Spotsylvania Battlefields

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Spotsylvania Battlefields Spotsylvania Battlefields grew from local preservation efforts and continues to support work to save and spotlight the battlefields in this county.

Four major Civil War battles and campaigns happened in Virginia’s Spotsylvania County: Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Court House. We are passionate about our local Civil War history and love to share interesting facts about the current preservation and historical facts.

As was the case with many of Fredericksburg’s women, Jane Howison Beale fled the city on the evening of December 11, 186...
10/15/2026

As was the case with many of Fredericksburg’s women, Jane Howison Beale fled the city on the evening of December 11, 1862, with her children. From her house on Lewis Street, the party traveled in a commandeered ambulance over to Hanover Street, and then along the soon-to-be-famous Sunken Road—scene of such terrible fighting two days later.

She recorded in her diary that, “We were shoved in the vehicle without much ceremony, and the horses dashed off at a speed that at another time would have alarmed me, but now seemed all to slow for our feverish impatience to be beyond the reach of those terrible shots which were still tearing through the streets of the town, one struck a building just as we passed it, another tore up the ground a short distance from us.”

Beale felt relief after proceeding beneath the Willis Hill Cemetery. “As we passed beyond the line of the town and the turn in the road put the ‘Willis Hill’ Promontory of land, between us and the firing, a sense of security came into my mind and a deep and heartfelt thankfulness for our deliverance from this great evil, carried my spirit to the throne of Heaven in humble grateful prayer,” she wrote.

Jane Beale and her children were among the fortunate. They found shelter in the home of a friend. Other Fredericksburg refugees made camps in the woods or took cover, if possible, in nearby countryside churches.

This image show Willis Hill, Stone Wall, and Sunken Road

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On the scene at Spotsylvania, Asst. Secretary of War Charles A. Dana reported to his boss, Edwin Stanton, back in Washin...
10/14/2026

On the scene at Spotsylvania, Asst. Secretary of War Charles A. Dana reported to his boss, Edwin Stanton, back in Washington City about the May 10, 1864, evening attack of twelve Sixth Corps regiments led by Col. Emory Upton, who commanded the 121st New York Infantry. Dana stated: “Pressing forward with irresistible force, creeping on hands and knees, which in some places [was] covered [by the] enemy, Upton not only broke [Confederate] lines, but captured the three regiments of which Doles’ brigade, of Ewell’s corps is now composed [4th, 12th, and 44th Georgia].

Dana also explained that “Upton was afterward struck in the right flank by enemy, and forced to withdraw part of his command, but the remainder held ground until after dark, and then came off in perfect order. He captured 3 cannon also, but these he was unable to save. His loss in killed and wounded was about 1,000.”

The Army of the Potomac replicated Upton’s massed column attack on a larger scale on May 12, 1864, that resulted in perhaps the Civil War’s most brutal extended combat.

Image of Dana courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Like our Facebook posts? CVBT is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit entity. We exist only because of the generosity of our members and donors. Please consider giving or joining to support our efforts.
https://cvbt.org/support-us/

Only 11 tickets are left! Register now! Join the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust and historian Chris Mackowski for a...
10/13/2026

Only 11 tickets are left! Register now!

Join the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust and historian Chris Mackowski for an afternoon discussion and exploration into the critical decisions that were involved in the Battle of Fredericksburg. This program, based on Mackowski’s book “Decisions at Fredericksburg: The Fourteen Critical Decisions that Defined the Battle,” will explore what a critical decision is and how they impacted this December 1862 battle. A copy of the book "Decisions at Fredericksburg" is included with your paid $45 registration.

To register, visit: https://bit.ly/4g7zhOc

Iron Brigade soldier Pvt. John Pardington (24th Michigan), wrote a short letter to his wife Sarah three days after the B...
10/12/2026

Iron Brigade soldier Pvt. John Pardington (24th Michigan), wrote a short letter to his wife Sarah three days after the Battle of Fredericksburg letting her know he was safe. A few days later he wrote a longer letter. In it he explained that “I had two very narrow escapes But thank God he protected me so far. It was a most Bloody Battle. I call it a regular Butchery to take men there w[h]ere they could not get a chance at them. It is a wonder they did not cut our army all to Peaces.”

After offering a brief discussion on family matters, Pardington returned to war news. “We lost very heavy in this last fight. The Papers say 13000 But I think 15000. A Battle feild is an awful sight. I never want to see another but I suppose we will have to before long,” he wrote. After again returning to home news, Pardington explained, “I cant write no more for it so cold here. Last night we slept in the open air only our blankets over us. So you will excuse more now for my fingers ache with cold.”

Pardington received a promotion to corporal in January 1863, but his brief career as a soldier ended on July 1, 1863, when he was killed at Gettysburg.

Image courtesy of Find A Grave

Like our Facebook posts? CVBT is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit entity. We exist only because of the generosity of our members and donors. Please consider giving or joining to support our efforts.
https://cvbt.org/support-us/

Soldiers often mentioned in their letters that they found it difficult to describe battles. However, one thing that they...
10/09/2026

Soldiers often mentioned in their letters that they found it difficult to describe battles. However, one thing that they did seem to try to convey was the sounds of battle. A good example comes from Assistant Surgeon Clark Baum of the 50th New York Engineers at Fredericksburg.

On December 11, 1862, Baum watched as his comrades constructed a pontoon bridge under fire. The sounds seemed to amaze him: “when the ‘Ball Opened’ and the music of wham – whiz – bang – flash – buz – zip – pud – boom – came about me I breathed more free altho. I felt it to be more safe behind the oak – When the Artillery fairly opened the roar was terrific – dreadful – I know no words to express it – The screaming of the shells thru – the air – the wiz of the solid shot, the boom, boom, boom of the cannon the sharp ring of the ri**es and rattle of musketry all commingled made ones ears tingle. The roar was kept up all day at times quieting down at others full.”

Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Like our Facebook posts? CVBT is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit entity. We exist only because of the generosity of our members and donors. Please consider giving or joining to support our efforts.
https://cvbt.org/support-us/

CVBT’s latest land acquisition is for a two-acre parcel that was involved in the May 2, 1863, flank attack at Chancellor...
10/08/2026

CVBT’s latest land acquisition is for a two-acre parcel that was involved in the May 2, 1863, flank attack at Chancellorsville by Gen. Thomas J. Stonewall Jackson’s force.

Writing about the early fighting near this site, Col. John C. Lee of the 55th Ohio noted: “Soon the men and officers on our right flank began to give way, and to retreat to the eastward in our rear in a disorganized form. The battery that had run up so close to us began to deliver grape and canister right along the road and was very destructive to our line which occupied the south side of the road, with a slight barricade made out of fence rails, with earth thrown on them. Our line still fronted to the south.”

Col. Lee rode to Brig. Gen. Charles Devens and Brig. Gen. Nathaniel McLean who commanded the division and brigade respectively and asked if he should change his front to face west to meet Jackson’s large force. Gen. Devens did not answer, and McLean told Lee, “Not yet.” Lee rode back to his unit who had moved to the north side of the road due to the “raking fire” from the Confederates and rode back to Devens and McLean to report the rapidly deteriorating situation. Receiving no instructions, only a dismissive wave, Lee rode back. “The enemy were slowly approaching with constant firing, and we were unable to get off a shot,” Lee explained.

At his return, Col. Lee’s horse was shot from under him. Stunned and bruised, he joined the retreat. With others, Lee rallied for a defensive stand near Dowdall’s Tavern. However, Jackson’s force outflanked and overwhelmed their attempt to hold, and Col. Lee and the others had to continue to retreat eastward.

To donate toward this preservation effort, visit: https://bit.ly/4hjoscg

Image of Gen. McLean courtesy of the Library of Congress.

10/08/2026

ECW News: Orange County Admits Error in Wilderness Crossing Rezoning

A proposed development project on the edge of the Wilderness battlefield took a turn last week when the Orange County Board of Supervisors reversed a decision by a previous board of supervisors that originally supported the development.

“In unanimous vote, Board of Supervisors finds that zoning district violated Virginia Code, casting 2023 Wilderness Crossing rezoning in doubt,” said a joint press release from the American Battlefield Trust, the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust, and the Friends of the Wilderness Battlefields—battlefield preservation organizations that have partnered to oppose the development project.

Tom Van Winkle, president of the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust, joins ECW News to talk about the latest development.

Central Virginia Battlefields Trust

Watch here
https://youtu.be/XVM2EkHBj8g?si=gVkuZhgGqRCMo1IJ

In the wake of the Battle of Fredericksburg, Walt Whitman journeyed south from Brooklyn to find his wounded younger brot...
10/07/2026

In the wake of the Battle of Fredericksburg, Walt Whitman journeyed south from Brooklyn to find his wounded younger brother George. Finding that George’s wounds were not life threatening, Walt stayed and helped nurse some of the thousands of broken and sick United States soldiers needing care.

Whitman took time to jot in his journal about the impromptu hospital wards around Chatham: “These are merely tents, and sometimes very poor ones, the wounded lying on the ground, lucky if their blankets are spread on layers of pine or hemlock twigs or small leaves. No cots; seldom even a mattress. It is pretty cold. The ground is frozen hard, and there is occasional snow. I go around from one case to another. I do not see that I do much good, but I cannot leave them. Once in a while some youngster holds on to me convulsively, and I do what I can for him; at any rate, stop with him and sit near him for hours, if he wishes it.”

Image courtesy of the Library of Congress

Like our Facebook posts? CVBT is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit entity. We exist only because of the generosity of our members and donors. Please consider giving or joining to support our efforts.
https://cvbt.org/support-us/

For some Virginia soldiers, the war literally hit home. Robert Taylor Knox, a Fredericksburg native serving in the 30th ...
10/06/2026

For some Virginia soldiers, the war literally hit home. Robert Taylor Knox, a Fredericksburg native serving in the 30th Virginia Infantry, returned to his war-damaged house following the December 1862 battle there.

Writing to his mother, who was refugeeing in Richmond, Robert noted: “Our house like all the other houses has suffered much from the balls & shell thrown into it. Two balls went through the roof of the house tearing off the slate; another struck Mollies chimney & tore off half of that. A shell burst in sisters room & tore things generally. Another shell hit through the bottom of the window sill just where father slept & took his pillow off & went through the other window by your work stand. Another shell went through the dining room & burst on the wall of the passage.” In addition, all of the food and many of the home’s furnishings and family clothing were gone. “You have no idea of how every thing is,” Robert commented.

Image courtesy of the Library of Congress

Like our Facebook posts? CVBT is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit entity. We exist only because of the generosity of our members and donors. Please consider giving or joining to support our efforts.
https://cvbt.org/support-us/

Having close comrades that could be depended upon made soldiering both better and worse. It was better in that there was...
10/05/2026

Having close comrades that could be depended upon made soldiering both better and worse. It was better in that there was a support system during tough times. It was worse when the strong friendships forged in camp and battle ended abruptly when a friend was killed, wounded, captured, or became ill, leaving a difficult void to fill.

Corp. Rollin B. Truesdell, 27th New York Infantry, wrote to his sister ten days after the Battle of Fredericksburg. In the letter, he explained that before the battle “many parting words were spoken between the men of our Regt,” who all knew that some were likely to fall in the expected combat. “These words were of good cheer and frequently pertained to the pecuniary affairs of men,” he noted. Truesdell shared the brief conversation with his comrade: “’Keep close together; if we are driven back, neither shall be left alone.’” This comforted him. He felt that “I have that confidence in my friend that I believe if I had been wounded and our forces retreated, that he would have stayed with me.”

Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Like our Facebook posts? CVBT is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit entity. We exist only because of the generosity of our members and donors. Please consider giving or joining to support our efforts.
https://cvbt.org/support-us/

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1115 A Tyler Street
Fredericksburg, VA
22401

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