Fredericksburg, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park
National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 18, 2020
Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania—this is the bloodiest landscape in North America. No place more vividly reflects the Civil War's tragic cost in all its forms. A city bombarded, bloodied, and looted. Farms large and small ruined. Refugees by the thousands forced into the countryside. More than 85,000 men wounded; 15,000 killed—most now in graves unknown.
The fading scars of battle, the home places of bygone families, and the granite tributes to those who fought still mark these lands. These places reveal the trials of a community and nation at war—a virtuous tragedy that freed four million Americans and reunited a nation. To visit the battlefields, begin your tour at either the Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitor Center or the Chancellorsville Battlefield Visitor Center.
[Captions:]
Wilderness Battlefield
For two days Union and Confederate soldiers grappled with one another in the woods 15 miles west of Fredericksburg. James Horace Lacy's house, "Ellwood," was the headquarters during the battle.
Chancellorsville Battlefield
Robert E. Lee forged victory against great odds here but suffered the irreparable loss of his brilliant subordinate "Stonewall" Jackson.
Spotsylvania Battlefield
Two weeks of gruesome combat culminated in hand-to-hand fighting at this turn in the Confederate line, known as the Bloody Angle.
Chatham
This colonial plantation is the only private home in America to have played host to both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. During the Civil War, it served as a Union headquarters and hospital.
Jackson Shrine
After his mortal wounding at Chancellorsville, "Stonewall" Jackson was taken to a Caroline County plantation, where he died eight days later. His final words were, "Let us cross over the river and rest under the shade of the trees."
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil.
Location. 38° 17.647′ N, 77° 28.059′ W. Marker is in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Marker is on Sunken Road, 0.1 miles north of Lafayette Boulevard, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 500-540 Willis St, Fredericksburg VA 22401, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Fredericksburg Battlefield (a few steps from this marker); A Segregated Park Service (within shouting distance of this marker); A Winter Campaign Ends in Union Disaster
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 18, 2020
Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 19, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 187 times since then and 12 times this year. Last updated on February 9, 2021, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 19, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.