Fredericksburg, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Great Exodus From Bondage
Photographed by Col. James F. Jamison, USMC (Ret), June 29, 2023
1. Great Exodus From Bondage Marker
The former Farmers' Bank building at this intersection was once the home and workplace of John Washington (1838-1918), who early in the 1870s wrote a memoir of his life in slavery. On 18 April 1862, about eight months before the Emancipation Proclamation, Washington fled Fredericksburg and crossed the Rappahannock River to Falmouth, where Union forces had just arrived. He was among the first of more than 10,000 refugees enslaved in surrounding counties who escaped to Union lines and freedom over the next four months. These acts of self-emancipation accelerated a shift in federal policy that ultimately led to the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ending chattel slavery in the United States.
Erected 2022 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number N-42.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans • Civil Rights • War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is April 18, 1862.
Location. 38° 18.146′ N, 77° 27.611′ W. Marker is in Fredericksburg, Virginia. It is at the intersection of Princess Anne Street (Business U.S. 17) and George Street, on the right when traveling east on Princess Anne Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 900 Princess Anne 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.
this page online
Other markers no longer nearby. The Courthouse (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); A Vast Hospital (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); The Demon of Destruction (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); War Comes to Fredericksburg (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Photographed by Col. James F. Jamison, USMC (Ret), June 29, 2023
2. Great Exodus From Bondage Marker
Photographed by Col. James F. Jamison, USMC (Ret), June 29, 2023
3. Great Exodus From Bondage Marker
This view of the marker is looking up Princess Anne Street.
Photographed by Calder Loth, 2017
4. Former Farmer's Bank Building, mentioned in Great Exodus From Bondage Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on July 8, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 29, 2023, by Col. James F. Jamison, USMC (Ret) of Coronado, California. This page has been viewed 682 times since then and 58 times this year. Last updated on July 1, 2023, by Col. James F. Jamison, USMC (Ret) of Coronado, California. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 29, 2023, by Col. James F. Jamison, USMC (Ret) of Coronado, California. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
