Fredericksburg/Stafford Battlefield Tour
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Chatham Ennis House at Sunken Road llocate 4 1/2 hours for Fredericksburg, Stafford, Spotsylvania, Virginia this tour. Strategically located midway between the capital of the Con- Fredericksburg/Stafford Afederacy in Richmond and the U. S. capital in Washington, D. C., Fred- Battlefield Tour ericksburg was the scene of four of the most devastating battles of the Stop 1 Civil War. Nearly 110,000 casual- Lee had a close brush with death. At Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitor Cen- Lee’s command post atop Lee Hill, visi- ties occurred in the Battles of Fred- ter — See a film depicting the actions ericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilder- tors can view the city and look at battle that took place in and around Freder- exhibits. ness and Spotsylvania Court House. icksburg. Museum exhibits portray a Stop 2 During the war, possession of the soldier’s life during the war, including Chatham — Chatham was an important city changed hands seven times. camp life, religious life, food, medicine, Federal headquarters and communica- amusements, uniforms and equipment, tion center during the Battle of Freder- transportation, communications, and icksburg. It was also a hospital where the impact of war on civilians. Also as Walt Whitman and Clara Barton assisted park staff is available, opt for a short the surgeons. Union artillery from this guided walk along Sunken Road. Here vicinity blasted the city to cover the en- Confederate troops, securely positioned gineers building the pontoon bridges. behind the famous stone wall, dis- Allow 45 minutes. patched more than 8,000 Union soldiers during the Battle of Fredericksburg. The Stop 3 walk includes dwellings standing during White Oak Museum — This Civil War the battle, a monument to the humani- museum houses an extensive collection tarian acts of a Confederate soldier, and of artifacts from actual battle sites and the National Cemetery where 15,000 encampments of the Civil War. The Union soldiers are buried. Allow 90 many items displayed were discarded or minutes. lost while troops were camped or fighting in the Fredericksburg and A five mile driving tour connects Stafford County area. See replicas of Marye’s Heights with Prospect Hill, the soldier huts like those used as tempo- two areas fought over during the Battle rary housing during winter encamp- of Fredericksburg. Along the way visi- ments. Allow 45 minutes. tors have the opportunity to see re- For Additional Information contact: mains of original Confederate earth- Victoria Matthews works, examine Civil War period can- 540-372-1216 * 800-260-3636 [email protected] nons and learn how General Robert E. VisitFred.com White Oak Civil War Museum Examples of Civil War Tents at White Oak Museum Fredericksburg/Stafford Battlefield Tour Stop 4 Stafford Civil War Park — This park which opened in April 2013, is the site of 1863 winter encampments and fortifications of the Union Army’s 11th Corps, 1st and 3rd Divisions, following the December 1862 Battle of Fredericksburg. Many of the sol- diers referred to the site and that winter, then and afterwards, as their “Valley Forge.” Over 3,500 soldiers died throughout Stafford County during that winter. Situated on 41 acres, park visitors can see and learn about Civil War era battery and winter hut site remains, a corduroy road, a late 18th and early 19th cen- tury sandstone quarry, and remnants of the 1660’s Potomac Church Road bed. Allow 90 minutes. Pickup a copy of the Civil War Battlegrounds Guide/Map at the Visitor Center .