Fredericksburg, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
The Canal Ditch
Fredericksburg: Timeless.
The millrace through this part of Fredericksburg was known locally as Marye's Race. Pragmatic military men called it a canal ditch.
(Photo courtesy of National Park Service).
The post-Civil War street in front of you, Kenmore Avenue, covers a wartime millrace. On December 13, 1862, that ditch became a maddening obstacle to Union soldiers advancing against Marye's Heights. Five feet deep, 15 feet wide, and filled with frigid water, it could only be crossed on three battered bridges. As the Federals funneled across the waterway, they were pummeled by Confederate artillery.
Once across the ditch, the Federals formed under the shelter of a slight bluff then charged the Sunken Road and Marye's Heights. By the end of the day more than 1,000 Union soldiers lay dead on the plain that stretches out before you. Seven thousand more were wounded. One soldier wrote: "It was a great slaughter pen . . . they might as well have tried to take Hell."
[Captions:]
Union soldiers huddle along the canal ditch (foreground) while their comrades charge across open fields to attack Marye's Heights, Brompton and the Rowe, Stratton, and Innis houses, all appear in this image. (Image courtesy of the National Park Service.)
Three bridges spanned the canal ditch: one here at Hanover
this page online
Erected by Fredericksburg Economic Development and Tourism Office.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Roads & Vehicles • War, US Civil • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Virginia, Fredericksburg: Timeless. series list. A significant historical date for this entry is December 13, 1862.
Location. 38° 17.946′ N, 77° 27.908′ W. Marker is in Fredericksburg, Virginia. It is at the intersection of Hanover Street and Kenmore Avenue, on the right when traveling west on Hanover Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 649 Hanover St, Fredericksburg VA 22401, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area and in Northern Virginia. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Marye's Heights (here, next to this marker); Ravaged Town (here, next to this marker); 1849 (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Rowe House (about 400 feet away); Barton Street Confederate Monument (about 500 feet away); The Barton Street Potter's Field (about 700 feet away); Liberty Town
Other markers no longer nearby. Maryes Heights (was a few steps from this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named The Canal Ditch (was a few steps from this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named Ravaged Town (was a few steps from this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Fredericksburg Campaign (was a few steps from this marker but has been confirmed missing).
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. This marker has replaced the linked marker.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 12, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 593 times since then and 41 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 12, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
