Near Spotsylvania Courthouse in Spotsylvania County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
On to Richmond!
The Battle of the Wilderness
— Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park —
Photographed By Craig Swain, November 10, 2007
1. On to Richmond! Marker
Before the Wilderness, battlefield stalemate meant retreat by one side or the other - a return to the starting point to try again another day. But not here. Union General-in-Chief Ulysses S. Grant rendered stalemate in the Wilderness irrelevant. On the night of May 7, 1864 as the woods around you still smoldered, Grant ordered the Union army not backward, but forward - south toward Spotsylvania Court House and eventually Richmond.
As Union soldiers quietly left the earthworks in front of you, they realized a turning point had arrived. And when later that night Grant rode among them, they cheered. They cheered not because Grant had won, but because he refused to lose. For the Union army, eleven months of non-stop campaigning - and ultimately victory - lay ahead.
Wild cheers echoed through the forest, and glad shouts of triumph rent the air. Men swung their hats, tossed up their arms, and pressed forward to within touch of their chief, clapping their hands, and speaking to him with the familiarity of comrades ....The night march had become a triumphal procession for the new commander.
-Lieutenant Colonel Horace Porter, Union staff officer
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this
this page online
Location. 38° 18.063′ N, 77° 42.538′ W. Marker is near Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia, in Spotsylvania County. Marker is at the intersection of Brock Road (County Route 613) and Orange Plank Road (County Route 621), on the right when traveling south on Brock Road. Located at stop eight of a driving tour of the Wilderness Battlefield. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 10801 Orange Plank Rd, Spotsylvania VA 22551, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. No Turning Back (here, next to this marker); 12th Regiment New Jersey Volunteers 1862 - 1865 (a few steps from this marker); The Climax (within shouting distance of this marker); Horror on the Orange Plank Road (within shouting distance of this marker); Valuable Crossroads (within shouting distance of this marker); Echoes Homeward (within shouting distance of this marker); Hell Itself (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Vermont Brigade (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Spotsylvania Courthouse.
More about this marker. The background
Photographed By Craig Swain
2. Markers at the Brock and Plank Roads Intersection
Also see . . . Battle of Wilderness. National Park Service site provides links to a summary of the campaign, maps for driving and walking tours, and additional photos of the battlefield. (Submitted on January 26, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
Photographed By Craig Swain, February 16, 2008
3. The "Compass" at Stop Eight
At several locations in the Central Virginia Battlefields, bronze pointers such as this one indicate the locations related points of interest. Here Parker's Store (along the Orange Plank Road) is indicated as 3.2 miles southwest. Spotsylvania Court House is 9.5 miles to the southeast. Culpeper Court House is 20 miles to the northwest. Orange Court House is 23 miles west. Richmond is 58 miles almost due south. And Washington, D.C. is 58 miles northeast.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 9, 2021. It was originally submitted on January 26, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,467 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 26, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 3. submitted on May 1, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.
