Rappahannock River

river, Virginia, United States

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Article History

Rappahannock River, river flowing entirely through Virginia, U.S. It rises near Chester Gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains east of Front Royal and flows southeastward past Fredericksburg (head of navigation and of tidewater) to enter Chesapeake Bay after a course of 212 miles (341 km). Its chief tributary is the Rapidan, which joins it above Fredericksburg. A number of American Civil War battles took place along the Rappahannock, and it is otherwise historically important for its evidence of early Native American (Algonquian) and colonial settlements, mill sites, and navigation canals and locks. The river’s name is of Algonquian origin, from a word meaning “quick rising waters.”

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.