Amid Shot and Shell

Amid Shot and Shell. Spotsylvania Court House National Historic District. , Berea Church was initially used as a field hospital during the battles for Spotsylvania Court House as fighting raged on the Brock Road on May 8th. On May 11th, the church became the headquarters of General Jubal Early. On May 13th, the area came under artillery fire from Federal lines across the Fredericksburg Road. A large artillery shell passed through the front doors and became hidden within one of the walls. Damage to the church can be seen by the different color of brick in the photo below circa 1910. Fire damaged the church in 1899., After the fire on July 3, 1899, the artillery shell that was lodged into the wall was discovered. The shell was donated to the Fredericksburg Museum of War Relics, but it's location today is unknown. The muddy road in 1905 was unchanged from the war. The County Jail (1) built in 1855 is across the road. "Courtland" is in the background (2) with the Courthouse (3) far right., [Caption:] , General Jubal Early, who ascended to Command of the Confederate 2nd Corps due to the illness of General A. P. Hill, did not speak of Berea in his memoirs.