Near Locust Grove in Orange County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
The Higgerson Farm
The Battle of the Wilderness
— Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park —
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, November 10, 2007
1. The Higgerson Farm Marker
Before you are the fields of the Higgerson Farm, one of only a few major clearings on the Wilderness Battlefield. On the afternoon of May 5, Union troops swept across this open space, bound for bewildering combat in the thickets to the north and west.When the Federals trampled her fence and garden, Permelia Higgerson emerged from her house, berated the Yankees, and predicted their quick repulse. “We didn’t pay much attention to what she said,” admitted a Pennsylvanian, “but the result proved that she was right.”
After a succession of bloody clashes in the distant woods, the Federals retreated back across this field. Mrs. Higgerson taunted them as they passed.
“At Chickamauga there was at least a rear, but here there ain’t neither front nor rear. It’s all a ----------- mess! And our two armies ain’t nothin but howlin’ mobs!”
- A Confederate prisoner to his captors
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 date for this entry is May 5, 1862.
Location.
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Wilderness Campaign (approx. 0.3 miles away); "A Wild, Wicked Roar" (approx. 0.7 miles away); Saunders Field (approx. 0.7 miles away); The Capture of Winslow's Battery (approx. 0.7 miles away); The Fighting Ends in Stalemate (approx. 0.7 miles away); Struggle on the Orange Plank Road (approx. 0.7 miles away); Battle of the Wilderness (approx. 0.7 miles away); Clash on the Orange Turnpike (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Locust Grove.
More about this marker. The marker features a picture of Union soldiers making their way through the Higgerson garden on the left, and a photograph of the Higgerson farm house on the right. The upper right is a picture of Permelia Higgerson, the woman who confronted the Union soldiers in her yard.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, November 10, 2007
2. The Higgerson Farm
The open field beyond the marker is the site of the Higgerson Farm and one of the few clearings in the Wilderness. It saw action on May 5, 1864.
Photographed By Craig Swain, February 16, 2008
3. Marker Beside Hill-Ewell Drive
Photographed By Craig Swain, February 16, 2008
4. Path to the Higgerson Farm House Ruins
Photographed By Craig Swain, May 9, 2009
5. Ruins of Higgerson House
All that remains of the Higgerson House today is a pile of stones from the chimney.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 10, 2020. It was originally submitted on March 8, 2008. This page has been viewed 2,683 times since then and 55 times this year. Last updated on September 5, 2020, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 8, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 3, 4. submitted on March 8, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 5. submitted on May 31, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
