Moss Neck Manor is a historic,

antebellum Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to: United States history * Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern United States ** Antebellum Georgia ** Antebellum South Carolina ** Antebellum Virginia * Antebellum ar ...

plantation house A plantation house is the main house of a plantation, often a substantial farmhouse, which often serves as a symbol for the plantation as a whole. Plantation houses in the Southern United States and in other areas are known as quite grand and e ...

located at Rappahannock Academy,

Caroline County, Virginia Caroline County is a United States county located in the eastern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The northern boundary of the county borders on the Rappahannock River, notably at the historic town of Port Royal. The Caroline county sea ...

, United States.

Construction

James Parke Corbin (1808-1868) inherited the plantation, which did not have a significant house, from his father,

Richard Corbin Richard Corbin (1713 or 1714-May 20, 1790) was a Virginia planter and politician who represented Middlesex County, Virginia, Middlesex County in the House of Burgesses and the Virginia Governor's Council. Although a noted Loyalist during the Ameri ...

(1771-1819). After his and his father's main plantation house, Laneville in King and Queen county, burned in 1843, Corbin began construction of the manor in the then-popular

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...

style. Enslaved labor probably both helped construct the building, as well as provided the income for the building project. In the 1850 census, Corbin owned 33 enslaved people in King and Queen County, and about 100 in Caroline County. The house was completed in 1856, shortly after the death of his first wife, the former Jane Katherine Wellford. She had already borne three sons, all of whom would fight for the Confederacy: Richard Corbin (1833-1863), Spottswood Wellford Corbin (1835-1897), and James Parke Corbin Jr.(1847-1909). Their younger daughter Katherine (1839-1920) would marry CSA staff officer

Sandie Pendleton Alexander Swift "Sandie" Pendleton (September 28, 1840 – September 23, 1864) was an officer on the staff of Confederate Generals Thomas J. Jackson, Richard S. Ewell and Jubal A. Early during the American Civil War. Early life and career Sandie ...

during the conflict described below. The two-story central section features long hyphens, and pedimented terminal wings. The colonnaded

verandah A veranda or verandah is a roofed, open-air gallery or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front and sides of the structure. Although the form ''veran ...

s have

Doric order The Doric order was one of the three orders of ancient Greek and later Roman architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian. The Doric is most easily recognized by the simple circular capitals at the top of col ...

columns, a two-level

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

, and octagonal

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, from ...

. The house measures 225 feet long. an
''Accompanying two photos''
/ref> It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1999.

Civil War

Moss Neck Manor, situated about 10 miles from the site of the

Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat, between the Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnsi ...

, was then owned by the Corbin family. The Corbins invited General

Stonewall Jackson Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, considered one of the best-known Confederate commanders, after Robert E. Lee. He played a prominent role in nearl ...

to stay at Moss Neck Manor during the winter of 1862–63. He declined to stay in the main house, but accepted the use of an office outbuilding. Moss Neck Plantation became the winter quarters of the Second Corps of the

Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most oft ...

. Jackson entertained Confederate generals

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

Jeb Stuart James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart (February 6, 1833May 12, 1864) was a United States Army officer from Virginia who became a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was known to his friends as "Jeb,” from the initials of ...

, and

William N. Pendleton William Nelson Pendleton (December 26, 1809 – January 15, 1883) was an American teacher, Episcopal priest, and soldier. He served as a Confederate general during the American Civil War, noted for his position as Gen. Robert E. Lee's chief ...

in the office on Christmas Day, 1862. The event was depicted, somewhat inaccurately, in the film, '' Gods and Generals''. Mrs. Thomas Jackson (Anna) with infant daughter, Julia Jackson, arrived by train at Guiney's Station on April 20, 1863, for a visit with General Jackson. They stayed at nearby Belvoir. Julia Jackson was baptized by the Reverend Tucker Lacy three days later. The visit ended suddenly nine days later when a report came that Union forces had crossed the

Rappahannock River The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 It traverses the entir ...

near

Chancellorsville, Virginia Chancellorsville is a historic site and unincorporated community in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, about ten miles west of Fredericksburg. The name of the locale derives from the mid-19th century inn operated by the family of George Chancellor at ...

Today

The 290-acre property is privately owned by Gilbert and

Judy Shelton Judy Lynn Shelton (born 1954/55) is an American economic advisor to former President Donald Trump. She is known for her advocacy for a return to the gold standard and for her criticisms of the Federal Reserve (which she has compared to the Sovie ...

. The house has been renovated and updated and is occasionally open for tour.

References

Plantation houses in Virginia Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Greek Revival houses in Virginia Houses completed in 1856 Houses in Caroline County, Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Caroline County, Virginia {{CarolineCountyVA-NRHP-stub