Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania

Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park Virginia National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior FROM THE PAINTING BATTLE OF THE BLOODY ANGLE BY THURE DE THULSTRUP COURTESY THE VETERANS OF THE SEVENTH REGIMENT, NY, In 1861, Fredericksburg was a quiet city of some 5,000 inhabitants nestled along the Rappahannock River. Its strategic location midway between Richmond and Washington caused it t o become a focal point during the Civil War. Confederate infantrymen standing in a sunken road (right) and concealed from view by a stone wall repulsed thousands of attacking Federals during the 1862 Battle of Fredericksburg. Robert E. Lee (near right) led Confederate forces at all four battles around Fredericksburg. Stonewall Jackson (far right), Lee's most trusted subordinate, fell victim to the mistaken fire of his own men at Chancellorsville. BATTLES AND LEADERS OF THE CIVIL WAR LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Where Uncommon Valor Was Commonplace Fredericksburg a n d Spotsylvania National M i l i tary Park memorializes t h e battles o f Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, t h e Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Court House—four major engagements o f t h e Civil War. No o t h e r area of comparable size has witnessed such heavy and c o n t i n uous f i g h t i n g . Here, w i t h i n a radius of 17 miles, occurred m o r e t h a n 100,000 A m e r i c a n casualties. The park preserves a n d interprets some o f t h e scenes of those battles. The q u i e t , peaceful w o o d s a n d fields are constant reminders o f h o w much w e o w e t o t h e sacrifice o f others. Fredericksburg The Union army c o m m a n d e d by Ambrose E. Burnside arrived on Stafford Heights overlooking Fredericksburg in m i d - N o v e m b e r 1862. N o t u n t i l December 11, however, did t h e Federals cross t h e Rappahannock River. By t h a t t i m e Robert E. Lee's forces w e r e f i r m l y posted on t h e high g r o u n d west of t h e city. On December 13, Burnside o r d e r e d t w o attacks. A n assault led by George G. Meade against Jackson's corps at Prospect Hill achieved t e m p o r a r y success b e f o r e C o n f e d e r a t e reserves drove t h e Federals back t o t h e i r o r i g i n a l p o s i t i o n . The second attack was launched against t h e h e a r t o f Lee's defenses on Marye's Heights west o f Fredericksburg. C o n f e d e r a t e artillery on t h e heights and i n f a n t r y b e h i n d a stone waii siaughtered t h e u n i o n soldiers. W h e n t h e day e n d e d , Lee had w o n his most one-sided victory of t h e war. Chancellorsville F o l l o w i n g t h e Fredericksburg debacle, President A b r a h a m Lincoln replaced Burnside w i t h Joseph Hooker. O n A p r i l 27, 1863, t h e n e w c o m m a n d e r marched most of his army upstream, crossed t h e Rappahannock a n d Rapidan rivers a t various fords, a n d w i t h i n t h r e e days was a t t h e Chancellorsville crossroads. Lee discovered this t h r e a t t o his position and rushed w e s t w a r d , p r o m p t ing Hooker t o a b a n d o n t h e i n i t i a t i v e and establish a defensive line, w h i c h was v u l n e r a b l e on Stonewall Jackson Shrine Nps t h e r i g h t f l a n k . Stonewall Jackson e x p l o i t e d this weakness o n May 2 by leading his corps on a risky 12-mile march a r o u n d t h e U n i o n army and destroying Hooker's right in a spectacular surprise attack. The day ended tragically f o r t h e Confederates w h e n Jackson was u n w i t t i n g l y shot and m o r t a l l y w o u n d e d by his o w n t r o o p s . For t h r e e more days Lee pressed his advantage and eventually drove t h e Federals back across t h e river. The Wilderness The first o f t h e classic encounters b e t w e e n Lee and Ulysses S. Grant t o o k place in t h e dense thickets and t a n g l e d u n d e r g r o w t h of t h e Wilderness on M a y 5-6, 1864. A l o n g t h e O r a n g e Turnpike t h e armies sparred indecisively f o r t w o days. To t h e south, on t h e Orange Plank Road, t h e Federals almost crushed A. P. Hill's t r o o p s on May 5, only t o be t h r o w n back by a dramatic Confederate counterattack t h e next day. Tactically t h e batt l e was a draw, b u t Grant b r o k e t h e stalemate by marching his army south t o w a r d Spotsylvania Court House. Spotsylvania Court House On the n i g h t of May 7-8, 1864, b o t h armies raced f o r t h e vital intersection a t Spotsylvania Court House t h a t controlled the shortest route t o Richm o n d . Lee arrived first, e n t r e n c h e d , a n d successf u i i y w i t h s t o o d a series o f U n i o n attacks, u n t h e m o r n i n g o f May 12, t w o Federal corps charged f r o m t h e w o o d s opposite a vulnerable section of t h e C o n f e d e r a t e line k n o w n as t h e " M u l e Shoe Salient." Thanks in part t o thick f o g and w e t Confederate powder, t h e initial U n i o n advance o v e r w h e l m e d t h e Southerners. Confederate reinforcements c o u n t e r a t t a c k e d , a n d f o r t h e next 20 hours this sector witnessed t h e most intense h a n d - t o - h a n d combat of t h e war. This desperate f i g h t i n g came t o be called t h e " B l o o d y A n g l e " and earned Lee enough t i m e t o build new e a r t h works, which he held until Grant abandoned t h e f i e l d o n May 2 1 . Fredericksburg National Cemetery "Ps The opening battles of the campaign that led t o final Union victory in Virginia were fought west of Fredericksburg at the Wilderness and at Spotsylvania Court House. Some of the most savage fighting took place at Spotsylvania during the U.S. ARMY MILITARY HISTORY INSTFTUTE VALENTINE MUSEUM Fredericksburg and Vicinity, 1861-1865 Stonewall Jackson Shrine Following his accidental w o u n d i n g on the n i g h t of May 2, 1863, Jackson's left arm was a m p u t a t ed at a field hospital near Wilderness Tavern. On May 4, he e n d u r e d a 27-mile ambulance ride t o Thomas C. Chandler's Fairfield Plantation at Guinea Station. Here, w e l l b e h i n d Confederate lines and at a p o i n t convenient t o t h e railroad, Jackson lay in a small f r a m e office b u i l d i n g . Pneumonia set in after his arrival and he died here o n May 10. Old Salem Church Built in 1844 t o provide t h e Baptists of upper Spotsylvania County a m o r e geographically c o n venient place of w o r s h i p , this structure harbored scores of refugees w h o f l e d Fredericksburg during t h e 1862 b a t t l e . U n i o n and Confederate soldiers later f o u g h t here d u r i n g t h e Battle of Chancellorsville. W h e n t h e f i g h t i n g e n d e d , Southern surgeons a t t e n d e d t o w o u n d e d soldiers o f b o t h armies in t h e b u i l d i n g . Chatham This gracious Georgian p l a n t a t i o n house, b u i l t by W i l l i a m Fitzhugh b e g i n n i n g in 1768, hosted t w o of America's most famous Presidents—George W a s h i n g t o n in 1785 and A b r a h a m Lincoln in 1862. During t h e Battle o f Fredericksburg t h e b u i i d i n g served as headquarters f o r Edwin v. Sumner, c o m m a n d e r of t h e U n i o n army's Right Grand Division, and as a f i e l d hospital. A r m y medical personnel, assisted by volunteers like Clara Barton, t r e a t e d hundreds of Union soldiers w i t h i n its walls. Graffiti scrawled by soldiers is still visible today. Fredericksburg National Cemetery M o r e t h a n 15,000 U n i o n soldiers killed in a n d a r o u n d Fredericksburg are b u r i e d in this 12-acre cemetery located on Marye's Heights. The identities of 85 percent of t h e soldiers are u n k n o w n . Confederate soldiers are b u r i e d in Fredericksb u r g and Spotsylvania Confederate cemeteries. Chatham NPS Union attack on the Confederate-held "Bloody Angle" (above). Losses were fearful, but to Ulysses S. Grant (right), commanding all Union armies, the results were important to his overall plan to destroy Lee's army and end the war. BRARYOF CONuRLSS The Lee vs. Grant driving route, highlighting aspects of Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign, begins at Germanna Ford. It is part of the Virginia Civil War Trails, a network of driving tours linking Civil War sites in Virginia. Possession or use of metal detectors on park property is illegal. Do not use this map to determine park boundaries. Check at park headquarters or visitor centers for accurate boundary information. Roadside markers can help you understand the people, places, and events of the four major Civil War battles fought in and around Fredericksburg. Touring the Battlefields Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park c o m m e m o rates t h e Chancellorsville Campaign and t h e battles of Fredericksburg, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Court House. The Chancellorsville Campaign included t h e battles of Chancellorsville, Second Fredericksburg, and Salem Church. There is a small fee t o see t h e park films. All other activities are free. Each battlefield has a self-guiding driving tour. The park has t w o visitor centers, f o u r historic structures, and 12 h i k i n g trails. Contact a visitor center f o r hiking trails i n f o r m a t i o n . Tape tours and p a m phlets a b o u t t h e battles are available at visitor centers. Rangers give w a l k i n g tours and interpretive programs f r o m early June t h r o u g h Labor Day. Park histori- ans at visitor centers and at Chatham give information a b o u t t h e park and its story. Publications on Civil W a r hist o r y are sold at the visitor centers, Chatham, and Stonewall Jackson Shrine. The shrine is o p e n daily in summer, w i t h reduced hours the rest of t h e year. Picnic tables are available at each battlefield and at Chatham and Stonewall Jackson Shrine. The park has no o v e r n i g h t camping. Prince W i l l i a m Forest Park, 23 miles n o r t h of Fredericksburg, offers National Park Service campgrounds. Call 703-221-7181. Regulations To help us preserve this historic area, please observe t h e f o l l o w i n g regulations: • Relic h u n t i n g or possessing metal detectors on park property is forbidden. • Recreation activities like ball playing, kite f l y i n g , skateboarding, and in-line skating are not permitted. • Do n o t climb o n t h e cannon, m o n u m e n t s , earthworks, or historic ruins. • Possession or use of any kind of w e a p o n is generally p r o h i b i t e d . • Picnic only in design a t e d areas. • Fires are p e r m i t t e d only at picnic areas in grills. Extinguish fires completely before y o u leave. • To wash, polish, or repair a m o t o r vehicle is p r o h i b i t e d except in emergencies. • All vehicles, including bicycles, must stay on roads open t o t h e mot o r i n g public. • To cut or gather any f i r e w o o d is p r o h i b i t e d . • To hunt, trap, spotlight, or intentionally disturb w i l d l i f e is forbidden. • To consume and/or possess o p e n alcoholic beverages is p r o h i b i t e d . • Pets must be leashed. f o r hazards. Use caution and have a safe, enjoyable visit. For Your Safety Driving tours require t u r n i n g o n t o and off of busy roads. Hiking, j o g g i n g , and bicycling are encouraged here, and m o torists must be alert t o these activities. Beware of stinging insects a n d poisonous plants. Wear sturdy w a l k i n g shoes o n trails, especially at Spotsylvania, and be alert Accessibility The first floors of Chatham, Fredericksburg Battlef i e l d Visitor Center, and Stonewall Jackson Shrine are wheelchairaccessible. Persons w i t h disabilities are encouraged t o visit the Chancellorsville Battlefield Visitor Center, which is completely accessible t o wheelchairs. More Information Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park 120 Chatham Lane Fredericksburg, VA 22405-2508 540-373-6122 www.nps.gov/frsp Fredericksburg a n d Spotsylvania N a t i o n a l M i l i t a r y Park is one o f over 390 parks in t h e National Park System. To learn more a b o u t parks and National Park Service programs in America's c o m m u n i ties, visit w w w . n p s . g o v . riGPO:2009—349-224/80319 Reprint 2009 Printed on recycled paper.