directed Gen. Cadmus Wilcox's division through the gap to outflank Union Gen. James B. Ricketts's division at Thoroughfare Gap. Wilcox's troops bivouacked that night at Antioch Church after learning that Ricketts had already withdrawn. A few weeks later, Confederate Gen. Richard S. Ewell, recovering near Ewell's Chapel from a leg amputation, was carried on a litter through Hopewell Gap to elude capture by Federal cavalry.

On June 18, 1863, Col. Alfred N.A. Duffi? narrowly escaped through here with 31 of his original 280 Rhode Island cavalrymen after his embarrassing defeat at Middleburg. Shortly afterward, when Confederate cavalry commander J.E.B. Stuart learned of Federal pickets here, he began his controversial ride to Gettysburg through unoccupied Glasscock's Gap farther south. He changed course again when he found a Union corps at Haymarket.

Late in July, 1863, Confederate Maj. John S. Mosby held 153 prisoners and 200 horses at Camp Spindle near here until they could be sent to Richmond. The steep terrain concealed the camp and its natural spring. Mosby released two New York Herald reporters to build good public relations and tell the world what a "gentleman" he was.

According to local tradition, two of Mosby's men fooled 200 Federals into fleeing from the gap during the war. Echoing rebel yells and large stones being rolled off the steep slopes made it seem like a larger force was attacking.
Details
HM NumberHM7MY
Tags
Year Placed2008
Placed ByVirginia Civil War Trails
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Wednesday, October 22nd, 2014 at 4:35pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 267069 N 4304458
Decimal Degrees38.85813333, -77.68441667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 38° 51.488', W 77° 41.065'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds38° 51' 29.28" N, 77° 41' 3.90" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)703, 571
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 16513-16573 Waterfall Rd, Haymarket VA 20169, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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