Fredericksburg

And now another update on how my nerdy tourist goals are coming along. Every year during the sesquicentennial of the Civil War we have made a trek out to a battlefield. Next year is the last year, so we'll have to make sure that our Civil War site for 2015 is extra awesome.

This year we went to Fredericksburg. Fredericksburg was the site for three Civil War battlefields. We visited the location of the first battle, a Confederate victory, which took place in December of 1862.

The Confederate troops lined up in the Sunken Road--part of the road system that went from Washington, D.C. to Richmond. They used this stone wall for protection as they fired upon the exposed Union troops.

The Innis house is still standing. It was located right in the line of fire and, even after many walls were replaced, still has bullet holes from the attack.

I didn't know the story of the Angel of Marye Heights before we visited Fredericksburg, but Nate did. Sergeant Richard R. Kirkland of the 2nd South Carolina Volunteers brought water to the wounded Union soldiers caught between the lines despite the danger to himself. Kirkland died in battle in Chickamauga, Georgia in September 1863.


Brompton stands on the hill directly behind the Sunken Road. The house was built in 1824 and served as headquarters for Colonel James B. Walton of the Washington Artillery. In 1864, it became a hospital for wounded Union soldiers. Today the house is owned by the University of Mary Washington.

We then wound our way up the hill to the ridge the Confederate reinforcements had to crest to come to their compatriots' aid. From there we could see down to the Sunken Road and the Innis house. Making their way down the hill left many soldiers exposed to Union fire.


A small cemetery at the top of the hill dates to the mid-eighteenth century. During the battle, it sheltered Confederate soldiers, some of whom were treated for wounds behind the brick walls. Other regiments paused here to regroup before charging down the hill. By the end of the battle the graveyard was a wreck. The brick walls had been toppled by Union artillery and many headstones were shattered.


Approximately 20,000 soldiers died in the Fredericksburg area during the Civil War. In 1865 Congress established the Fredericksburg National Cemetery for the Union soldiers who died in the area. Of the 15,300 soldiers buried here only 3,000 are known, and 300 of those are from later wars.

The cemetery was the boys favorite part of the excursion.



Fredericksburg was a nice battlefield to visit because we could walk the whole thing. The signage is really good, and the walk up the hill was especially nice.

P.S. We visit Manassas in 2013, Antietam in 2012, and Gettysburg in 2011.