120 Chatham Lane, Fredericksburg, VA 22405-2508
Phone: 540-371-0802
Fax: 540-371-1907
Open All Year
Overview. From 1862 to 1864, the Union and Confederate armies hotly contested the land between the two Civil War capitals of Washington and Richmond. In late 1862, Union General Burnside led his troops into a crushing defeat at Fredericksburg, a strategic town located on the Rappahannock River. The Chancellorsville Campaign of May 1863 ended in another Confederate victory, but they lost their brilliant general Stonewall Jackson. A year later in May 1864, Lee's and Grant's armies fought to a standstill in the densely wooded area known as the Wilderness. Grant left that battlefield and marched instead toward Spotsylvania Court House, control of which would yield the quickest route to Richmond. For two weeks Lee and Grant struggled over the spot, until Grant bypassed Lee's defense and pushed south by another route. Today the several sections of this nearly 7,300-acre park memorialize thousands of fallen soldiers.What to see and do. You could easily spend two days visiting the various sites. Begin at the main visitor center, located in Fredericksburg. Open daily, it includes several exhibits and slide presentations orienting you to the layout of the four battlefields. After you pick up a detailed map, continue from point to point in order to experience fully the development of the campaigns. At many of the stops, take advantage of the short walking trails and wayside exhibits. They allow you to absorb a sense of the landscape, which often determined battle strategy. A second visitor center, located at Chancellorsville, offers you more information. Don't miss two sites included in the 16 stops: Chatham and the Stonewall Jackson Shrine. Chatham, just across the river from Fredericksburg, is the eighteenth-century Georgian home that served as Union headquarters and field hospital. You may wish to stop here toward the beginning of your tour. Fifteen miles south of Fredericksburg you'll find the house in which Stonewall Jackson died after being wounded by his own troops. Separated from the other major sites, it would prove a fitting end to your day. Take a lunch break at any number of picnic sites located at each battlefield. Mobility-impaired visitors will find the Chancellorsville Center fully accessible and the Fredericksburg facility only partially so. Call ahead for schedule of special programs.
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