Near Spotsylvania Courthouse in Spotsylvania County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

The Brown House

February 24, 2012

1. The Brown House Marker

Inscription. Before dawn on May 12, 1864, 20,000 Union troops of General Winfield Hancock's Second Corps slogged into position at the Brown House, one-half mile to your left, preparatory to making an attack on the Confederate-held Muleshoe Salient. Tired from marching all night, the troops threw themselves to the ground and were soon fast asleep despite a steady rain.

As dawn approached, officers quietly woke the men from their sleep and formed them into lines of battle. "There was something terribly weird in this massing of troops at this time of day, in the hooting of owls as the dark figures of men moved through the pines, in the sobbing of the wind through the wet trees," thought one soldier. Drenched to the skin, their teeth chattering with cold, the men stepped out. The most horrible day of fighting in American history was about to begin.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1980.

Location. 38° 13.858′ N, 77° 36.304′ W. Marker is near Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia, in Spotsylvania County. It is at the intersection of Willow Ridge Way and

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Burnleigh Street, on the left when traveling south on Willow Ridge Way. Marker is opposite 9930 Willow Ridge Way, in the "Stuart's Crossing" development. Driving East on Gordon Rd (Rt 627), turn right into Browns Farm Rd, then right into Willow Ridge Ln, finally right into Willow Ridge Way. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9930 Willow Ridge Way, 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,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. 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: Union Earthworks (here, next to this marker); Upton’s Trail

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(approx. half a mile away); 126th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (approx. half a mile away); Attack on the Muleshoe (approx. 0.6 miles away); Bloody Angle, Crowded Ravine (approx. 0.6 miles away); The Muleshoe Salient (approx. 0.6 miles away); Farm to Killing Field (approx. 0.6 miles away); 49th New York Infantry (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Spotsylvania Courthouse.

Other markers no longer nearby. Vista Clearing at Spotsylvania (was approx. half a mile away but has been permanently removed); Spotsylvania Campaign (was approx. half a mile away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named Spotsylvania Campaign (was approx. half a mile away but has been permanently removed); a different marker also named Spotsylvania Campaign (was approx. 0.6 miles away but has been permanently removed).

More about this marker. The sign has a diagram showing Confederate and Union positions and movements around the Muleshoe Salient, and a drawing with the caption: "On May 12, Union troops captured 20 Confederate cannon. Artist Edwin Forbes later sketched the guns after they were brought to the Brown house."

Credits. This page was last revised on July 9, 2021. It was originally submitted on February 25, 2012. This page has been viewed 714 times since then and 48 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on February 25, 2012. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.