Road Log and Stop Descriptions

See figure 8 for field-trip stop locations.

Take I-95 South from the Capital Beltway, I-495.

Stop 1. Visitor Center, Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.

View the park video and visit the museum. Restrooms available.

Stop 2. Chatham Manor, Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park Headquarters.

Chatham Manor, located on Stafford Heights and the home of the Lacy family, was General Sumner’s headquarters during the battle. The Union army had heavy artillery deployed along Stafford Heights, which commanded the battlefield, from Falmouth to just across the river from the Confederate right flank. One hundred forty-seven heavy guns were deployed in four sections (Rable, 2002; O’Reilly, 2003). The location of the former upper pontoon bridges is clearly visible from the terraces on the river side of the house. Restrooms available.

Stop 3. Upper Pontoon Bridge crossing.

There were three pontoon bridge sites across the Rappahannock River. This upper crossing (fig. 3), which consisted of two bridges, was the most strongly contested by the Confederate army. Sharpshooters positioned themselves in houses and in basements along the edge of the lower terrace, and defeated nine attempts by Union engineers to complete construction of the pontoon bridge. The Union artillery on Stafford Heights was unable to depress the barrels of the guns sufficiently to fire upon the sharpshooters and provide cover for the bridge builders. The tenth attempt, carried out by volunteers, was successful, and Union infantry were able to cross the river during the night of December 11. This was the first bridgehead landing ever secured under fire by U.S. forces (O’Reilly, 2003). Once Union troops crossed the river, they had to traverse the very small flood plain in this area under fire, and force themselves up the 10-m (33-ft)-high bluff to the lower terrace. The Confederate sharpshooters—Barksdale’s Mississippians—withdrew slowly from the terrace edge, which resulted in fierce hand-to-hand fighting in this area of the city. This was one of the few occurrences of urban warfare in the Civil War.

Stop 4. Middle Pontoon Bridge crossing.

This is the flood plain of the Rappahannock River, with the lower terrace to the west. Although the terrain in this area provided superior defensive positions for Confederate sharpshooters, bridge building was not strongly opposed, because the terrain above and west of the bluff was exposed to the full firepower of Union artillery on Stafford Heights across the river. One bridge was built in this location (fig. 4). This area also was the location of the historic ferry crossing from Stafford County to the city of Fredericksburg. Ferry Farm, from which the ferry crossed, was the boyhood home of George Washington. It is said that the cherry tree incident occurred on Ferry Farm and that it was really this part of the Rappahannock across which George Washington threw his dollar, not the Potomac River.

On the horizon to your right as you drive south along Tidewater Trail is the ridge upon which the Confederate army was deployed. At the time of the Civil War, the terrace to the right was treeless and used for farming.

Stop 5. “The Gallant Pelham.”

Grove of cedar trees from which “The Gallant Pelham” (Major John Pelham, commander of Stuart’s Horse Artillery) distracted the Union army at the beginning of Franklin’s attack against Jackson’s position along the ridge to the west. Pelham received this sobriquet from Lee because of his action here. Pelham’s fire, initially with only one gun, a 12-pounder Napoleon (fig. 5), delayed the Union attack and also revealed the Union position to Jackson, giving him an even greater advantage than what he derived from his excellent position. As a result, Jackson was able to withhold both his artillery and small arms fire until the Union infantry were well within range, giving the Confederate army a significant advantage in this part of the battle.

Stop 6. Lee’s Hill.

This was Lee’s headquarters during the battle (National Park driving tour stop 2). From this point in the center of the Confederate lines, he could clearly view action on both flanks. It was here that he made his famous statement, “It is well that war is so terrible - we should grow too fond of it” (Freeman, 1934, p. 462). At the time of the Civil War, this hill was called Telegraph Hill. The two cannons beyond the shelter serve as examples of artillery pieces that might have been used during the battle. The 30-pounder Parrott rifle on the left would most likely not have been present on the battlefield; Parrotts used in the field were typically 10-pounders. Parrott rifles represented state-of-the-art, cutting-edge technology in 1862. They were first introduced in 1861 and were the first American rifled cannon. They were also the first truly successful rifled cannon because of the method used for reinforcement. The cannon on the left is a smoothbore “Light” 12-pounder gun-howitzer, or Napoleon (fig. 5). This was the most common weapon in northern arsenals, and the preferred smoothbore cannon for both Union and Confederate armies.

Stop 7. Prospect Hill.

This was the far right flank of Jackson’s line. Meade’s attack came from the east toward the left where the woods reach the railway track. The pyramidal monument in the distance was built by railroad men in honor of this attack. Meade’s men advanced through the woods and up the hill to your left before they were stopped and then pushed back. The artillery positions in this area are typical of artillery positions of the time, and the cannon displayed are also typical. These include, from right to left facing east, an iron 3-in ordnance rifle, which was the most popular rifle in Union artillery batteries during the war; a bronze 14-pounder James rifle (fig. 9); and two bronze 6-pounders. Six-pounders were the most common Confederate artillery pieces. They were relatively ineffective against Napoleons and Union rifles, however, because of their short range. A number of six-pounders, including these two, were thus returned to the foundries for rifling in the hope that this would increase their effectiveness. Any such increase did not last long, however, because the lands and grooves wore down too rapidly due to the twisting action of the projectiles in the barrels.

Return to Lafayette Boulevard, viewing entrenchments on the right (east) side of Lee Drive.

The first organized use of “hasty” entrenchments in warfare occurred during the Battle of Fredericksburg in this area (Luvaas and Nelson, 1994). Prior to this time, entrenchments were built only around permanent fortifications. The landscape to the east just before crossing Lansdown Road is considered to be very similar to the landscape in the area at the time of the battle.

Stop 8. Kenmore valley.

You are now in the Kenmore valley in the vicinity of the millrace. To the east is the upper terrace; this is the direction from which the Union army advanced on Marye’s Heights. The bridge in figure 6 must have been very near this spot. Just beyond Kenmore Cleaners on your right is the bluff beneath which Union infantry found cover after crossing the millrace. Because the area was swampy and the millrace was covered with ice, the only feasible crossing points were bridges on Hanover, William, and Prussia Streets (O’Reilly, 2003). At the time of the battle, the area west of the bluff was open, with scattered houses and fences. Other than the small bluff and a swale that extended across the front, there was no cover for the attacking Union infantry. Crossing Kenmore valley at this point, however, was far better than to the north where swampy areas were more extensive. The area to the north was also crossed by numerous canals, which would have complicated traversing the swamp even more.

The area you are driving through is the ground over which the Union army advanced. Littlepage Street marks the approximate location of the swale.

Stop 9. Visitor Center, Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.

This area below Marye’s Heights was the focus of Major General Sumner’s “Grand Division’s” attack on Longstreet’s corps. The foundations of several houses are preserved, and one house from the 1860s still stands. The wall along the north end of the sunken road is the only part of the original wall extant (fig. 7). Confederate infantry and artillery were deployed along the top of the ridge, and additional infantry, several men deep, were behind the stone wall. Union infantry advanced across the open fields, and most attacks got no closer than 100 m (110 yd) to the Confederate line. One bayonet charge, that of Humphrey’s Division, did get within about 25 m (80 ft), resulting in hand-to-hand fighting (Reardon, 1995). The Marye House of Civil War fame is now Brompton, the home of the president of Mary Washington College. Confederate infantry repulsed six attacks on their position during the battle. The National Cemetery just west of the Visitor Center is located on Willis Hill, from which the best views of the city and this part of the battlefield can be obtained. Restrooms available.

Turn right out of the parking lot onto Lafayette Boulevard.
Turn right on Va. 3 (Blue-Gray Parkway).
Turn right onto I-95 North and return to Northern Virginia.

U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey
URL: https:// pubsdata.usgs.gov /pubs/circ/2004/1264/html/trip8/log.html
For more information, contact Judy Ehlen at 1408 William Street, Fredericksburg, VA 22401.
Maintained by Reston Publications Service Center
Last modified: 12:24:57 Wed 23 Nov 2016
Privacy statement | General disclaimer | Accessibility