Belle Plains, Virginia

Belle Plains is a former settlement along Potomac Creek in Stafford County that served as a transportation hub for both water and overland routes. The location sits at a confluence point where boats could transfer cargo to wagons heading inland and toward Fredericksburg.

The settlement gained major importance as a Union supply center during 1864 when the military needed efficient distribution points for the Overland Campaign. Its location made it preferable to older landing sites that had served the army in previous campaigns.

The area contains remnants of 19th-century transportation infrastructure, including former steamboat landing sites and stagecoach routes to Fredericksburg.

The area can be reached via local roads in Stafford County, with historical markers scattered throughout the site explaining its past role. Visitors should plan for an outdoor experience without structures, so appropriate footwear and weather-appropriate clothing are recommended.

The site operated as both a civilian steamboat landing and military supply center at the same time, showing how commerce and warfare were intertwined in this region. This dual purpose made it a place where civilian commerce continued even as military operations intensified nearby.