Fredericksburg

• Chatham

  

  Situated prominently on Stafford Heights above the Rappahannock, the house of J. Horace Lacy was used as a Union hospital during the battle.

  Rob Shenk

• Federal Artillery on Stafford Heights

  

  Arrayed alongside the Lacy House atop Stafford Heights, Union artillery had a commanding view of Fredericksburg and the heights beyond.

  Rob Shenk

• Wartime Fredericksburg

  

  This period photograph of Fredericksburg shows the city as it appeared after the battle.

  Library of Congress

• The Rappahannock River

  

  Daybreak on December 11, 1862 revealed Union engineers constructing pontoon boats across the Rappahannock River. Confederate marksmen concealed in houses and along the docks on the riverfront took picked off the hapless bridge builders, seriously impeding the Union advance.

  Rob Shenk

• Crossing the Rappahannock

  

  In the first ever instance of an under-fire river crossing, Col. Norman J. Hall's 7th Michigan paddled across the Rappahannock amid a storm of lead and drove off the Confederates delaying the Federals from river's opposite shore.

  Rob Shenk

• Barksdale's Headquarters

  

  This brick structure served as headquarters for Brig. Gen. William Barksdale, whose brigade of Mississippians doggedly resisted the Federal river crossing and the occupation of Fredericksburg. Today the building houses the Fredericksburg Area Museum.

  Rob Shenk

• A Deadly Intersection

  

  Ordered to clear the town of resistance, the 20th Massachusetts, the so-called Harvard Regiment, advanced to this intersection where Barksdale’s Mississippians “opened on us from front, rear and sides, firing from windows, sheds, corners, brick houses and behind fences.” Though the Confederates ultimately relented, the 20th paid dearly for its gallantry.

  Rob Shenk

• Jackson at Prospect Hill

  

  Robert E. Lee posted Stonewall Jackson's Corps on the heights south of Fredericksburg, terminating here on Prospect Hill. Though known for his daring and aggressive offensive maneuvers, Jackson's men ultimately waged a successful defensive battle that paved the way for the Confederate victory.

  Rob Shenk

• Prospect Hill - Confederate Artillery

  

  Stonewall Jackson's artillery under Lt. Col. Reuben Lindsay Walker dug in here along the crest of Prospect Hill, adding to the formidable nature of Jackson's positions. The original gun pits are still visible today.

  Rob Shenk

• Confederate Trenches

  

  Rifle pits and entrenchments dug by Stonewall Jackson's men are still visible on the battlefield today.

  Rob Shenk

• Pelham's Corner

  

  With a single gun Confederate artillerist Maj. John Pelham attacked the Union left flank, creating a diversion that would hamper Federal forces for several hours. The site of John Pelham's daring feat is now the scene of sprawling urban development. Hardly a fitting tribute for the man known to history as "The Gallant Pelham."

  Rob Shenk

• Slaughter Pen Farm - Trust Property

  

  In one of the largest and most expensive private preservation efforts in history, the Trust acquired this 208 acre portion of the Fredericksburg battlefield in 2006 with the overwhelming support of its members. Preservation efforts of this magnitude require continued support in order to truly call this hallowed ground "saved."

  Rob Shenk

• Preserving the Slaughter Pen

  

  Civil War Trust President Jim Lighthizer and Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorpe pose together at a press conference celebrating the acquisition of the Slaughter Pen Farm

  Civil War Trust

• Slaughter Pen Farm Walking Tour

  

  This tour stop is just one of many now placed on the Slaughter Pen Farm, helping visitor's to understand the events that make this hallowed ground.

  Rob Shenk

• Meade's Attack

  

  This tour stop at the Slaughter Pen Farm marks the beginning of the assault of Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's Pennsylvania Reserves, the most promising Union attack of the battle.

  Rob Shenk

• Union Breakthrough

  

  The 1st and 6th Pennsylvania Reserves of Meade's division penetrated these woods and fell upon the flank of Brig. Gen. Maxcy Gregg's South Carolina brigade, causing great confusion among the Confederates and claiming the life of General Gregg. Unsupported, the Pennsylvanians would be compelled to withdraw under the weight of subsequent counterattacks.

  Rob Shenk

• Fredericksburg - Marsh

  

  Believing a marsh such as this one to be impassible, Confederate division chief A.P. Hill, left a portion of his line uncovered, creating a whole that Meade's Pennsylvania Reserves would exploit with near disastrous effects.

  Rob Shenk

• The Meade Pyramid

  

  Of all the Federal attacks on December 13, none came so close to success as that of Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's Pennsylvania Reserve division. After initially penetrating the Confederate lines, Meade's troops were without support and forced to withdraw. This stone pyramid marks the farthest extent of their advance.

  Rob Shenk

• Killing Range

  

  From this spot Union artillery supporting the infantry wreaked deadly havoc on the Confederates atop Prospect Hill.

  Rob Shenk

• Bernard's Cabins

  

  Once home to dozens of slaves, the site of Bernard's Cabins was the scene of an intense artillery duel on December 13, 1862. Capt. Greenlee Davidson's battery held this position even as Union and Confederate infantry squared off against one another along the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad.

  Rob Shenk

• Fighting at the Railroad

  

  The strategically important Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad lay directly across the path of the Union attacks on the southern end of the battlefield. This formidable obstacle was the locus for some of the battle's most savage fighting.

  Rob Shenk

• The Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac RR

  

  This rail line was the scene of a terrific struggle in which Col. Edmund Atkinson's Georgia brigade drove Federal troops back from the railroad and into the Slaughter Pen.

  Rob Shenk

• Collis' Charge

  

  In this painting by Carl Rochling, the 114th Pennsylvania, Collis' Zouaves, charge across the Slaughter Pen Farm. For his bravery on December 13, the regiment's commander, Charles Collis, would receive the Medal of Honor.

• Slaughter Pen Farm Reenactment

  

  Taking advantage of recently preserved battlefield land, Union reenactors recreate the battle of Fredericksburg on the Slaughter Pen Farm.

  Chris Piering

• Slaughter Pen Skirmish

  

  Federal reenactors follow in the footsteps of their 19th Century ancestors, skirmishing on CWPT land.

  Chris Piering

• Artillery on Marye's Heights

  

  Confederate Artillery of Longstreet's Corps posted atop Marye's Heights had a commanding view of Fredericksburg and the surrounding fields. As a testament to the strength of the position Confederate artillerist Col. E. P. Alexander claimed that "a chicken could not live on that field when we open on it."

  Chris Heisey

• The Stone Wall

  

  Few features of the Fredericksburg battlefield have reached such iconic status as the Sunken Road along the base of Marye's Heights and the stone wall that bordered it. From this protective cover, Longstreet's Confederates could exact a heavy toll on the advancing Federal while suffering relatively few casualties by comparison.

  Rob Shenk

• Brompton

  

  With Confederate infantry and artillery posted around it, the home of John Marye, known as Brompton, saw some the hottest action during the fight for the Sunken Road

  Rob Shenk

• Howison's Hill

  

  Long range Confederate artillery posted on this hill had devastating and far-reaching effects, contributing to the fearsome slaughter in front of Marye's Heights

  Rob Shenk

• Canal Ditch

  

  At the time of the battle a ditch lay on the outskirts of Fredericksburg, running roughly along present day Kenmore Avenue. This five-foot-deep, fifteen-foot-wide chasm was also filled with three feet of water and proved to be a deadly obstacle for the Federals made their way toward the Sunken Road.

  Rob Shenk

• Fighting in the Sunken Road

  

  Drawn by Confederate artist Allen C. Redwood wood, this illustration depicts Allen's regiment, the 55th Virginia, taking refuge in the Sunken Road as they fend off the Union attacks on December 13, 1862

  Battles and Leaders of the Civil War

• Sunken Road and the Innis House

  

  The Innis House, seen here, was one of a handful of houses that stood along the Sunken Road at the time of the battle. Today, it is the only one of these buildings still standing. Visitors to the house can see bullet holes and other visible scars of battle on the walls of this wartime structure.

  Rob Shenk

• Seeking Cover in Front of Marye's Heights

  

  At the time of the battle the ground seen here was entirely clear of development, save for the Stratton House (the brick building in the left background), which marks the apogee of the Union attack on Marye's Heights. Those few Federals who reached this point took refuge in a depression or swale just at the far end of this street.

  Rob Shenk

• Irish Brigade Marker

  

  This tablet at the site of the Middle Pontoon Bridge commemorates the service of the Irish Brigade, who suffered severe losses in the assault on Marye's Heights

  Rob Shenk

• Humphreys' Division Monument

  

  In the waning daylight of December 13, 1862, Pennsylvanians of Brig. Gen. Andrew Humphreys' division made a final desperate assault on Marye's Heights, advancing to within 100 yards of the Sunken Road. Erected by the state of Pennsylvania in 1908, this monument to their valor stands at the center of the Fredericksburg National Cemetery

  Rob Shenk

• The Angel of Marye's Heights

  

  One of the enduring tales of the battle of Fredericksburg is the story of Sgt. Richard Rowland Kirkland of the 2nd South Carolina. Hearing the cries of wounded Yankees on the night of December 13, Kirkland leapt over the stone wall to bring water to his ailing foes. His act of charity, commemorated in this monument, earned him the nickname "The Angel of Marye's Heights."

  Rob Shenk

• Fredericksburg - Confederate Cemetery

  

  A group of Fredericksburg citizens known as the Ladies Memorial Society purchased this land in 1867 as a final resting place for the Confederate dead. Roughly two thirds of the more than 3,000 soldiers buried here are unknown.

  Rob Shenk

• Fredericksburg National Cemetery

  

  Once the scene of horrific carnage, Marye's Heights is now the final resting place for over 15,000 U.S. soldiers, most of them from the Civil War.

  Chris Heisey