DHR administers easement over Civil War battlefield land near City of Harrisonburg

The Department of Historic Resources (DHR) has executed and recorded a perpetual historic preservation easement over the Edwards Tract, a property situated on the site where the Battle of Port Republic in the American Civil War (1861-1865) took place. The easement protects approximately 107 acres of historically significant open-space land. The Edwards Tract is located southeast of the City of Harrisonburg, in a rural agricultural area in Rockingham County known as Port Republic.

On June 9, 1862, Confederate troops under Maj. Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson engaged with Federal forces east of the village of Port Republic. The battle largely occurred on a 70-foot-high ridge, known locally as “The Coaling,” which featured a clearing at the top from a charcoaling operation. The Coaling encompassed much of what today comprises the Edwards Tract. While Union artillery units at the top of the ridge initially dominated the battlefield, Jackson, who was concerned about the possibility of more Federal troops arriving on site, launched a haphazard attack against the Union forces. The majority of Jackson’s brigade, including the Louisiana Tigers, moved through the woods west of the Edwards Tract to fight the Union position at The Coaling. After a series of attacks from both sides, troops under Gen. Richard S. Ewell arrived to help the Confederates capture The Coaling and win the battle. The Confederate victory at Port Republic resulted in the withdrawal of Federal troops back down the Shenandoah Valley and allowed Jackson to cross the Blue Ridge Mountains to join troops led by Gen. Robert E. Lee near Richmond.

The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation (SVBF) acquired the Edwards Tract in 2022 using grants from the American Battlefield Protection Program, the Virginia Battlefield Preservation Fund, and the Virginia Land Conservation Fund. The SVBF conveyed an easement on the property to the Virginia Board of Historic Resources (VBHR) to fulfill grant requirements.

The densely forested terrain of the Edwards Tract is bisected by Ore Bank Road (State Route 708). The property fronts an unnamed intermittent stream along its western boundary for more than 3,700 feet. This stream drains to the South Fork of the Shenandoah River and the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The Virginia Department of Forestry considers approximately 49 percent of the Edwards Tract a high priority for forestland conservation in the state. More than 50 acres of the property have an “outstanding” rating in ecological integrity value in the Virginia Natural Landscapes Assessment. A portion of the property also lies within the Deep Run-Madison Run Pond Complex Conservation Site as designated by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.

SVBF intends to install pedestrian trails and interpretative signs on the property to educate the public about the Battle of Port Republic. The Edwards Tract adjoins other properties owned by SVBF that are associated with the battle, and together they create a contiguous corridor of 327 acres of conserved historic landscape.

As of 2023, DHR has placed under easement more than 75,000 acres of land. DHR easements are held by the VBHR, and DHR staff monitor the eased lands. The VBHR currently holds easements on approximately 49,000 acres of battlefields in Virginia.