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Sangster’s Station, which was located 1–3/4 miles along the tracks to the east of Clifton, was the site of at least two engagements during the Civil War. In March 1862, Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston abandoned his northern Virginia lines and led his army south to defend Richmond. As the last of his forces neared the Rappahannock River on March 9, Union cavalrymen advancing from Alexandria encountered a Confederate rear guard at Sangster’s Station. And then on the the evening of December 17, 1863, during a winter lightning storm, Sangster’s came under attack for the second and last time. Confederate cavalry of the Laurel Brigade, with local soldiers of the Chinquapin Rangers as guides, captured a Union stockade fort guarding the railroad there.
