Near Spotsylvania Courthouse in Spotsylvania County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
The Union Center
The Battle of Chancellorsville
Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park
| | National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior | |
Photographed by Craig Swain, July 25, 2009
1. The Union Center Marker
Upon reaching Chancellorsville on April 30, 1863, General Joseph Hooker deployed the Army of the Potomac in a defensive perimeter around the intersection. General Henry W. Slocum's Twelfth Corps held the center of the Union line. For three days his troops entrenched, creating a sturdy earthwork screened by the line of fallen trees known as an abatis. The trench in front of you is a remnant of that fortified line.
At first the Confederates did not test Slocum's position, but on May 3 Lee ordered a general assault. While Virginians led by General William Mahone attacked these works in front, Confederate artillery on the Orange Plank Road and at Hazel Grove sent shells screeching into Slocum's line from the rear. The Twelfth Corps gamely held its ground, but as the hours passed, its supply of ammunition ran low. At 9 a.m., Slocum ordered a retreat.
"During the night, [I] received instructions to fell the timber in front for the purpose of forming an abatis, which was improved on afterward by the men building a breastwork, and throwing the dirt up with bayonets, swords, tin plates, and many using nothing but their hands, completing an intrenchment which resisted repeated attacks of the enemy in front."
Colonel Charles Candy, Twelfth Corps
Erected by
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1808.
Location. 38° 18.13′ N, 77° 38.575′ W. Marker is near Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia, in Spotsylvania County. It is on Slocum Drive, on the right when traveling east. The marker stands at stop seven, Slocum's Line, on the driving tour of the Chancellorsville Battlefield, in Fredericksburg-Spotsylvania National Military Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 8809 Blvd of the Generals, Spotsylvania VA 22553, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area, in Northern Virginia, and in the Piedmont. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Mid-Atlantic. 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: Chancellorsville Campaign (approx. 0.2 miles away); The 27th Indiana Infantry (approx. Ό mile away); Fairview (approx. 0.3 miles away); Chancellor Cemetery (approx. 0.4 miles away); Ordeal of the Wounded (approx. 0.4 miles away); a different marker also named Fairview (approx. 0.4 miles away); Jackson's Impact (approx. 0.4 miles away); High Drama, Human Tragedy (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Spotsylvania Courthouse.
More about this marker. The main illustration on the marker is a drawing captioned Pennsylvania troops fight along this line, May 3, 1863. To the lower left is a map showing the Federal position and the direction of
Photographed by Craig Swain, July 25, 2009
2. The Union Center Wayside
Photographed by Craig Swain, July 25, 2009
3. Remnants of Slocum's Trenches
Credits. This page was last revised on March 15, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 25, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,597 times since then and 16 times this year. Last updated on March 15, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 25, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
