Near Fredericksburg in Spotsylvania County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Bernard's Cabins
The Battle of Fredericksburg
— Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park —
Photographed By Craig Swain, May 25, 2008
1. Bernard's Cabins Marker
On this knoll stood Bernard's Cabins, a small community that in 1860 was home to about three dozen slaves. The complex consisted of three two-room cabins, a stone-lined well, and perhaps two additional buildings. This was only one of several such clusters of slave housing scattered across the 1,800-acre "Mannsfield" estate.
The men and women who lived here helped power the most prosperous plantation in the Fredericksburg area. Arthur Bernard's plantation house, "Mannsfield" (1766), stood about a mile east of here (it burned in 1863). During the 1862 Battle of Fredericksburg it served as headquarters for three top Union generals - W.B. Franklin, J.F. Reynolds, and W.F. Smith.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1860.
Location. 38° 15.588′ N, 77° 27.261′ W. Marker is near Fredericksburg, Virginia, in Spotsylvania County. Marker can be reached from Lee Drive, on the left when traveling east. Marker is located along the Bernard's Cabins walking trail off Lee Drive in the Fredericksburg-Spotyslvania Military Park. The most convenient access is from Lansdowne Road. Touch for map. Marker is at
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Engines of Destruction (here, next to this marker); Slaughter Pen Farm (approx. ¼ mile away); a different marker also named Slaughter Pen Farm (approx. 0.3 miles away); a different marker also named Slaughter Pen Farm (approx. 0.4 miles away); a different marker also named Slaughter Pen Farm (approx. half a mile away); Riverside Plantation: Mannsfield (approx. half a mile away); Bernard's Cabin Trail (approx. half a mile away); a different marker also named Slaughter Pen Farm (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fredericksburg.
More about this marker. The background of the marker is a depiction of "An overseer doing his duty." This 1798 Benjamin Latrobe image shows a scene at a Fredericksburg plantation, possibly Mannsfield. The women are preparing to plant tobacco - then Mannsfield's main cash crop.
In the upper right is A 1770 advertisement seeking the return of a runaway slave from Mannsfield. The advertiser is Mann Page III, the builder of Mannsfield and one of the wealthiest men in Virginia.
Photographed By Craig Swain, May 25, 2008
2. Two Markers at Bernard's Cabins Site
On the left is Bernard's Cabin Marker. On the right is the Engines of Destruction Marker.
Photographed By Craig Swain, May 25, 2008
3. Bernard's Cabins Location
The cabins stood in the vicinity of this lone tree in the middle of the field. The railroad runs through the tree line in the distance.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 27, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,336 times since then and 63 times this year. Last updated on January 6, 2023, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 27, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
