Catharine Furnace
Ironworks, Spotsylvania County (Chancellorsville), Virginia.
- Side
- Confederate
- Kind
- Ironworks
- Where
- Spotsylvania County (Chancellorsville), Virginia
- Years
- 1862-1865
- Today
- Park
CATHARINE FURNACE
Iron furnace of 1837, restarted in 1862 under a Confederate Navy contract for 2,000 tons of pig iron, worked mostly by hired enslaved workers. The Battle of Chancellorsville was fought around it. It burned on May 6, 1864, and was back in blast by early 1865.
Then
The Catherine Furnace Company restarted the 1837 furnace in 1862 under a Confederate Navy contract for 2,000 tons of pig iron over three years, for the Tredegar Works or the Virginia State Armory in Richmond. The army released skilled workers to it, and the bulk of the labor was hired enslaved workers.
The Battle of Chancellorsville was fought around the furnace complex, and Jackson's flank march began there. It was repaired by early 1864, burned during the Overland Campaign on May 6, 1864, rebuilt and back in blast by early 1865.
Now
Park
The furnace ruins stand in Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.
The nearest railroad in service today is a line owned by CSX, about 10 miles away.
Nearby
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- 18 miBelle Plain landingUnion · Port, Stafford County (Belle Plain), Virginia
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- 20 miBrandy Station depotUnion · Depot, Brandy Station, Virginia
- 21 miMilitary railroads move two corps from Virginia to TennesseeSeptember 25, 1863, Bealeton, Virginia
- 23 miUnion cavalry captures the Culpeper railroad depotSeptember 13, 1863, Culpeper, Virginia