Fredericksburg Battle Map – Download the general map of the park (jpg). The numbered stops at each battlefield suggest driving tours. Throughout the park you will find paths, interpretive signs and trails.

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Fredericksburg Battle Map

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Civil War Tour: This Hallowed Ground By Stephen Ambrose

The Fredericksburg Battlefield driving tour begins at the Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitor Center, located on the Sunken Road portion of the battlefield. Stop 2 takes you across the river to Chatham Manor, a Union headquarters and field hospital. Stops 3-6 are on the Confederate defense line, including the location of the Union’s only weapon during the battle.

The Chancellorsville Battlefield Driving Tour begins at the Chancellorsville Battlefield Visitor Center, located near where “Stonewall” Jackson was fatally wounded. The following stops cross the battlefield, stopping at important home sites and critical points in the battle, such as Jackson’s Flank Attack and the Hazel Grove-Fairview corridor. Consider driving through a partner-owned Day 1 in Chancellorsville, just to the east, or hiking the Jackson Trails in the footsteps of Jackson’s soldiers on his famous flank march.

The Wilderness Battlefield driving tour begins at Grant’s headquarters, goes to the Wilderness Battlefield exhibit shelter at Saunders Field, where the battle unfolded, and continues down the Confederate lines through the battlefield’s key corridors, stops 6-8. Elwood Manor open season. The grounds at Ellwood are open and accessible via a gravel driveway from dawn to dusk.

9550 Grant Drive West, Spotsylvania, VA 22553 (Does this address not work for you? Try these GPS coordinates: 38.219245, -77.614099)

Battle Of Fredericksburg Virginia Civil War Fredericksburg

The Spotsylvania Battlefield driving tour begins at the Spotsylvania Battlefield exhibit shelter near Laurel Hill where the battle opened. Follow the remaining tour stops to understand how this two-week battle unfolded, culminating in the gruesome Bloody Corner, tour stop 3. Like our best-preserved battlefield, Spotsylvania Battlefield also features a 7.5 mile trail that bounds over the battlefield. To see a series of reconstructed terraces, deviate from the driving tour by bearing right before reaching stop 4, the Harrison House. The reconstruction work is at the end of the road. Retrace your steps to continue on the driving journey.

The death site of “Stonewall” Jackson, where the Confederate general spent his last days, is located south of Fredericksburg in the small community of Guinea Station. 1862, the Cartographic Branch is highlighting some of its many maps related to Fredericksburg during the Civil War.

In the fall of 1862, both armies began to concentrate around Fredericksburg, a town midway between Washington, DC and Richmond, VA. Union General Ambrose Burnside created a plan to take Fredericksburg, which was only defended by Confederate troops, but the plan depended on speed. Unfortunately for the Union Army, the wagon trains carrying the pontoon bridge sections were delayed. This left the Union army with no means to quickly cross the Rappahannock River and take Fredericksburg. Meanwhile, the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia took up a position just west of the city, fortifying the high ground from Marye’s Heights near downtown Fredericksburg south of Prospect Hill. Because of the delays, the Union army arrived across the river from Fredericksburg in time to see Confederate troops digging in.

Map of the battlefield of Fredericksburg. RG 77, Civil Works Map File, G 204-27. This map, dated 1867, was created after the Civil War. It is based on other maps created during the war. It shows the topography of the battlefield area and other important features, such as the Rappahannock River, the canal that cut through the battlefield in front of Marye’s Heights, and the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad. The map also shows the locations and names of local residents, including Major Lacy, whose home in Chatham became the headquarters of Union General Edwin V. Sumner during the battle.

December 13, 1862: The Battle Of Fredericksburg

In the pre-dawn hours of December 11, the Union army finally made its move. Using darkness and a thick fog as cover, Union engineers began constructing temporary floating bridges made of pontoons across the river near downtown Fredericksburg. Other pontoon bridges were also placed in the south; There were three crossing sites in total. At the upper crossing, the engineers came under fire from Confederate sharpshooters positioned on the river bank, which prevented the completion of the bridge. A Union bombardment of the city could not drive out the Confederates. Eventually, Union infantrymen were sent across the river in boats to clear the Confederate skirmishers. Fighting soon spilled into the streets as Union soldiers pushed the Confederates back. This allowed the engineers to complete the bridge. Union troops moved across the bridges and occupied Fredericksburg on December 12, looting the burning city and preparing for the main assault, scheduled for December 13.

Drawing showing the position of the pontoon bridges and the guns covering them, at Fredericksburg, Va., December 11-15, 1862. RG 77, Fortification File, Drawer 150, Sheet 29. This map shows the position of the pontoon bridges (in red, through the river). Two bridges were built at the Upper Crossing in Fredericksburg, one bridge near the City Dock (Middle Crossing), and three bridges at the Lower Crossing, located south of Fredericksburg. The sketch also shows where artillery pieces were positioned on the bluffs above the river to help protect the crossings. The Union artillery bombarded the city of Fredericksburg from these positions with more than 150 cannons in an attempt to drive out the Confederates who had taken the city.

On December 13, Union troops attacked from both ends of the Confederate lines, hoping to crush the enemy. The attack against Prospect Hill, on the southern part of the Confederate line, began first. The Union commander, General Ambrose Burnside, intended that this would be the main attack. However, vague orders and confusion led to a smaller attack against Prospect Hill. But Union forces proved successful, striking Confederate General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s troops at the weakest points in the line. There, Union soldiers broke through the Confederate lines. However, they were soon beaten back, and eventually forced to retreat on the pontoon bridges.

Crossing of the Rappahannock River and the Battle of Fredericksburg, December 11-16, 1862. RG 77, Civil Works Map File, G117 (NAID 102279263). The manuscript map depicts the Battle of Fredericksburg. Union positions are shown in blue and red, and Confederate positions in brown. The map also shows the pontoon crossings. On the card, there is a note, in pencil, written in the lower left corner, which reads: “The property of Maj. Burnside + under his order. J.C.W. March 20, 1863”. Note that the map is a specially protected holding and is only available for digital viewing.

Unrecorded Map Of The 1862 Battle Of Fredericksburg Drawing On A Captured Map By Jedediah Hotchkiss

Sketch of the Battle of Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862. RG 77, Civil Works Map File, G131-1 (NAID 109182787). This map, drawn by Confederate cartographer Jedediah Hotchkiss, also shows the main battle lines at Fredericksburg. Union forces are shown in blue and Confederate forces in red. The Mapping Branch also maintains two additional copies of this map. Citations for others are RG 77, Civil Works Map File, G131-2 (NAID 109182789). and RG 77, Civil Works Map File, G443, Volume 9, Page 3.

Later that morning, on a clearing near the town of Fredericksburg, Union troops began their attack against Marie’s Heights. The Confederate troops were well entrenched, and used an existing road, which had been cut to form a flow trail, as cover. A stone wall ran parallel to the road, providing additional cover and creating a complete trench. Union troops, on the other hand, had little cover once they left the safety of the city. About 400 yards of open ground, separated by a canal filled with water, separated the soldiers from the Confederate line. With artillery positioned on the heights and infantry well protected behind a stone wall, the Confederate troops pushed back every attack by the Union forces. But the union army still needs to continue its wave of complaints against the stone wall; They feared that halting the attack on Mary’s Heights would allow Confederate troops to crush the Union Army before it could cross the river back to safety on Pontoon Bridge. A portion of one Union brigade is reported to have reached within 25 yards of the stone wall, but not a single soldier was able to break the Confederate line at Marye’s Heights. In the evening, Union soldiers, dead and wounded, filled the field. Even the living soldiers lay on the ground, trapped in every depression in the ground, or behind every cover they could find.

Position of Humphreys, Whipple, Griffin and Sykes Divisions at the Battle of Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862. RG 77, Civil Works Map File, G119. This map shows the positions of some of the Union forces that advanced against Marie’s Heights during the Battle of Fredericksburg.

Position of Humphreys Division, Battle of Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862 and December 14, 15,

Map| Approaches Of A. Of P. To Fredericksburg| Civil War|fredericksburg Reg

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