Trail to Freedom

"Fredericksburg is a captured town, the enemy took possession of the Stafford Hills ? and their guns have frowned down upon us ever since? The Federal army has abolished slavery wherever it has gone."
— Jane Beale,
a Fredericksburg Citizen

"I could not begin to express my new born hopes for I felt already like I was certain of my freedom now."
— John Washington, a Fredericksburg slave

The Civil War spilled into the Rappahannock valley in the spring of 1862. While the main armies campaigned on the Virginia Peninsula, east of Richmond, a Federal force occupied Falmouth, across the river in Stafford County. The arrival of the Union army on April 18th caused an immediate stir.

While most white residents reacted with dismay, many slaves saw opportunity in the resulting chaos. A slave named John Washington made his way to this area. At Ficklen's Mill (the ruins to your left front) he observed soldiers wearing Union blue on the opposite shore of the Rappahannock River.

Washington approached the riverbank and the Federal pickets rowed over in a boat. Washington took the fateful step of crossing the river with them to freedom. As the war continued, thousands of other African-Americans left their homes, seeking their own freedom through the Union lines.

Captions:This sketch shows the area where John Washington crossed the river. The town of Falmouth is on the right. Flicklen's Mill, on the Fredericksburg shore, is on the left.John Washington passed the Woolen Mil (shown by a blue arrow) as he walked out of town toward Falmouth. At Ficklen's Mill (circled in red), he headed toward the river and freedom.This photo of John Washington was taken about ten years after the war.

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Show me all markers in:  Fredericksburg, VA  |  22401  |  Virginia  |  United States of America

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