MIDDLEBURG, Va. (AP) - A 5-acre site on the Middleburg Battlefield containing a Civil War-era former tavern and blacksmith's cottage is being preserved under a public-private partnership.
The preservation announced Wednesday involves a key and relatively rare surviving element of the northern Virginia battlefield, which was part of the Gettysburg campaign, according to preservation officials.
Gov. Bob McDonnell, other state officials and the Civil War Trust were to tour the Mount Defiance site as part of the announcement. Besides the former tavern, now a private residence, and blacksmith's cottage, the property also includes a blacksmith's shop where hand-to-hand combat occurred.
The trust said the site is located in Loudoun and Fauquier counties and was the scene of a Civil War cavalry battle on June 19, 1863.
