On Orange Plank Road (Virginia Route 621) at Wilderness Park Drive, on the right when traveling east on Orange Plank Road.
These woods saw some of the heaviest fighting of the Battle of the Wilderness. On May 5, then again on May 6, 1864 ragged Union and Confederate battle lines surged back and forth on both sides of the Orange Plank Road. The stalemate here finally . . . — — Map (db m5390) HM
Near Plank Road / Germania Highway (State Highway 3), on the right when traveling west.
On this ridge, the Union brigade of Brig. Gen. William Hays, supported by artillery, temporarily stopped the Confederate advance across the ground below you. A member of the 12th New Jersey described what happened next: "We were in open sight, . . . — — Map (db m12794) HM
In memory of
Sophia M. Silva 1980 - 1996
Kathryn "Kati" N. Lisk 1984 - 1997
Kristen M. Lisk 1982 - 1997
they were taken from us too soon. — — Map (db m3671) HM
Near Grant Drive, 0.7 miles north of Brock Road (County Route 613), on the right when traveling east.
Had you been here in 1864, you would have been standing at the edge of a field that stretched from here to the Confederate works. Upton's men advanced four abreast in a column up this road. When they reached this point, they silently deployed into a . . . — — Map (db m169704) 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 large and . . . — — Map (db m171418) HM
On Grant Drive, 0.1 miles north of Brock Road (County Route 613), on the left when traveling north.
Assault on the Muleshoe Emory Upton's success on May 10 prompted Grant to repeat the attack on a much larger scale. This time the target of the assault was the Muleshoe Salient, a huge outward bulge in the center of the Confederate line. If . . . — — Map (db m10736) HM
On Anderson Drive, on the right when traveling south.
Following the fight for the "Bloody Angle," Lee constructed this new line of works across the base of the Muleshoe. Unwilling to attack the Confederates in their new position, Grant shifted east toward the Fredericksburg Road (modern Route 208). . . . — — Map (db m10281) HM
Near South Harris Farm Road at Pond View Lane, on the right when traveling south.
Organized in January 1862, the 1st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery spent most of its first two years of service in the defenses of Washington, D.C. Trained as artillerists, the regiment manned the large-caliber cannons in the forts that protected the . . . — — Map (db m73747) HM
On South Harris Farm Road at Pond View Lane, on the right when traveling south on South Harris Farm Road.
The Civil War devastated Central Virginia. Four major battles were fought within a fifteen-mile radius of where you now stand and resulted in more than 100,000 casualties. The National Park Service protects portions of these battlefields, but . . . — — Map (db m155953) HM
Near South Harris Farm Road at Pond View Lane, on the right when traveling south.
(sidebar)
On May 4, 1864, Union Gen. George Meade’s Army of the Potomac crossed the Rappahannock River to engage Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia and to destroy it. The attack began the Overland Campaign, part . . . — — Map (db m165259) HM
Near Gordon Drive, on the right when traveling west.
This post-war photograph of the Harrison House and farm was taken from the northwest not far from where the trail crossed the paved road. Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell, commanding the Confederates defending the salient, made his headquarters here on the . . . — — Map (db m10284) HM
On Stuart Drive, on the right when traveling south.
On the morning of May 3, this large, open plateau, known as "Hazel Grove," was the key to the Union position. "Stonewall" Jackson's flank attack the evening before had staggered the Union army but had not seriously damaged it. As the new day . . . — — Map (db m3610) HM
On Stuart Drive, 0.1 miles north of Berry Paxton Drive, on the left when traveling south.
This trail leads to Fairview, a key Union position. The fighting that occurred between here and Fairview on May 3, 1863, was some of the most desperate of the war—exceeding, for the time engaged, both Antietam and Gettysburg. Signs along the trail . . . — — Map (db m112316) HM
Near Orange Plank Road (County Route 621) at Brock Road (County Route 613), on the right when traveling east.
The Wilderness of today looks different than it did in 1864. Then it was a patchwork of second-growth forest. Brush obscured, briars grabbed, and thickets disrupted the battle lines. One solder described the combat here as "bushwhacking...on a . . . — — Map (db m7516) HM
On Burnside Drive, 0.7 miles south of Gordon Drive, on the right when traveling south.
With the fighting at the Bloody Angle at an impasse, Grant and Lee looked elsewhere for opportunities to attack. Coincidentally, both men turned their attention to Heth’s Salient, here on the eastern face of the Muleshoe. Grant sought a weak point . . . — — Map (db m66235) HM
On Courthouse Road (Bypass State Road 208) at Old Courthouse Road (Business State Road 208) on Courthouse Road.
After four days of probing attacks, Gen. Ulysses S. Grant ordered a frontal assault against the Confederate lines at Spotsylvania Court House on 12 May 1864. The focal point of the attack was the Muleshoe Salient, an outward bulge in the . . . — — Map (db m8915) HM
Near Berry Paxton Road, on the right when traveling east.
The climactic fighting of the Battle of Chancellorsville took place in the woods and fields around Fairview. Here on the morning of May 3, 1863, Union troops struggled to maintain their position long enough to allow General Hooker time to . . . — — Map (db m3637) HM
On Orange Plank Road (County Route 621) at Brock Road (County Route 613), on the right when traveling east on Orange Plank Road.
Some of the Civil War's heaviest fighting occurred along the Orange Plank Road on May 5 and 6, 1864. One of two major roads passing through the Wilderness, the Plank Road became a magnet for both armies as they struggled to maneuver through the . . . — — Map (db m155923) HM
On Courthouse Road (Virginia Route 209) 0.1 miles north of Brock Road (County Road 613), on the left when traveling north.
Samuel Peter Powell was born on January 26, 1880 to James L. Powell, Jr. ad Carrie Elizabeth Jones Powell. He was the oldest of nine children. His father was a surviving Civil War veteran and served as Commonwealth Attorney in Spotsylvania. He . . . — — Map (db m148377) HM
On Plank Road / Germania Highway (State Highway 3), on the right when traveling west.
(South Face): On this Spot fell mortally wounded Thomas J. Jackson Lt. Gen. C.S.A. May 2nd 1863 (East Face): There is Jackson standing like a stone wall Bee at Manassas. (North Face): Could I have directed events, I should have chosen for the good . . . — — Map (db m3975) HM
Near Plank Road (State Highway 3), on the right when traveling west.
"You can go forward then." With those words "Stonewall" Jackson unleashed one of the most famous and successful attacks of the Civil War. On the afternoon of May 2, 1862, Jackson led 30,000 men of his Second Corps to a point just beyond the Union . . . — — Map (db m3941) HM
On Plank Road / Germania Highway (State Highway 3), on the right when traveling west.
The effort to erect a monument at the site of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's mortal wounding began in February 1887, when Fredericksburg newspaper editor Rufus Merchant founded the Stonewall Jackson Monument Association. On June 13, 1888, a crowd of . . . — — Map (db m3977) HM
On McLaws Drive, on the right when traveling south.
About 10 a.m. on May 2, 1863, Confederate General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's flanking column approached this then-cleared ridge on the Furnace Road. Union infantrymen perched in trees at Hazel Grove, three-quarters of a mile to the . . . — — Map (db m3585) HM
On Plank Road / Germania Highway (State Highway 3) at Constitution Highway (State Highway 20), on the right when traveling west on Plank Road / Germania Highway.
Near here stood the hospital tent to which the wounded "Stonewall" Jackson was brought during the Battle of Chancellorsville. In that tent his left arm was amputated on May 3, 1863. He died seven days later at Guinea. — — Map (db m3515) HM
On Jackson Trail East at Sickles Drive, on the right when traveling south on Jackson Trail East.
Shortly after 8 a.m., May 2, "Stonewall" Jackson's corps marched down the hill behind you and passed Catharine Furnace, bound for the Union Army's right flank. When the Federals spotted Jackson's column, they assumed the Confederates were . . . — — Map (db m3604) HM
Near Berry Paxton Road, on the right when traveling east.
Around you is tangible and dramatic evidence of the impact "Stonewall" Jackson's flank attack had on the Union army. The artillery emplacements (lunettes) in front of you were constructed at a fairly leisurely rate on May 1 and 2, 1863. They face . . . — — Map (db m3636) HM
On Orange Plank Road (County Route 621) at Wilderness Park Drive, on the left when traveling east on Orange Plank Road.
Brigadier General and Brevet Major General United States Volunteers commanding the 4th Division V Corps Army of the Potomac was mortally wounded near this spot May 6, 1864 and died two days later in the field hospital of Hill’s Confederate Corps: He . . . — — Map (db m6062) HM WM
On Courthouse Road (Virginia Route 208) just south of Warwick Plantation Lane, on the left when traveling south.
Representatives from local African American churches organized the Spotsylvania Sunday School Union in 1905 to secure a secondary school for black children. The Union, led by educator John J. Wright, purchased 158.5 acres here in 1910 and later . . . — — Map (db m148423) HM
On Brock Road (County Road 613) at Courthouse Road (State Route 208), on the right when traveling east on Brock Road.
Joseph Farmer Sanford was born in 1819, the son of Lawrence Sanford and Apphia Farmer in Stafford County, Virginia. In 1835, he married Agnes I. M. Crawford of Orange, Virginia. His early career was that of the keeper of the U.S. Hotel in . . . — — Map (db m148390) HM
Near Plank Road / Germania Highway (State Highway 3), on the right when traveling west.
Maj. Gen. Hiram G. Berry's division formed the front of the Union defense north of the Orange Turnpike on the morning of May 3. Although virtually all of Berry's entrenchments have disappeared, this small segment of works on the right marks the . . . — — Map (db m12785) HM
On Brock Road (County Route 613) at Catharpin Road (County Route 612), on the left when traveling south on Brock Road.
Pursued by British Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton, the Marquis de Lafayette camped just west of here near Corbin’s Bridge on 2 June during the campaign of 1781. Commanding more than 3,000 Continental soldiers and militia, Lafayette sought to move . . . — — Map (db m59533) HM
On Germanna Highway (State Highway 3), on the right when traveling east.
The building complex known collectively as Wilderness Tavern appeared in the early 19th century to serve the needs of travellers. Located on either side of the Fredericksburg-Orange Turnpike, the original roadbed of which survives today as the . . . — — Map (db m7499) HM
Near Grant Drive, on the left when traveling east.
These one hundred and sixty-two acres known as the Landram Farm, were presented to the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park by the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States Commandery of the State of Pennsylvania and . . . — — Map (db m10327) HM
Near Grant Drive, on the left when traveling east.
These stone chimneys are all that remain of the Landram house, a prominent landmark during the Spotsylvania Campaign. The Confederate picket reserve stood here shivering in the early morning fog on May 12, 1864 when the silence was suddenly . . . — — Map (db m10326) HM
On Grant Drive at Brock Road, on the right when traveling south on Grant Drive.
[The] Federal assaults were not only easily repulsed, but the forces making them were simply slaughtered. Private John Coxe, 2nd South Carolina Infantry
Before you lies Laurel Hill, one of the most important but least understood areas . . . — — Map (db m156386) HM
On Brock Road (County Road 613) at Grant Drive, on the right when traveling north on Brock Road.
Although not as famous as the "Bloody Angle," the fighting at Laurel Hill played an important role in the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. Here the battle began, and here more than 5,000 soldiers suffered or died. The Laurel Hill Trail leads to . . . — — Map (db m149216) HM
On Stuart Drive, on the right when traveling south.
Confederate artillery here supported one of the largest infantry attacks of the Civil War. At dawn "Stonewall" Jackson's corps, now led by J.E.B. Stuart, struck the Union line from the west, in the woods to your left-front. At the same time, . . . — — Map (db m3617) HM
On Gordon Drive at Anderson Drive, on the right when traveling east on Gordon Drive.
The General's countenance showed that he had despaired and was ready to die rather than see the defeat of his army. Isaac G. Bradwell, 3rd Georgia Infantry In these fields on the morning of May 12, 1864, Gen. Robert E. Lee faced a crisis . . . — — Map (db m10426) HM
Near Anderson Drive, on the right when traveling north.
These well-preserved earthworks which run east and west through the woods are the remains of the defensive position constructed during the fighting at the Bloody Angle. Major General Martin Luther Smith, Lee's chief engineer and designer of the . . . — — Map (db m10283) HM
On Courthouse Road (Virginia Route 208) at Courthouse Road (Virginia Route 208), on the right when traveling north on Courthouse Road.
The famous well at Spotsylvania Courthouse was probably excavate around 1798 at the same time the Tavern and Inn located across the road was established. It dominated the intersection of the Fredericksburg Road, Brock Road and the road to . . . — — Map (db m148412) HM
On Orange Plank Road (Virginia Route 621) at Wilderness Park Drive, on the right when traveling east on Orange Plank Road.
It was the most successful day of James Longstreet’s career. He had arrived on the Wilderness battlefield early in the day to find the Confederate army in full retreat and in danger of being destroyed. His troops had prevented disaster. Now, at . . . — — Map (db m5392) HM
Near Pritchett Road, 0.1 miles west of Block House Road (County Route 648), on the right when traveling west.
Judge Charles E. Phelps of the Maryland Court of Appeals erected this granite monument shortly after the turn of the century. On May 8, 1864, Phelps, then colonel of the 7th Maryland, helped lead the headlong charge of the Maryland Brigade across . . . — — Map (db m10255) HM
On McLaws Drive, on the right when traveling south.
Near this spot was born
Matthew Fontaine 1806 Maury 1873
——
Pathfinder of the Seas
Author of physical geography of the sea
Founder of the science of meteorology
First to conceive the idea of an Atlantic Cable
Under his direction . . . — — Map (db m3597) HM
Near McLaws Drive, on the right when traveling south.
These scattered bricks and this shallow depression are all that remain of Matthew Fontaine Maury's birthplace. Maury's parents purchased this house and 103 acres of land from "Lighthorse Harry" Lee, Robert E. Lee's father, in 1797. The future . . . — — Map (db m158851) HM
On McLaws Drive, on the right when traveling south.
This short trail leads to the birthplace of Matthew Fontaine Maury, one of America's greatest scientists. By the time of the Civil War, Maury's birthplace was gone, replaced by a simple brick house. Few of the 28,000 Confederate soldiers who . . . — — Map (db m21933) HM
On McCoull Road, on the right when traveling north.
Surrounded on all sides by low ridge lines, Neil MccCoull's house sat in the center of the famous Muleshoe Salient. On the night of May 8, 1864, Confederate engineers built the bulging line of earthworks that wrapped around McCoull's farm to the . . . — — Map (db m10289) HM
Near McCoull Road, on the left when traveling north.
This spring has always been important to the McCoull family but on May 12, 1864 it became a vital source of rejuvenation to hundreds of Confederates involved in the fighting at the Bloody Angle. Colonel Charles S. Venable, an aide-de-camp to Lee, . . . — — Map (db m10291) HM
(Front):South Carolina McGowan's Brigade Brig. Gen. Samuel McGowan 1st S.C. Infantry Col. Comillus W. McCreary Orr's Rifles Lt. Col. George McD. Miller 12th S.C. Infantry Maj. Thomas F. Clyburne 13th S.C. Infantry Col. Benjamin T. . . . — — Map (db m19073) WM
On Courthouse Road (Route 208) just west of Judicial Center Lane (County Road 631), on the right when traveling west.
Most public buildings rarely survive in their original state. The County jail is no exception. By 1876, County records indicate the cells on the upper floor being used for some other purpose. The jail report stated this use cut off ventilation to . . . — — Map (db m148416) HM
Near Confederate Cemetery Drive south of Courthouse Road (Virginia Route 208), on the right.
In April 1865, the guns fell silent and the War of the Rebellion came to a close. The pain and suffering did not end, especially for the families of the loved ones who had perished. The search for their final resting place continues even today. . . . — — Map (db m183691) HM
On Stuart Drive, 0.2 miles south of Plank Road (Virginia Route 3), on the left when traveling south.
Civil war combat rarely continued after dark, but on the night of May 2, 1863, desperation and fear filled these gloomy woods. At midnight, about 3,000 Union soldiers of Brigadier General David B. Birney's division moved through these woods, intent . . . — — Map (db m112310) HM
On Brock Road (County Route 613) at Orange Plank Road (County Route 621), on the right when traveling south on Brock Road.
When the armies departed the Wilderness, they left behind a disfigured landscape. Trenches twisted like earthen snakes through the woods, and blackened leaves marked the paths of fires. Along the Brock Road, noted one soldier, trees "were scarred . . . — — Map (db m4966) HM
On Grant Drive, 0.1 miles north of Brock Road (County Route 613), on the left when traveling north.
No Turning Back Defeated but undeterred, Grant abandoned Spotsylvania's blood-soaked fields on May 21 and continued south -- toward Richmond and ultimate victory. In his wake he left a scarred landscape pitted with thousands of graves.
The . . . — — Map (db m10740) HM
Near Confederate Cemetery Drive south of Courthouse Road (Virginia Route 208), on the right.
The War of the Rebellion came to a close in April 1865. A war-weary Spotsylvania County turned its attention to restoring homes, farms and life. It was a difficult undertaking. The County had seen four major battles and hundreds of skirmishes for . . . — — Map (db m183696) HM
On Germanna Highway (State Highway 3), on the right when traveling east.
Known for many years as "Old Wilderness Tavern," the frame building at your left of this view, was a dependency of a by-gone complex. The site of the main structure is located by the brick ruins to the right of the picture, taken about 1865. In the . . . — — Map (db m7500) HM
On Brock Road (County Route 613) at Orange Plank Road (County Route 621), on the right when traveling south on Brock Road.
Before the Wilderness, battlefield stalemate meant retreat by one side or the other - a return to the starting point to try again another day. But not here. Union General-in-Chief Ulysses S. Grant rendered stalemate in the Wilderness irrelevant. . . . — — Map (db m4967) HM
On Jackson Trail East, on the right when traveling south.
In December 1862 the Wellford family fled Fredericksburg to escape the ravages of battle. Five months later war found them again - here, in a commodious brick home that stood in the field in front of you. On April 30, Union troops arrived. "About . . . — — Map (db m3919) HM
Near Berry Paxton Road, on the right when traveling east.
After the May 3, 1863, fighting at Chancellorsville, the Confederates gathered up 500 wounded Union soldiers and brought them here to Fairview. For more than a week the helpless men lay in the yard around the house, receiving little medical care, . . . — — Map (db m3640) HM
On Courthouse Road (Virginia Route 208) just north of Massaponax Church Road (County Road 608), on the left. Reported permanently removed.
Spotsylvania County Post Mistress, Alice Coleman donated this small white building to Zion. It had previously served as the County Post Office. The building was located across the street from today's Pendleton's Hardware Store. It was moved to . . . — — Map (db m148369) HM
On Courthouse Road (Virginia Route 208) at Massaponax Church Road (County Road 608), on the right when traveling south on Courthouse Road.
Spotsylvania County Post Mistress, Alice Coleman donated this small white building to Zion. It had previously served as the County Post Office. The building was located across the street from today's Pendleton's Hardware Store. It was moved to . . . — — Map (db m216686) HM
On Lake Anna Parkway (Bypass Virginia Route 208) just north of Courthouse Road (Virginia Route 208), on the right when traveling east.
Nearby stood Penny’s (Penney’s) Tavern, named for Lincefield Penney who purchased the site in 1811. The tavern catered to travelers making their way to the old Spotsylvania courthouse site (1781–1837), located approximately one mile north of the . . . — — Map (db m65082) HM
Near Plank Road (State Highway 3), on the right when traveling west.
That evening, as the fighting subsided, Confederate officers reassembled their commands in the clearing surrounding Wilderness Church, one-half mile in front of you. The attack had taken a heavy toll on the army's organization. Units had become . . . — — Map (db m3938) HM
Near McCoull Road, on the left when traveling north.
2nd North Carolina State Troops Col. William R. Cox 4th North Carolina State Troops Col. Bryan Grimes 14th North Carolina Troops Col. R. Tyler Bennett 30th North Carolina Troops Col. Francis M. Parker At dawn May 12, 1864 Union troops . . . — — Map (db m10286) HM WM
On Jackson Trail East, on the right when traveling south.
On May 2, 1863, as the tail end of Stonewall Jackson's flanking column neared the Wellford place, Union infantry launched an attack. They struck Jackson's rearguard (the 23rd Georgia) a half-mile to the north, at Catharine Furnace. From there, they . . . — — Map (db m11432) HM
On Courthouse Road (Virginia Route 208) 0.1 miles east of Judicial Center Lane (County Road 613), on the left when traveling east.
The rafters in the interior of the church still reflect the damage from the battle.
"The 11th was passed in comparative quiet, with the exception of our usual salutation from the enemy attacks. They made daily practice on . . . — — Map (db m148421) HM
On Brock Road (County Road 613) at Courthouse Road (State Route 208), on the right when traveling east on Brock Road.
Samuel Alsop Jr., was born in 1776 in Caroline County, the son of Samuel Alsop. He was a plantation owner and planter, slave owner land speculator, and to a limited extend, slave trader. Alsop operated his growing business empire from the area . . . — — Map (db m148388) HM
On Courthouse Road (Virginia Route 208) 0.6 miles north of Morris Road (County Route 606), on the right when traveling north.
The Spotsylvania Sunday School Union (SSSU) was formed in 1905 by 12 African American Baptist churches for the purpose of promoting education past the 7th grade for their children. Initially they helped the growth of the Fredericksburg Normal & . . . — — Map (db m220059) HM
On Grant Drive at Brock Road (County Route 613), on the left when traveling north on Grant Drive.
(North face): Erected to commemorate this spot where Maj Genl John Sedgwick, U.S. Vols. Commanding Sixth Army Corps was killed in action on the morning of the 9th of May 1864.
(East face): A tribute to a beloved Commander by the . . . — — Map (db m195808) HM WM
On Monument Court at Knob Hill Court, on the right when traveling north on Monument Court. Reported permanently removed.
Union heavy artillery regiments serving as infantry shouldered the brunt of the fighting at Harris Farm. The "Heavies," as the members of the heavy artillery units were called, had been pulled from forts protecting Washington, D.C., to make up for . . . — — Map (db m81309) HM
Near Catharpin Road (County Route 612) 0.9 miles Old Plank Road (County Route 610), on the right when traveling south.
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of honor to Sergeant Benjamin Brown, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 11 May 1889, while serving with Company C, 24th . . . — — Map (db m84597) HM
On Courthouse Road (Virginia Route 208) just north of Massaponax Church Road (County Road 608), on the left when traveling north. Reported permanently removed.
In 19th century America, most people followed strict Biblical teachings. God's fourth Commandment to keep the Sabbath Holy was no exception. On any given Sunday morning it was normal to see small and large churches alike filled to their capacity. . . . — — Map (db m148368) HM
On Courthouse Road (Route 208) north of Massaponax Church Road (County Road 608), on the right when traveling south.
In 19th century America, most people followed strict Biblical teachings. God's fourth Commandment to keep the Sabbath Holy was no exception. On any given Sunday morning it was normal to see small and large churches alike filled to their capacity. . . . — — Map (db m216655) HM
Near Post Oak Road (County Route 606) 0.6 miles west of Pamunkey Road (County Route 612), on the right when traveling west.
Spotsylvania is situated almost directly in the middle of a gold-pyrite belt that runs 140 miles through 12 counties from Fairfax to Buckingham. At least six major mines operated in the county, some as early as 1804. Those mines were the Mitchell . . . — — Map (db m84592) HM
Near Brock Road (County Route 613) 0.2 miles south of Hancock Road, on the right when traveling south.
Many Spotsylvania families lost property during the war, but Sarah Spindle nearly lost her life. The 36-year-old widow and her family had just sat down to breakfast on May 8, 1864, when the popping of rifles announced the presence of hostile . . . — — Map (db m10253) HM
On Grant Drive at Brock Road (County Route 613), on the right when traveling north on Grant Drive.
May 8, 1864. Here began the second delay on Grant's bloody road to Richmond. Having failed to crush Lee in the Wilderness, the Federals attempted to outflank the Confederates by way of Spotsylvania Court House. After a hard night's march, harassed . . . — — Map (db m10199) HM
On Grant Drive at Brock Road (County Route 613), on the right when traveling north on Grant Drive.
May 9-14, 1864. The village of Spotsylvania Court House, two miles farther down the Brock Road, became of utmost temporary importance, since it now protected Lee's communications with Richmond. As the Confederates threw up earthworks around the . . . — — Map (db m10205) HM
On Hancock Road, 0.1 miles south of Brock Road (County Route 613), on the left when traveling south.
Union Gen. G.K. Warren's V Corps occupied this line in the early phases of the Spotsylvania operations. Despite hard fighting, Warren could not break the Confederate line on this front. During the dark and rainy night of May 13, 1864, the V Corps . . . — — Map (db m10213) HM
On Anderson Drive, on the right when traveling south.
May 12-13, 1864. This line of earthworks, the remains of which run eastward through the woodland, was built across the base of the Confederate "Mule Shoe" during the Federal attacks against the Salient. As the weary Confederates held their enemies . . . — — Map (db m10278) HM
On Anderson Drive, on the right when traveling south.
May 18, 1864. About dawn, Hancock's and Wright's Corps advanced southward past the McCoull House and attacked Ewell's Corps which was holding the new line. They hoped to repeat the Federal success of May 12. This time, however, Confederate cannon . . . — — Map (db m10279) HM
On Anderson Drive, on the right when traveling south.
May 10, 1864. Here along the west face of the Confederate Salient, or "Mule Shoe," Dole's Brigade of Ewell's II Corps had been alert all afternoon. At 6 p.m., when Federal cannonading ceased, it seemed the day would end quietly. Then Upton's . . . — — Map (db m10295) HM
On Grant Drive, on the right when traveling north.
May 10,1864. After a day of sporadic fighting, the Federal high command sent Col. Emory Upton and twelve picked regiments of the VI Corps to strike the west face of the Confederate Salient. Starting in this vicinity near the Scott (Shelton) House . . . — — Map (db m10302) HM
This road leads to the Landram House ruin. In the days of the Civil War it was a small whitewashed dwelling built of squared logs and heated by stone-chimneyed fireplaces. From similar modest homesteads, North and South, had spring Abraham Lincoln . . . — — Map (db m10309) HM
Near Grant Drive, on the left when traveling east.
May 12, 1864. Union commanders Grant and Meade determined to exploit the Confederate "Mule Shoe." Early in the morning they sent Hancock's II Corps against the apex of the Salient (300 yards east). Hancock took the trenches on either side of the . . . — — Map (db m10310) HM
Near Grant Drive, on the left when traveling east.
May 12, 1864. About 6 a.m. Wright's VI Corps advancing to support Hancock's attack occupied the area in front of the Confederate works on the west face of the Salient. Here at a slight bend in the line, the area ever after known as the Bloody Angle, . . . — — Map (db m10311) HM
Near Gordon Drive, on the left when traveling north.
May 12, 1864. About 4:30 a.m. Hancock's Federal II Corps, in one of the greatest surprise attacks of the War, struck Ewell's Confederate Corps entrenched here. Advancing in a solid rectangular mass, the Federal troops overwhelmed the defenders. The . . . — — Map (db m10397) HM
Near Gordon Drive, on the left when traveling north.
May 12, 1864. In the large scale attack of this day, Warren's V Corps on the Federal right and Burnside's IX on the left engaged the Confederate forces facing them while Wright's VI moved to help Hancock. The seriousness of Lee's counterattack . . . — — Map (db m10403) HM
On Gordon Drive, on the right when traveling east.
May 12, 1864. From this point the trenches of the Confederate Salient run southward. This road continues westward along a secondary line which was held by Gordon's Division. Gordon's line tied into the east face of the Salient here, where Ewell's . . . — — Map (db m10427) HM
On Burnside Drive, on the right when traveling east.
May 12, 1864. Burnside's IX Corps, having swung east in its march from the Wilderness, engaged the Confederates by way of the Fredericksburg-Spotsylvania Road and held the Federal left in this area. On the morning of May 12 Burnside was ordered to . . . — — Map (db m10429) HM
On Gordon Drive at Anderson Drive, on the right when traveling west on Gordon Drive. Reported missing.
May 11-12, 1864. About two hundred yards southward stood the Harrison House where Lee gave his momentous order to Ewell, on the evening of May 11, to remove the artillery from the Salient. Lee pitched his tent in the Harrison House vicinity. Early . . . — — Map (db m14684) HM
On Grant Drive, 0.7 miles east of Brock Road, on the right when traveling east.
Upton's Attack About 6 p.m. May 10, 1864
A quarter of a mile beyond this point, their bayonets fixed, Upton's lines broke silence with a wild cheer as they burst from the piney woods across a 200-yard clearing to the Confederate trenches. . . . — — Map (db m169921) HM
On Courthouse Road (Virginia Route 208) near Brock Road, on the right when traveling north.
To honor the men of Spotsylvania County who made the supreme sacrifice that we might be free
World War I
Bartleson, Clayton W. • Brooks, Beverly F. • Byiers, John S. • Carnohan, George T. • Curtis, Morris J. • Hall, Archie Bryant • Hall, . . . — — Map (db m3672) WM
On Courthouse Road (Virginia Route 208) at American Legion Drive, on the left when traveling south on Courthouse Road. Reported permanently removed.
When the Blockhouse Road Courthouse, located 3 miles southwest of here, burned to the ground in 1937, the new Courthouse was built at this intersection of the Fredericksburg and Brock roads on property conveyed from tavern owner, Lewis Rawlings. . . . — — Map (db m3719) HM
On Courthouse Road (Virginia Route 208) near Brock Road, on the right when traveling south.
At the time of the Civil War, Spotsylvania Court House was a small community of about one dozen buildings surrounded by woods and rolling fields. “It was not a town,” a chaplain in the 126th Pennsylvania noted. “It was composed of just the county . . . — — Map (db m3712) HM
On Courthouse Road (Virginia Route 208) near Brock Road, on the right when traveling south.
Many of the buildings that comprised the 1864 village of Spotsylvania Court House still stand today. Pamphlets located in the box below will lead you on a 30-minute waling tour of the historic town. — — Map (db m3714) HM