Orange & Alexandria Railroad Culvert
Posted by: 
hzoi
N 38° 47.397 W 077° 12.704
18S E 307906 N 4295790
Culvert under the original bed of the O&A RR, used by Confederate raiders to hide and wait for passing trains to sabotage
Waymark Code: WM15N6E
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 01/25/2022
Views: 0
Tucked away in the woods of Lake Accotink Park is a hidden passage. This Civil War-era culvert served as a hiding place for Confederates prior to raids on the Orange & Alexandria Railroad, which once passed directly over the culvert.
The railroad, which ran between Gordonsville in central Virginia and the port city of Alexandria, provided a strategic mechanism for the movement of troops and supplies for the Union army. Numerous accounts exist of Confederate forces attempting to disrupt the railroad line during the war.
General J.E.B. Stuart directed an attack on December 28, 1862, in which the Confederates damaged rails and cut telegraph lines at nearby Burke Station.
On another occasion, a group of 12 men under General Fitzhugh Lee were ordered by Stuart to burn the wooden trestle over Accotink Creek. It was later repaired.
The following year, a series of raids were conducted by Major John S. Mosby’s Rangers and Confederate civilians in which tracks were torn up with the hopes of derailing trains. After a derailment attempt failed on July 26, 1863, Union General George G. Meade enacted severe punishment on the civilians involved. To protect the railroad, several Union regiments camped out near the tracks.
Relic hunters have chiseled out one of two keystone bricks in the culvert marked with the letters “CSA” (Confederate States of America). Another brick inscribed with the year “1862” was removed from the culvert by park rangers and is on display at Lake Accotink Park Visitor’s Center.
An impressive railroad trestle stands in the main part of the park, but it’s not part of the original trestle. The park also features a large dam, a carousel, and a large picnic area, but this obscure tunnel is a hidden gem worth seeking out.
The culvert is located a short walk from the Visitor's Center. If you park in the lot, walk back to the main road, turn right, and walk down the road looking over the edge into the woods until you see the top of the culvert. It's a pretty steep climb down a short but sometimes muddy embankment, so proceed with caution.
Access to the tunnel is much easier from the Cross County Trail to the south.
If the Visitor's Center is open when you visit, you can see the brick mentioned above inscribed with the year "1862" that was rescued for posterity by park rangers, along with numerous other artifacts.
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