On May 12 Union General Grant captured the tip of the Mule Shoe Salient. For the following 22 hours, hand-to-hand and close range fighting ensued. The fighting concentrated around a slight bend in the trenches that became known as the Bloody Angle.
Union troops marched past this location on April 30, 1863 on their way to the Chancellor House, and again on May 3, pulling back after 5 hours of brutal fighting. Earthworks and artillery pits nearby mark the Unions last line of the Battle of Chancellorsville.
The base of the furnace stack is all that remains of this ironworks which dates to the mid-1800s. Confederate General Stonewall Jackson's troops passed here during their march around the Union Army on May 2, 1863.
The Chandler House Site was the location of the home around which stood the Fairfield Plantation. A large slave plantation complex located near Guinea Station, Fairfield was located in the path of moving armies during the Civil War and became most associated with the death of Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, who died in the nearby office on May 10, 1863.
The Chatham gardens are one of the most popular features of the Chatham landscape. These gardens were designed by landscape architect Ellen Biddle Shipman in the 1920s. The flower beds, paths, and sculptural features that bring a sense of peace and beauty to those who visit today were once a place of enslavement of the people whose forced labor generated wealth for Chatham's owners.
The Chatham kitchen is one of three buildings at Chatham, the others being the main house and the laundry, that dates to the 1770s. Note: The Chatham kitchen building is a park office and is not open to the public.
The Chatham laundry is one of the original structures at Chatham, dating to the 1770s. Enslaved women labored and likely lived in this building. In the 1900s the laundry was converted to a guest house, then an office. Today, it is an office for park staff.
The Diana statue marks the entrance to the Chatham gardens. This terracotta artwork was placed in the garden in the 1920s. After being donated to the Virginia Musuem of Fine Arts many years ago, it was restored to its place in the garden in 2019.
This grave marks the final resting place of one of over 100 United States soldiers who died at Chatham in the aftermath of the Battle of Fredericksburg. The majority of the soldiers buried on the property were reinterred at the Fredericksburg National Cemetery. Today, three graves remain at Chatham.
The Ellwood Brooder Barn was built around 1950 for raising chickens. The owner of Ellwood at the time, Leo Jones, had turned Ellwood into a productive livestock farm. Today the main part of the building is used for storage. Public restrooms are located at the side of the building.
Established in 1807, the Ellwood cemetery contains the remains of fifteen members of the Jones family who owned Ellwood in the 1800s. Today, the cemetery contains one marker, for the amputated arm of Confederate General "Stonewall" Jackson. How did this small family cemetery become intertwined with the history of Jackson and the Lost Cause?
First constructed in the 1700s, Ellwood is best known for its association with the Battles of Chancellorsville and the Wilderness during the Civil War. However, this place has a much wider and more expansive history. Learn about the people who first inhabited this land and the ways that colonial settlement altered the physical landscape.
Ellwood was a slave plantation dating to the 1790s. During the Battle of Chancellorsville, this building was a Confederate field hospital. During the Battle of the Wilderness it was the headquarters for US Generals Warren and Burnside. Though most famous because Confederate General "Stonewall" Jackson's amputated left arm is buried in the family cemetery, the house has many more stories to tell. The house is open seasonally.
The open, grassy field besides the main house was the location of the Ellwood service yard. Many buildings where enslaved people once lived and worked once stood here.
The Stonewall Jackson Death Site is the plantation office building near Guinea Station where Confederate General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson died on May 10, 1863.
For about five hours Union artillery here dueled with Confederate artillery on Hazel Grove, while opposing infantry clashed in some of the bloodiest fighting of the war.
The Fredericksburg National Cemetery is the final resting place for over 15,000 United States soldiers, the majority of whom died during the Civil War, plus about 100 soldiers from the 1900s and a handful of spouses. Over 80% of the soldiers here are unidentified.
Visit the Fredericksburg Park Store, managed by America's National Parks, for books, gifts, souvenirs, and information about the Battle of Fredericksburg.
The Fredericksburg Road became the lifeline for the United States Army, allowing Grant to bring up supplies and reinforcements. Robert E. Lee tried to cut the Army of the Potomac's access to this road on May 19 with attacks here and at the Harris Farm. Lee was ultimately unsuccessful and the US maintained control of the road and continued to move south.
This stop along the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad served as a critical supply hub for the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and was the right flank of Jackson's line during the Battle of Fredericksburg.
The Innis House is one of the few standing structures along the Sunken Road that was standing during the battle in December 1862. The house is still riddled with bullet holes from the battle, a stark testament to the brutality of war.
The Journey is a unique historic, natural and scenic region, with farms and orchards; woodlands and forests; rivers and streams; rolling hills and mountain views; and unspoiled landscapes that can be explored by car, bike, canoe, foot or on horseback The region is alive with vibrant historic downtowns, rich agriculture and an abundant bounty of wineries, inns and unique cultural events.
The Kirkland Memorial pays homage to the deeds of Richard Kirkland, a Confederate sergeant, who crossed over the stone wall to give water to wounded US soldiers after the fighting of December 13, 1864 at the Battle of Fredericksburg.
Today, visitors enjoy this picturesque view of the Rappahannock River and Fredericksburg from the Chatham terraces. While the view is peaceful now, it was once a scene of labor and war.
From Marye's Heights, the high ground hovering over the Sunken Road, Confederate troops held an imposing defensive line during the Battle of Fredericksburg.
This was the position for the nine cannons of the Washington Artillery of New Orleans during the Battle of Fredericksburg. Fire from these heights rained down on the US soldiers tasked with assaulting this position. The futile assaults against these heights led many soldiers to despair and led the American public to question just what could be gained from such a horrible war.
The Chatham staircase is a decorative feature added to the landscape in the 1920s. The staircase's flowing design conveys the musical notes to the song "Home, Sweet, Home", popular in the Civil War era.
The Army of Northern Virginia's 2nd Corps, commanded by General Stonewall Jackson defended Lee's right at Prospect Hill. On December 13, this would become the location of an intense artillery standoff between the two armies. Ultimately, Jackson's troops would use the terrain to their advantage and hold off the United States forces, bringing fighting on the southern portion of the battlefield to a close.
Although the Biblical word "Salem" originally derived from a Hebrew verb meaning, amongst other things "peace," Salem Church west of Fredericksburg, Virginia lives on in history because of its connections with war. Its main moment of fame was during the second Battle of Fredericksburg in May of 1863, when it became a field hospital.
Union General Henry Slocum's 12th Corps held these earthworks from May 1 through May 3 when Confederate infantry and artillery from Hazel Grove forced the United States soldiers to retreat to Fairview.
James Power Smith, former staff member of Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, placed this marker near the farm office where Jackson died on May 10, 1863.
*Note: The Superintendent's Lodge is not open to the public.* When the Fredericksburg National Cemetery was established, the lodge, located at the cemetery's entrance, housed the Union veteran who was responsible for managing the cemetery.
The assaults against the stone wall at the Sunken Road is the most well known event in the Battle of Fredericksburg. It was one of the most lopsided fights in the war, with eight United States casualties for every one Confederate. A critical question still lingers today: why did General Burnside send men to the wall, again and again, after each assault failed?
On May 10, Colonel Emory Upton led 5,000 United States soldiers in a column attack on a part of the Confederate line known as the Mule Shoe Salient. Though unsuccessful, this assault would be the inspiration for the larger assault on the Confederate line on May 12, 1864.
