Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial National Military Park ⓘ

When the Civil War ended, the people of Fredericksburg set about the task of restoring shell-damaged buildings and war-torn lives. But the evidence of the war lingered on, in the trench-scarred hillsides and crude cemetery plots scattered haphazardly across the nearby battlefields. Thousands of battle casualties lay under stark mounds of earth, with very little to identify the soldiers, beyond perhaps a name scratched on the lid of an ammunition box. In July 1865, three months after the restoration of peace between the states, Congress authorized the establishment of a National Cemetery in Fredericksburg to honor the Federal soldiers who died on the battlefields or from disease in camp. The site chosen was Marye's Heights, the formidable Confederate position which had proven so impregnable to repeated Federal attacks on December 13, 1862. A soldier who fought with the 14th Indiana in the recent war returned to Fredericksburg as a member of a veteran corps assigned the task of locating and identifying the dead. He made these observations in a letter: "Your correspondent roamed all over the battle field of December 13, 1862. No headboards or monuments mark the spot where the gallant defenders of the old flag fell on that ever-memorable day. The great 'slaughter pen' of General Ambrose E. Burnside is most all under cultivation, enriched with the blood of as brave men as ever answered their country's call." The Fredericksburg National Cemetery is the final resting place for over 15,000 United States soldiers. Most of the soldiers died during the Civil War, but there are about 100 20th century soldiers and a couple of spouses. The cemetery was officially closed to further burials in the 1940s. The Union Civil War soldiers buried here include those who died of illness in the camps around Fredericksburg, in the four major battles around Fredericksburg as well the Mine Run and North Anna campaigns. Only about 20% of the soldiers are identified. Confederates who died in the Fredericksburg area were interred in Confederate cemeteries in Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania. The park maintains a data base of information on the known burials in all three cemeteries. Check the roster below for information on the known burials. Every year on the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend, the park hosts an annual luminaria the Fredericksburg National Cemetery. Learn more about the luminaria .

Download the Cemetery Roster (pdf) - The roster includes information about known individuals buried in the Fredericksburg National Cemetery.

Cemetery Map (png) - All the graves in the Fredericksburg National Cemetery are numbered. If you are looking for a specific individual, first check the roster. With the grave number from the roster, you can use the map to locate the area where they rest in the cemetery.

Enslaved laborers and craftsmen built Chatham Manor in 1771 at the direction and financing of William Fitzhugh. The large Georgian structure’s location atop Stafford Heights and its visibility from Fredericksburg put the Fitzhughs’ wealth and status on display for everyone around. In addition to owning hundreds of thousands of acres and at least one hundred enslaved people, the Fitzhughs were related to and good friends with other well-known Virginians like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and George Mason. The non-stop social requirement of hosting friends and relations drained Fitzhugh's purse. As a result, Fitzhugh sold Chatham 35 years after moving in. At the time of the Civil War, Confederate supporters Betty and J. Horace Lacy owned Chatham. The Lacys resided at Chatham in the winter and lived in their other home, Ellwood, in the summer. At the outbreak of war, J. Horace Lacy volunteered to serve in the Confederate Army. Betty, meanwhile, packed up the household and left Chatham empty, which allowed it to be occupied by the US Army and used as a headquarters during the Battle of Fredericksburg. After the battle, Chatham’s stately rooms were transformed into a field hospital. Clara Barton, Mary Walker, and Walt Whitman served in the hospital at Chatham, caring for sick and wounded soldiers. The Lacys returned to Chatham after the war but could not maintain their lavish lifestyle as their wealth had been tied to the enslaved people who had claimed their freedom. Shortly after returning, the Lacy’s sold the house and 1,300 acres. The next eight owners likewise had difficulty keeping up the house and grounds. Chatham’s fortunes changed in 1920, when Helen and Daniel Devore purchased the property. The Devores, in the spirit of Colonial Revivalism, wanted Chatham to represent historic majesty. In the convening years the Devores transformed Chatham from a former slave plantation to a showy, country retreat. The look of Chatham today resembles the house after these restorations in the 1920s. Chatham Manor has stood along the banks of the Rappahannock River opposite the city of Fredericksburg for 250 years. Chatham’s history reflects the history of the American South. People living and working at Chatham experienced the young nation’s experiment in democracy along with the persistent defense of slavery which nearly destroyed that democracy. War damaged Chatham, only for the grounds to be given new life in the 1900s.

Ellwood was a prosperous, antebellum slave plantation. Perched on a knoll overlooking Wilderness Run, Ellwood stood at the center of an extensive 5,000-acre tract of land that encompassed much of what in 1864 would become the Wilderness battlefield. William Jones oversaw the construction of the present building, Ellwood, about 1790. He or his descendants owned Ellwood for the next century. The Jones-Lacy clan was one of the most prominent families in western Spotsylvania County. Ellwood was a home for its owners, but also place of forced labor for the many enslaved people who lived on the property prior to the Civil War. The unrequited toil of enslaved laborers sustained the plantation and made the lives of the owner comfortable and profitable. Enslaved people worked hundreds of acres of cultivated fields, harvesting grains, corn, fruits, and at times tobacco. They also made the yard of the house hum as they toiled in the outbuildings that surrounded the main house—the stables, barns, smokehouse, storehouses, and kitchen. Enslaved people had something to do with virtually every aspect of the function and appearance of a plantation. They created niceties that defined plantation hospitality: the pressed linens and tablecloths, the elegant dinners, the tidy gardens and walkways. Five years after losing his first wife in 1823, 78-year-old William Jones married his former spouse's 16-year-old grandniece, Lucinda Gordon. After William died in 1845 and Lucinda remarried, their child, Betty Churchill Jones, inherited Ellwood with her husband J. Horace Lacy. Betty and Horace Lacy owned Ellwood through the Civil War. They sold the property in 1907.

In 1857, the Lacys purchased Chatham , in southern Stafford, and the family used Ellwood as a summer home, preferring the more palatial Chatham (now park headquarters) as their primary residence. J. Horace Lacy was an ardent defender of slavery and secession. After the outbreak of the Civil War, Lacy evacuated his family from the region, while he took a position in the Confederate army. While the Lacys fled at the approach of the Union army, the region’s enslaved population, including those at Ellwood, fled toward the Union army. By 1863, slavery had functionally ended at Ellwood. Military events touched Ellwood first in 1863. The house served for months as a Confederate hospital after the Battle of Chancellorsville. During the battle, "Stonewall" Jackson’s chaplain—J. Horace Lacy’s brother, Beverley—retrieved the general’s amputated arm and buried it in the Jones-Lacy family cemetery at Ellwood. In the fall of 1863, Union troops occupied and looted Ellwood. Ellwood became famous as the “Lacy House” in 1864, for its role in the Battle of the Wilderness. The grounds teemed with Union artillery and soldiers as they prepared for, or recovered from, intense fighting a mile to the west. General Ulysses S. Grant, recently appointed commander of all Union armies, made his headquarters just a few hundred yards north of Ellwood. Union Generals Gouverneur K. Warren and Ambrose E. Burnside, two of the army's four corps commanders, moved into Ellwood itself. Orderlies and staff officers swarmed around the buildings, carrying orders to front-line troops. By battle's end, the Ellwood landscape was drastically altered and the house's civilian caretakers had been arrested and sent to Washington.

The war marked a decisive transition for Ellwood. With Ellwood’s enslaved population free and Lacy’s personal wealth diminished, there was little to distinguish Ellwood from dozens of middling farms throughout Virginia. In 1872, the Lacys moved once again into Ellwood full time. In 1873, the press proclaimed Lacy the “White Man’s Candidate” when he ran for the state legislature. He won and served one term in Richmond. For the rest of his life he was an ardent proponent of the Confederacy and its Lost Cause, often making speeches defending Confederates. In 1977, Ellwood came into public ownership as part of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.

Since 1828, a small, unassuming building currently known as the Jackson Death Site has stood ten miles south of the city of Fredericksburg, Virginia. The building was once part of Fairfield, a small farm complex owned by John Thornton (later the Chandler family) and worked by enslaved labor. Other buildings that once stood within the vicinity of the Jackson Death Site included the farm home, outhouses, a smokehouse, and barns. Built not as a residence but as the farm's office, this building had no fixed purpose like most of the structures around it. Instead, the farm office was used for whatever the inhabitants needed at the time: that could mean simple storage or indoor workspace or file keeping. The Chandler family also used the building as a temporary living space for themselves and guests. As a slave labor farm, the building may have served as office space for slave overseers. In 1845, Thomas Chandler bought Fairfield at auction with the help of his father-in-law. Under Chandler's ownership, Fairfield reached its zenith with more than 700 acres, 30 enslaved laborers, and a large brick home that replaced the humbler wooden structure John Thornton built earlier. The Civil War proved a mixed blessing for the people working Fairfield's lands. For the white inhabitants the war brought years of instability as the region became a pivot point for the conflict in central Virginia; for the enslaved population the war brought freedom for the first time in their lives. Fairfield's close proximity to Guinea Station, a stop along the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad, ensured a steady flow of activity in the surrounding area throughout the war. Consequently, the wide variety of people who passed though this area sometimes refer to it under different names including Fairfield, the Chandler Plantation, and Guinea Station. Most famously, the Civil War brought Confederate General Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson to Fairfield. In the lead-up to the Battle of Fredericksburg, Jackson's command camped in the area for a short time. But it was six months later, during the Battle of Chancellorsville, that Jackson would make the small office famous. After his wounding in a friendly fire incident and the amputation of his left arm, Jackson was brought to the Fairfield to await rail transport to Richmond. He would never get on the train alive; Jackson died in the farm office eight days after his wounding on May 10, 1863.

Salem Church was an important, yet often overlooked, part of The Battle of Chancellorsville . The church was used as a hospital by both sides, and it served as a civilian refugee center during the Battle of Fredericksburg. Today, this part of the battlefield has been almost entirely destroyed by urban development. The church, the 15th New Jersey Monument, the 23rd New Jersey Monument, and one acre of ground are all that remain. A new driving tour of 2nd Fredericksburg & Salem Church has been developed. The church is open summer weekend afternoons.

Hours vary; call (540)693-3200 to confirm when Salem Church is open. The following text is from a park brochure on the church.

On May 3, 1863, Union and Confederate troops fought a bitter day-long battle on a slight ridge a few miles west of Fredericksburg. At the vortex of this action, called by one historian "one of the most brilliant and important of the minor affairs of the war," was a small brick building known as Salem Church. Like many other churches in Civil War America, Salem Church, which was dedicated to the ideals of peace and love, became famous instead for the death and misery that war brought to its portals. Follow the path to stop 2.

Salem Church was built by local Baptists in 1844 to serve a growing population west of Fredericksburg. The first pastor was John Billingsley, who had previously been the pastor of Salem's mother church, Massaponax Church, which still stands south of town.

Salem Church reflects the people who built it. Strong and functional, it served well the needs of its early congregation, without unnecessary ornamentation. Throughout the years it has withstood natural forces like lightning, and the man-made hurricane of war. Follow the trail to stop 3.

With the coming of war in 1861, many of the men in the congregation donned gray uniforms. Church attendance dwindled. In the summer of 1862, Federal troops occupied Fredericksburg without incident. Although these troops left Fredericksburg after a few months, their departure was not permanent. When Union General Ambrose Burnside brought his army down to the banks of the Rappahannock in late November, his way was blocked by General Robert E. Lee's Southern Army. When a battle in Fredericksburg loomed imminent, the citizens were advised to leave for safer places. The exodus from town in the biting cold was a pitiful sight. One Confederate officer described the scene:

All day long on December 11 these freezing, hungry people listened to the bombardment and watched the plumes of black smoke that billowed up from their beloved town. The worst fears of the refugees were realized when they returned to Fredericksburg after the battle. The town was in ruins from the bombardment and the subsequent looting by Federal troops. Salem Church now became a make shift storehouse for the furniture of some of the region's homeless families. Follow trail to stop 4.

Tour Stop 4: The Battle of Salem Church In April of 1863, Union General Joseph Hooker planned to cross the Rappahannock upriver from Fredericksburg and get behind Lee, while another Union force under General John Sedgwick remained in front of the town. Lee would either be crushed between the two forces, Hooker hoped, or he would be forced to retreat southward. On May 3rd, while a big battle was raging around the Chancellorsville Inn ten miles west of town, Sedgwick drove across the Rappahannock, captured the Sunken Road and Marye's Heights, and advanced westward to join Hooker, moving on what is now Route 3. On a low ridge line running at right angles to the road, crowned by Salem Church, a small force of Confederates determined to make a stand. It was an excellent position that commanded the approaches from the east; directly in front of them was a tangle of bushes and undergrowth.

Sharpshooters were posted in the upper gallery of the church on the north side. When the Federals began their assaults, they were met by volleys of fire. The underbrush made the going difficult, but suddenly the Federals were on the crest of the ridge, only a few yards from the church, and advancing determinedly. At this moment Confederates posted in the road cut just behind you sprang up and counterattacked fiercely, driving the enemy back down the slope and onto the plain below. One Federal soldier remembered the opening of the battle this way:

Federal soldiers aimed at the upper windows where the sharpshooters were; the pockmarks from their bullets are still visible. Other bullets ripped through the galleries. Inside, Confederate soldiers climbed over the tumble of furniture, which by this time must have been no better than fancy kindling. The next day Sedgwick was driven back across the river and the campaign was over. Continue on trail to stop 5.

Tour Stop 5: Field Hospital Immediately after the battle, Salem Church became a field hospital. An eyewitness reported the horrors within the building:

Until the day many years after the war when a new floor was laid, the bloodstained timbers of the original flooring bore evidence of the desperate spring of 1863.

Just after the war, when General Sherman's army marched through the area en route to Washington, D.C., the general rode out to Salem Church and noted that bodies were still visible from the battle. His report to authorities in Washington led ultimately to the establishment of the Fredericksburg National Cemetery.

The church itself, empty and ravaged, was slowly restored after the war, and was used for services until New Salem Church was built in the 1950's. In 1961, the Salem congregation voted to give the old church as a gift to the American people.

The grounds of Salem Church are open daily from sunrise to sunset. The church is open on summer weekends, usually in the afternoon. It is manned by volunteers from the New Salem Church congregation. Call the park's main phone line at (540)693-3200 to confirm Salem Church's hours.

Salem Church is located amongst a virtual sea of shopping malls. Traffic is usually extremely heavy in this area especially during rush hours and mid-day on weekends. To reach the church follow the directions closely. From Interstate I-95, take the Route 3 west exit. Drive west approximately one mile. Turn left (south) onto Salem Church Road (Route 639). Proceed one block to a traffic light. Turn left on General Semmes Road. Drive one block to a "t" intersection. Turn left and drive approximately 100 yards. Turn left into the parking lot, just before the road takes a sharp right. Address for parking area at Old Salem Church: 12026 Old Salem Church Road, Fredericksburg, VA 22407

Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park was created not only to preserve the resources and memory of four Civil War Battles, but also has an important natural resource element. Of the park's currently owned 7,600 acres, there are 23 miles of trails, 1,100 acres of open fields and 6,500 acres of forest.

The park supports an eastern North American riparian and woodland habitat on a substrate of the Appalachian Piedmont and the Atlantic Coastal Plain. The park provides rich forest and wetlands, developed parkland, farmsteads, and historic landscapes and it lies in the Rappahannock and York River basins of central Virginia.

The park is divided by the fall line, a geological demarcation between the Piedmont physiographic province, and the Coastal Plain. The line divides the park roughly from Chatham Manor through Fredericksburg Battlefield, with Lee Drive being the line of demarcation. The interspersion of vegetative types provides habitats for a wide variety of wildlife in the park and numerous streams and swamps on gently rolling wooded plateaus are found throughout the park.

Our park features many excellent walking and hiking trails, boasting both historical significance and natural beauty. As you explore the park, the following hiking trail guides, maps, and brochures for sites will help you plan your journey and find your way around. Most of these sites and trails correspond with driving tour locations shown here in the overall park map .

Fredericksburg Battlefield Chatham Grounds Map (pdf) : This historic slave plantation has reflected the history of the American South for over 250 years. Learn more about Chatham Manor. Sunken Road Walking Trail Map (pdf) : 0.8 mi (1.3 km) loop. Start: Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitor Center, Tour Stop 1. Follow the historic Sunken Road and climb to Marye's Heights leading to the Fredericksburg National Cemetery. North Lee Drive Trail Map (pdf) : 2.8 mi (4.5 km) one way. This trail follows the course of North Lee Drive. There is no informational signage along the trail. Lee Hill Trail (no map): 0.5 mi (.8 km) round trip. Start: Lee's Hill, Tour Stop 3. Climb a winding trail to the top of Lee's Hill, Robert E. Lee's command post during the battle. South Lee Drive Trail Map (pdf) : The following trails are accessible from South Lee Drive: South Lee Drive Trail: 2.4 mi (3.9 km) one way. This trail follows the course of South Lee Drive. There is no informational signage along the trail. Bernard's Cabins Trail: 1.8 mi (2.9 km) round trip. Start: Pullout along north side of South Lee Drive, between Tour Stops 4 & 5. Follow this trail to the location of cabins where enslaved people lived and an artillery position during the Battle of Fredericksburg. Hamilton's Crossing Walking Trail: 0.64 mi (1 km) round trip. Start: Prospect Hill, Tour Stop 6. A short trail that leads to the site of Hamilton's Crossing, an important rail depot. Downtown Fredericksburg: The Battle of Fredericksburg took place over a much wider area than what the park currently manages, including the town itself. The following walking tours cover the streets of Fredericksburg: Part 1: Fire in the Streets and Part 2: Assault on Marye's Heights : Follow the route of United States soldiers as they crossed the Rappahanock and fought in the streets on December 11 and assaulted the Confederate position at Marye's Heights. Kenmore Walking Guide : This walking guide follows the events during the Battle of Fredericksburg that took place near Kenmore Plantation.

Chancellorsville Battlefield Jackson Wounding Trail (no map): 0.2 mi (.3 km) loop. Start: Chancellorsville Battlefield Visitor Center. Take this short, rubber-pact trail around the visitor center to follow Jackson's wounding. Chancellorsville History Trail Map (pdf) : 4.3 mi ( 6.9 km) loop. Start: Chancellorsville Battlefield Visitor Center parking lot. Follow in the footsteps of Confederate soldiers hammering against the Union defense on the morning of May 3, Chancellorsville crossroads and house site, the Bullock House Site, and the apex of Hooker's last line. Hazel Grove-Fairview Trail Guide (pdf) : 1.7 mi (2.7 km) round trip. Start at either Hazel Grove, Tour Stop 9, or Fairview, Tour Stop 10. Walk the trail that links two artillery positions, where, on the morning of May 3, five hours of intense fighting left a man killed, wounded, or captured, every second. McLaws Line Trail (pdf) : 1.1 mi (1.7 km) loop. Start: McLaw's Line, Tour Stop 4. Follow the story of the men whose diversionary tactics kept Union attention away from "Stonewall" Jackson's flank march on May 2, 1863.

Wilderness Battlefield Wilderness Crossing Trail (pdf) : 1.5 mi (2.4 km) round trip. Start: Ellwood's driveway. Explore the plantation grounds and dusty crossroads that defined this break in the Wilderness. When Ellwood is closed, park at the Ellwood gate, walk .5 mi (.8 km) to the trailhead. Gordon Flank Attack Trail (pdf) : 2.1 mi (3.4 km) loop. Start: Wilderness Battlefield Exhibit Shelter, Tour Stop 2. Follow the historical earthworks remaining from a crushing Confederate flank attack late on May 6, 1864. Vermont Monument Trail (pdf) : 0.4 mi (.7 km) loop. Start: Brock Road-Plank Road Intersection, Tour Stop 8. Walk the same ground as the renowned Vermont Brigade and see the memorial to this unit which bore the brunt of the fighting in this area. Widow Tapp Farm Trail (pdf) : 1 mi (1.6 km) round trip. Start: Tapp Field, Tour Stop 6. As the battle hung in the balance on the edge of this field, Confederate reinforcements arrived here just in time to save the Army of Northern Virginia. Federal Line Trail (pdf) : 7.2 mi (11.6 km) round trip. Start: Picnic area south of Saunders Field, Tour Stop 3. Walk the length of the Union line, featuring remarkable earthworks and artillery positions.

Spotsylvania Court House Battlefield Bloody Angle Trail (pdf) : 1.1 mi (1.8 km). Start: Bloody Angle, Tour Stop 3. Walk the ground where, on May 12, 1864, Union soldiers launched a massive assault against a bulge in Confederate works called the Mule Shoe Salient. The 22 hours of hand-to-hand combat that followed lent this place its name, the Bloody Angle. Spotsylvania History Trail (pdf) : 5.7 mi (9.2 km) loop. Start at any parking area intersecting with the trail. This trail weaves throughout most of the Spotsylvania Battlefield, passing much of the 14 miles of earthworks on the battlefield and covering the majority of tour stops.