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

The Chewning Farm

The Battle of the Wilderness

Photographed By Craig Swain, May 9, 2009

1. The Chewning Farm Marker

Inscription. On the ridge ahead of you stood the Chewning house, an important landmark on the Wilderness Battlefield. Sixty-nine-year-old William V. Chewning scratched out a living on this 150-acre farm during the war with the help of his wife Permelia and their two grown children. Union troops looted the farm in November 1863 but left the two-and-one-half-story frame house standing.

The building, extensively remodeled after the war, fell victim to fire in 1947. The farm road to your right leads to the Chewning house site. Exhibits there discuss the clearing's tactical importance and its occupation by both Union and Confederate armies during the Battle of the Wilderness.

Trail length: 0.25 mile
Hiking time (roud trip): 20 minutes
Grade: This is an easy hike

Erected by Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park - National Park Service.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical month for this entry is November 1863.

Location. 38° 17.756′ N, 77° 44.661′ W. Marker is near Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia, in Spotsylvania County. Marker is on Hill-Ewell Drive, on the right when traveling south. Located at stop five (Chewning Farm) on the driving tour of the Wilderness Battlefield. The marker is the

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trail head for the Chewning House Trail, and stands next to the Old Parker Store Road traces. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 12515 Wilderness Park Dr, Spotsylvania VA 22551, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Wilderness Campaign (within shouting distance of this marker); Key Terrain (approx. 0.2 miles away); A.P. Hill Escapes Capture (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Wilderness Campaign (approx. 0.6 miles away); The Higgerson Farm (approx. 0.9 miles away); The Widow Tapp House (approx. one mile away); The Home of Widow Tapp (approx. one mile away); a different marker also named Wilderness Campaign (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Spotsylvania Courthouse.

More about this marker. The right side of the marker is a trail map showing the location of the trail head, farm road, Chewning house site, and other exhibits.

Also see . . . Wilderness Battlefield. National Park Service page. (Submitted on April 29, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)

Driving Tour Stop Five - Wilderness Battlefield image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Craig Swain, February 16, 2008

2. Driving Tour Stop Five - Wilderness Battlefield

Chewning Farm Fields image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Craig Swain, February 16, 2008

3. Chewning Farm Fields

Confederate Trenches image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Craig Swain, February 16, 2008

4. Confederate Trenches

On the east side of the road, opposite the marker, are the traces of trenches occupied by Ewell's Confederates during the later stages of the battle.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 9, 2021. It was originally submitted on April 29, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,636 times since then and 75 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on May 18, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 29, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.