{"nrhp_refnum":"89001059","name":"Freestone Point Confederate Battery","other_names":["DHL No. 76-264"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"At Potomac River off VA 610 in Leesylvania State Park","address_restricted":false,"city":"Woodbridge","county":"Prince William County","state":"VA","lat":38.59280035650005,"lon":-77.24893060472135,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1989-08-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Civil War earthwork site in Leesylvania State Park near Woodbridge, Prince William County, Virginia, made up of four earthen gun emplacements on a cliff above the Potomac River, built in September 1861.","why_significant":"The battery was the northernmost of the Confederate gun positions that blockaded the Potomac River, the Union's main supply route, from October 1861 to March 1862. It is one of only two surviving Potomac blockade batteries, the other being Cockpit Point. It may also have been built early to draw Union naval attention away from stronger batteries still under construction.","narrative":"Four earthen gun emplacements sit on a cliff about 95 feet above the Potomac River in Leesylvania State Park. Built in September 1861, the Freestone Point battery was the northernmost of the Confederate batteries that blockaded the river. Each emplacement is a deep rectangular depression flanked by high earthen berms. Three are clustered on the cliff, and a fourth lies about 950 feet to the west, positioned to guard the mouth of Neabsco Creek. Smaller bermed depressions nearby may be the remains of ammunition magazines. On September 25, 1861, the battery exchanged fire with Union ships, and it fired again in October. The blockade lasted from October 1861 to March 1862 and embarrassed Union leaders. The battery was probably abandoned once stronger batteries were ready, and it may have been built partly as a ruse. Its designer and builder are unknown. Only this battery and Cockpit Point survive from the blockade. Park staff have cleared brush and are adding interpretive displays.","period_of_significance":"1861-1865","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Other: earthworks","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Preserved within Leesylvania State Park, where staff have cleared vegetation and are developing interpretive displays; integrity is described as very good.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:00.670912-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/84/6788/41678884/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/89001059.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001059/c0903d56bf-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001059/c0903d56bf-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Jerrye &amp; Roy Klotz, MD","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FREESTONE_POINT_CONFEDERATE_BATTERY,_PRINCE_WILLIAM_CO._VA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jerrye &amp;amp; Roy Klotz, MD</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FREESTONE_POINT_CONFEDERATE_BATTERY,_PRINCE_WILLIAM_CO._VA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41678884","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freestone_Point_Confederate_Battery","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15221106"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/prince-william-county/freestone-point-confederate-battery-89001059/"}