Dedicated October 19, 1928
by
Calvin Coolidge
President of
the United States
To commemorate
the beginning of work on the
Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania
National Battlefields Memorial,
authorized by act of Congress . . . — — Map (db m33410) HM
Camp Cobb at Gunnery Springs N-30 In 1775, during the Revolutionary War, this “noble spring” was part of a 10½-acre tract purchased for the Fredericksburg Gun Manufactory. On this site in 1898 stood Camp Cobb, a Spanish-American War . . . — — Map (db m1711) HM
Be it enacted by the Lieutenant-Governor, Council, and Burgesses, of this present General Assembly... [that] fifty acres...shall be surveyed and laid out... in lots and streets, not exceeding half an acre of ground in each lot; and also to . . . — — Map (db m148548) HM
"Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable.... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals."
—Dr. Martin Luther . . . — — Map (db m148077) HM
In December of 1862, with a Federal attack imminent, General Robert E. Lee deployed his Confederate Army of Northern Virginia along a series of hills around the town of Fredericksburg. Brigadier General Cadmus M. Wilcox and his Alabama brigade took . . . — — Map (db m7147) HM
May this Oak Tree from "Sandy Point" Westmoreland Co. Virginia, home of Col. George Eskridge, who was guardian for Mary Ball, shelter her last resting place, as she in her early childhood was sheltered and protected by her beloved guardian. As . . . — — Map (db m9197) HM
Heavy fighting erupted in this area on May 3rd and 4th, during the Chancellorsville campaign. On May 3rd, Brigadier General Cadmus M. Wilcox moved several Alabama regiments into the area (1) and confronted Federal forces at this canal (2). When the . . . — — Map (db m95307) HM
Artillery was an effective weapon, particularly when used in defensive combat. Nowhere was that demonstrated more clearly than here on Marye's Heights, where nine guns of the Washington Artillery shattered the ranks of the oncoming Union army. "The . . . — — Map (db m8690) HM
Army of Northern Virginia
General Robert E. Lee, Commander
Brigadier General W. N. Pendleton
Chief of Artillery
304 guns on the battlefield
Army of the Potomac
Major General A. E. Burnside, Commander
Brigadier General H. J. . . . — — Map (db m4135) HM
The Ladies Memorial Association of Fredericksburg, organized May 10, 1866, cares for the graves and honors those Confederate soldiers who died in this area’s four battles. The Cemetery was dedicated May, 1870 to 3,553 men from 14 States reinterred . . . — — Map (db m60375) HM
In December 1862, General Robert E. Lee deployed his Confederate army along a series of hills around the town of Fredericksburg. In front of you is Fall Hill, which anchored the Confederate line at the Rappahannock River. Brigadier General Cadmus M. . . . — — Map (db m95306) HM
What chance had [Union] flesh and blood to carry by storm such a position, garrisoned too as it was with veteran soldiers? Not one chance in a million.
Private Alexander Hunter, 17th Virginia . . . — — Map (db m217608) HM
"What chance had flesh and blood to carry by storm such a position, garrisoned too as it was with veteran soldiers? Not one chance in a million."
Alexander Hunter, 17th Virginia Infantry.
"Its language is 'we the people.' If Negroes are people, they are included in the benefits for which the Constitution of America was ordained and established."
—Frederick Douglass
(March 26, 1860)
In 1788, pragmatic men . . . — — Map (db m148072) HM
“They use also long arrows tyed in a line wherewith they shoot at fish in the rivers.” —Captain John Smith
In 1608, shortly after Jamestown had been established, Captain John Smith and a small crew worked a vessel up . . . — — Map (db m95619) HM
(Left Side Plaque):City of Fredericksburg Virginia Corporation Court House Erected 1851-52 Mayor .....Robert B. Semple Judge of Court .. John Tayloe Lomax Building Commissioners Thomas B. Berton, chairman B.R. Wellford William Allen John . . . — — Map (db m14432) HM
In the years after the Civil War, African Americans across the country commemorated fallen Union soldiers with Decoration Day, a precursor to modern Memorial Day celebration.
Following the creation of the Fredericksburg National Cemetery . . . — — Map (db m242243) HM
Dentist, entrepreneur, developer, community leader, and advocate.
Dr. Harris's company, McGuire Inc., built more than 35 homes in Mayfield, a historically Black neighborhood in the city of Fredericksburg. Dr. Harris provided affordable . . . — — Map (db m242247) HM
In 1909-10, the Fredericksburg Water Power Company constructed the Embrey Dam and its power plant on Caroline Street, for the express purpose of generating electric power. The increasing number of uses for this emerging technology encouraged such . . . — — Map (db m7663) HM
In August of 1608, Captain John Smith and his crew explored the lower Rappahannock from the Chesapeake Bay to a point just upstream from this location. Soon after landing, the group was attacked by Mannahoack Indians, a Siouan people who were . . . — — Map (db m7660) HM
The slave elders were respected for their wisdom, particularly for their lessons about how to deal with their masters and survive. The woefully inaccurate "Uncle Tom" pejorative is a prime example of perceived passive acceptance of a demeaning . . . — — Map (db m176113) HM
Four roads radiated from the river town of Fredericksburg. To the south, the Richmond Stage Road coursed across the gentle terrain of the Tidewater region. Two roads reached west, one to Spotsylvania Court House and the other toward Orange Court . . . — — Map (db m112045) HM
The Rappahanock River tumbles out of the Virginia Piedmont and drops 25 feet over a distance of one mile. For more than two centuries, industries in this transitional zone used this natural energy. Early settlers brought their corn and wheat to . . . — — Map (db m95309) HM
In 1728, the colonial government established Fredericksburg as far upstream on the Rappahannock River as was navigable. Vessels traveling to and from the Chesapeake Bay and beyond could tie up at the docks there. Workers and slaves loaded tobacco . . . — — Map (db m14422) HM
This photograph, taken from the heights to your right-rear, shows the landscape in front of you as it appeared the year after the Battle of Fredericksburg. The town of Fredericksburg sits atop the ridge in the distance; the spire of St. George's . . . — — Map (db m215580) HM
A tremendous and deadly fire swept down from the front and left. The Rebels occupied the houses and were behind fences, and could not be seen except for the flash of the guns. It staggered the column, but in a moment we pressed on.... . . . — — Map (db m140679) HM
The Congress of Racial Equality, led by James Farmer, organized the Freedom Rides in 1961 to challenge racial segregation in interstate bus travel, which had persisted despite U.S. Supreme Court decisions barring segregation in seating (1946) and in . . . — — Map (db m195763) HM
On this site stood Fredericksburg’s first Town Hall / Market House built c. 1763. The building most likely had an arched lower level, brick upper floors and a cupola on the roof. During the early years, the Town Hall did not serve as a governmental . . . — — Map (db m1140) HM
The Rappahannock River served as a barrier separating the Union and Confederate Armies during the winter of 1862-63. Places where the water level, the river bottom, and the steepness of the banks were favorable for crossings were known as . . . — — Map (db m16537) HM
Because of the immense amount of fighting that occurred here, the Fredericksburg area has been called the vortex of the Civil War. Four major battles - Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House - resulting in . . . — — Map (db m9096) HM
For 18 months Fredericksburg was at the heart of the Civil War. Union and Confederate soldiers camped here, fought here and died here. Today there are many sites within the city. Civil War walking tour information is available free at the . . . — — Map (db m181508) HM
Captain John Smith was here in 1608; Lederer, the explorer, in 1670. In May 1671 John Buckner and Thomas Royster patented the lease land grant. The town was established in 1727 and lots were laid out. It was named for Frederick, Prince of Wales, . . . — — Map (db m1653) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m166650) HM
The prominent sanctuary to your right is the Fredericksburg Baptist Church, constructed in 1854-55. When it was built, Princess Anne Street was already developing as the town’s religious and government center. Other churches included St. George’s . . . — — Map (db m1141) HM
The prominent sanctuary in front of you is the Fredericksburg Baptist Church, constructed in 1854-55. When it was built, Princess Anne Street was developing as the town’s religious and government corridor. Other churches included St. George’s . . . — — Map (db m140682) HM
Before you looms Marye's Heights, a key point in the two major Civil War battles. At the base of the heights, bordered by a stone wall, lies the Sunken Road. In December 1862 Confederate troops standing in the road repelled repeated Union assaults. . . . — — Map (db m25638) HM
December 11, 1862. The peacetime bridges having been destroyed, engineers of Burnside’s Federal Army began laying pontoons across the Rappahannock. Here, overlooking the upper pontoon site, Confederates of Barksdale’s Mississippi Brigade, sheltered . . . — — Map (db m5377) HM
December 13, 1862. About 100 yards to the south Georgia’s Gen. T.R.R. Cobb fell mortally within sight of his mother’s girlhood home. He died at the roadside dwelling of Mrs. Martha Stevens, who remained all during the battle to aid the Confederate . . . — — Map (db m110486) HM
December 13, 1862. The blue columns of the Army of the Potomac deployed here in the Canal Ditch valley, along the route of present Kenmore Avenue. Then with drums beating and flags flying, the long battle lines advanced towards Marye’s Heights and . . . — — Map (db m110488) HM
December 13, 1862. Watching the battle from the crest of this hill, Confederate commander R. E. Lee remarked: “It is well that war is so terrible – we should grow too fond of it!” In no battle were the Confederates more fortunately . . . — — Map (db m110489) HM
With Richmond as his objective, Gen. Ambrose Burnside started the Federal Army of the Potomac from Warrenton on November 15, 1862. Forcing a crossing of the Rappahannock on December 11, he occupied Fredericksburg and the plain south of town along . . . — — Map (db m110490) HM
December 13, 1862. The Washington Artillery of New Orleans was posted around the Marye House here on Marye's Heights. Col. J. B. Walton, the commanding officer, had his headquarters in the house. This unit and Alexander's Reserve Battalion, which . . . — — Map (db m110491) HM
December 13, 1862. On this ridge, called Marye's Heights, blazed the cannon of Col. J.B. Walton's Louisiana battalion, the Washington Artillery. Late in the day, out of ammunition, it yielded the post to Col. E.P. Alexander's Reserve Artillery. Gen. . . . — — Map (db m110492) HM
The Battle of Fredericksburg began on the morning of December 11, 1862, when Confederate sharpshooters opened fire on Federal engineers building a pontoon bridge by which the Union Army of the Potomac planned to cross the Rappahannock River. . . . — — Map (db m17795) HM
The park around you was once known as the Corporation Burying Ground. Burials occurred here from 1787 through 1853 and included Dr. Charles Mortimer, who had been Mary Washington's personal physician. He also served as Fredericksburg's first . . . — — Map (db m140677) HM
Directly ahead of you, across the river, stood George Washington’s boyhood home, Ferry Farm. According to legend, the future president cut down his father’s cherry tree there and threw a coin across the river. The property took its name from a . . . — — Map (db m1133) HM
Why was Fredericksburg important to the Union war effort? The answer lies in logistics. The Union army, numbering more than 100,000 troops, required tons of food, clothing and other supplies to operate. Wagon trains could supply the army for short . . . — — Map (db m215531) HM
Confederate troops under the command of Gen. William Barksdale were awake and alert here on the morning of December 11, 1862, waiting anxiously for the sun to rise. On the river, unseen in the inky blackness but clearly audible in the night’s . . . — — Map (db m215532) HM
Fredericksburg is situated on the geologic boundary between the Piedmont region and the Coastal Plain. Here there are huge deposits of granite, attractive to both builders and architects. In the 1840s, canal builders used this metamorphic material . . . — — Map (db m148051) HM
The Fredericksburg Gun Manufactory was established by an ordinance passed by Virginia's third revolutionary convention on 17 July 1775. Built on this site soon thereafter by Fielding Lewis and Charles Dick, it was the first such factory in America. . . . — — Map (db m111279) HM
Approximately 20,000 soldiers died in this region during the Civil War, their remains scattered throughout the countryside in shallow, often unmarked, graves. In 1865 Congress established Fredericksburg National Cemetery as a final resting place for . . . — — Map (db m8740) HM
Approximately 20,000 soldiers died in this region during the Civil War, their remains scattered throughout the countryside in shallow, often unmarked, graves. In 1865 Congress established Fredericksburg National Cemetery as a final resting place . . . — — Map (db m8851) HM
Due to the efforts of local blacks, Fredericksburg Normal and Industrial Institute (FNII) opened in October 1903 at the Shiloh New Site Baptist Church with about 20 students. In 1906 the board of trustees purchased land and a large farmhouse here, . . . — — Map (db m1128) HM
Dedicated to those who served and supported the Fredericksburg Rescue Squad
Charter Members
W.B. Billingsley • W.H.Carper • Roland Garver • L.E. Chittum • Slover Covey • Hal Elkins • Ira Grinnan • John S. Heubi • Dr. Williams Junkin • . . . — — Map (db m217529) HM
Fredericksburg
Roll of Honor
1917 World War 1918
A grateful tribute to all who returned
Co. K. 2nd Inf. VA. N. G. 116th Inf 29th Div.
3rd VA Coast Artillery
80th Division
Army, Navy, Marine Corps
A tearful triumph to those who . . . — — Map (db m2516) WM
This church sanctuary was built in 1882, the fifth building to be used by the congregation, and the second on this site. Additions were constructed in 1912, 1924, 1951, and 1989. The reverend John Kobler, an early leader who raised funds for the . . . — — Map (db m2566) HM
You are standing where the first railroad tracks were built through Fredericksburg, in 1837. By 1842, they extended from Richmond to Potomac Creek, where steamboat service allowed travelers to complete their journey to Washington D.C., hence the . . . — — Map (db m149219) HM
The dock before you was once the site of a large wharf complex and ferry landing. From the founding of Fredericksburg in 1728, the river played a major role in the transportation of goods such as timber, flour and corn as well as passengers.
. . . — — Map (db m72187) HM
"Anyone who said he wasn't afraid during the civil rights movement was either a liar or without imagination. I was scared all the time. My hands didn't shake but inside I was shaking."
-James Farmer, Co-Founder and Director of the Congress . . . — — Map (db m182645) HM
This garden is named for Fréjus, France, Sister City of Fredericksburg since 1980 and to honor the people in both communities who perpetuate international friendship and understanding
[Additional plaques on the nearby wall:] . . . — — Map (db m148564) HM
In 1787, a free black man named John DeBaptiste rented a portion of this property from Henry Fitzhugh. DeBaptiste established a shipping wharf at the foot of this lane and eventually purchased the land in 1796. He came from the French-speaking . . . — — Map (db m175687) HM
“On motion made and seconded, resolved unanimously that the new burying ground be enclosed with brick….”
Council Minutes of July 6th, 1824
Robert Lewis, Mayor (Buried in the Masonic Lodge Cemetery)
In 1774, St. George’s Parish . . . — — Map (db m2700) HM
In 1774, St. George’s Parish purchased the land around you for a cemetery. Following the American Revolution and disestablishment of the Anglican Church in Virginia, the Fredericksburg government appropriated this land for a public burying ground. . . . — — Map (db m11430) HM
“On motion made and seconded, resolved unanimously that the new burying ground be enclosed with brick.”
—Council minutes of July 6th, 1824 Robert Lewis, Mayor (buried in the Masonic Lodge Cemetery)
In 1774, St. George’s Parish . . . — — Map (db m140676) HM
In grateful acknowledgement of the valor and the strategic victories of General George Rogers Clark, Son of Old Virginia, the Paul Revere Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution of Muncie, Indiana, devote this tablet.
No hero of . . . — — Map (db m1077) HM
(Front): George Washington: Soldier George Washington gained his first military experience during the French and Indian Wars where his bravery and leadership made him a hero. When discord between the American colonies and the British . . . — — Map (db m14186) HM
(Front): George Washington: Statesman Following the Treaty of Paris that guaranteed American independence from Great Britain in 1783, Washington became an influential mover in the steps leading to the Constitutional Convention at . . . — — Map (db m14184) HM
(Front): George Washington: Surveyor George Washington loved mathematics, a passion he put to work when he learned to survey land, a useful trade in colonial America. At the age of 15, his first surveying job was to map his brother's . . . — — Map (db m14185) HM
Located directly across the river from where you are standing is the site of the boyhood home of George Washington where he lived from the age of six until he was 20. The farm gets its name from the ferry that once crossed the river here, . . . — — Map (db m81224) HM
In front of you stood the Germania Mill, built in 1866 by Myer and Frederick Brulle. Both men were immigrant German confectioners who teamed up after the Civil War to became millers.
Fredericksburg’s upper canal powered this enterprise and . . . — — Map (db m218257) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m227300) HM
This nine-inch smooth bore “Dahlgren” gun is one of the few remaining artifacts from the CSS Virginia (formerly known as the USS Merrimack). This gun saw action on March 8, 1862 off of Hampton, Virginia when the . . . — — Map (db m132786) HM
The root meaning of the world hallelujah is an expression of joy, praise and gratitude. Certainly slaves in America upon securing their freedom were overcome with joy, praise, and gratitude. As such freedom became a celebration of perseverance, . . . — — Map (db m176136) HM
Native Americans came to the falls of the Rappahannock River because seasonal runs of spawning fish provided food. Europeans settled near the falls to take advantage of the river’s powerful flow. This area reflects more than a . . . — — Map (db m95620) HM
For seven years, Harriet Jacobs lived in this 9 × 7 foot, poorly ventilated space with a narrow opening through which she could view the outside world and her children. It contained a loose board floor, and its pent roof was covered only with . . . — — Map (db m176146) HM
Henry Brown was born and raised a slave in Louisa County, Virginia. He was hired out to work in the tobacco factories in Richmond, Virginia, where he met a northern sympathizer, Samuel Smith, who owned a shoemaker's shop. Through a small portion . . . — — Map (db m176125) HM
Abraham Lincoln walked these steps. The wartime president travelled to Fredericksburg on May 23, 1862. After a visit to Union camps on Marye's Heights, he stopped at the Farmer's Bank, then serving as headquarters for the occupying Federal . . . — — Map (db m148053) HM
(Front): Historic Kenmore and George Washington's Ferry For George Washington, Fredericksburg was "...the place of my growing infancy." The old town on the Rappahannock River remained his home until he moved permanently to Mt. Vernon . . . — — Map (db m14187) HM
