Two days before we were to leave on our highly anticipated Spring Break trip to Virginia, we received a phone call from Noah's school informing us that Noah had thrown up on the bus before his class had even left the parking lot for their field trip. He was running a high fever and not doing well. Things weren't looking good for our vacation. By Tuesday evening, however, Noah had perked up so we decided to just go ahead with our plans.
Wednesday morning we headed out bright and early for Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Our first stop - Chatham Manor.
Chatham Manor served as a field hospital and a Union headquarters during the Civil War. Today the house is the headquarters of the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park and has several rooms of exhibits as well as beautiful gardens and grounds. We loved spending the morning there, especially Savannah who at the end of the trip said it was her favorite spot.
Many of the flowers and tree blossoms were starting to bloom and, despite the gloominess of the morning, we all enjoyed wandering through the grounds, taking pictures of the lovely flowers and statues.
All of us enjoyed it...except for Noah. He was having a bit of a cranky morning and kept trying to run back to the car.
We eventually made our way inside to check out all the cool information and exhibits and learn more about the home's long history.
The kids got a kick out of this chair. Although it looks like a normal sitting chair, cut out of the bottom is a hole that obviously indicates it was used for bathroom purposes. The sign next to it made assumptions that this chair might have been used by some very famous visitors to Chatham which include George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Robert E. Lee.
By the time we made it inside, Noah was in much better spirits, especially once he saw the little gift shop.
Then it was back outside to check out what was historically the front of the home.
In the spring of 1862, "the arrival of Union troops forced [the Lacy family who owned Chatham at that time] to abandon the home and move across the river. For much of the next 13 months, Chatham would be occupied by the Union army...In April 1862, General Irvin McDowell brought 30,000 men to Fredericksburg. From his Chatham headquarters, the general supervised the repair of the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad and the construction of several bridges across the Rappahannock River. Once that work was complete, McDowell planned to march south and join forces with the Army of the Potomac outside of Richmond. President Abraham Lincoln journeyed to Fredericksburg to confer with McDowell about the movement, meeting with the general and his staff at Chatham. His visit gives Chatham the distinction of being just one of three houses visited by both Lincoln and Washington." During the Fredericksburg campaign the ridge was lined with artillery.
A model pontoon bridge section. These were erected by Union engineers during the Battle of Fredericksburg and used by Union soldiers to cross the Rappahannock River below Chatham. The Union soldiers then "seized Fredericksburg, and launched a series of bloody assaults against Lee's confederates, who held the high ground behind the town. One of Burnside's top generals observed the battle from Chatham, while Union artillery batteries shelled the Confederates from adjacent bluffs."
The panoramic view of Fredericksburg from the front terrace is basically the same as at the time of the great Civil War battle.
My poor No continued to struggle with his stomach throughout the day and often needed to sit and rest.
My beautiful girl enjoying the beauty of Chatham.
David ended up taking Noah to the car while Xander, Savannah, and I did a bit more wandering.
"Fredericksburg was a disastrous Union defeat. Burnside suffered 12,600 casualties in the battle, many of whom were brought back to Chatham for care. For several days army surgeons operated tirelessly on hundreds of soldiers inside the house. Assisting them were volunteers, including poet Walt Whitman and Clara Barton. Whitman came to Chatham looking for a wounded brother who was wounded in the fighting and he was shocked by the carnage. In all, more than 130 Union soldiers died at Chatham and were buried in the grounds. After the war, their bodies were removed to the Fredericksburg National Cemetery...Recent research also associates Dr. Mary Walker with being at Chatham. Walker was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the only woman from the Civil War to be so recognized. By the time the Civil War ended in 1865, Chatham was desolate. Blood stains spotted the floors; graffiti marred its bare plaster walls. Outside the destruction was just as severe. The surrounding forests had been cut down for fuel; and the lawn had become a graveyard. The property languished under a succession of owners until the 1920's when the Devores undertook its restoration. As a result of their efforts, Chatham has regained its place among Virginia's finest homes." I know that our family is so grateful for the work that has been done to restore this amazing home. We absolutely loved our time there.
After our morning at Chatham we headed into Fredericksburg to our next stop - the Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitor Center.
After the Visitor Center, we had a quick picnic lunch in the car and then started off on the Sunken Road/National Cemetery Loop Trail.
"Early in the battle, General Thomas R.R. Cobb was mortally wounded within sight of the house where his mother was born. As the primary writer of the Confederate Constitution, Cobb was the best known soldier killed in the Battle of Fredericksburg. The family erected a small monument in 1888 on or very near the spot where Cobb was mortally wounded."
The Innis House was built about 1861 on property owned by a woman named Martha Stephens and one of her common law husbands (she had several of them) lived in it at the time of the battle. "Martha's social status rose considerably in the aftermath of the Battle of Fredericksburg because of her help to Confederate soldiers."
The Innis House was sold to the National Park Service in the 1970's and they started restoration work to return the house to its 1862 appearance. When work crews removed modern layers of wood and wall paper, hundreds of bullet holes were revealed.
In this part of the Sunken Road where we took our picture, the stone wall is original to 1862. A stone wall three blocks long had been built in the early 19th century and it was behind this wall during the first Battle of Fredericksburg on December 13, 1862, that Confederate soldiers found protection. "Behind the wall, only around 300 Confederate soldiers were shot; by contrast, in front of the wall, approximately 8,000 Union soldiers were hit." Online I found a picture from the 19th century that shows almost this exact same view of the Innis House, Stone Wall, and Sunken Road.
"On December 14, the day after the major assaults, thousands of injured and suffering Union soldiers in front of the stone wall cried for help. Richard Rowland Kirkland, a 19 year old sergeant from South Carolina, voluntarily risked his life to take water and provide assistance to the suffering Union soldiers. He later became famous as the Angel of Marye's Heights."
Taking a little breather before ascending Marye's Heights.
At the southern end of the heights is the Fredericksburg National Cemetery, the final resting place for 15,300 United States soldiers, most of the them from the Civil War.
Back at the gift shop...
We all loaded back into the car and headed out for the driving tour, checking out Lee's Hill, where General Robert E. Lee and other members of the Confederate high command watched the Battle of Fredericksburg; Howison Hill, which "was crowned with Confederate artillery that blasted the Union attackers in front of Marye's Heights";
the cannon on the left is a large 30 pounder Parrott, a type of gun not usually found on a battlefield but the Confederate army had two of them at this battle;
Bernard's Cabins, which was the site of a small slave community; the Union Breakthrough, the spot where General George Meade's division was able to crash through an opening when Stonewall Jackson left a 600-yard gap in the Confederate line;
and Prospect Hill, where we made some new friends.
"Although Meade's division temporarily broke through at the previous tour stop, Confederate artillery from Prospect Hill helped stop the attackers. Union artillery lashed back killing so many Confederate battery horses that the place was later called 'Dead Horse Hill'." This monument was placed to indicate Stonewall Jackson's position on the field.
We decided to take a short hike along the trail that leads to Hamilton's Crossing on the railroad. During the Battle of Fredericksburg, the Confederate supply base was located here.
I walked with Noah who was moving a bit slower as he struggled with his stomach issues and needed lots of resting stops. He was still willing to give me lots of smiles and photo ops.
A little bit of excitement when an actual train came speeding by!
This large pyramid-like structure was built in 1898 by the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad to commemorate the battle.
We were able to spot the earthworks dug by Confederate soldiers, mostly after the battle was over.
What a great experience we had in Fredericksburg! We thoroughly enjoyed our driving tour and learned so many new things about this battle and the leaders and soldiers who fought in it.
Next stop - the "Stonewall" Jackson Shrine.
Stonewall Jackson was mistakenly shot by his own men on the night of May 2, 1863, at the Battle of Chancellorsville. Robert E. Lee decided that Jackson should rest and recuperate at a safe place well behind friendly lines. Although the original plan was to evacuate him to Richmond by railroad, Union cavalry had cut the rail line and Jackson and his party had to wait near Guinea Station until the line was restored. The office building where Jackson spent the final six days of his life was one of several outbuildings on the 740 acre plantation owned by Thomas C. Chandler. The Chandler family offered the house to Jackson and other Confederate wounded but Jackson's attendants decided this private office building was the best place for the general to rest. "Three days after the wounding, Jackson began exhibiting symptoms of pneumonia and he passed away on Sunday, May 10, 1863." In the picture one can see the original bed frame, one of the blankets used, and the clock on the mantel that was added to the room to make it look more homelike and cheerful. We had a wonderful ranger who was full of information about Stonewall Jackson and both David and I decided we needed to do some more reading about this man.
Next stop - Monument Avenue in Richmond.
The homes along this street were stunning!
Final stop of the day - Hollywood Cemetery
When I told David and the kids that we would be visiting a cemetery, they all looked at me like I was a little crazy but all the websites about Richmond tourist attractions said this was a must see. We all loved it! The rolling hills, tombs, grave sites, and gothic statues were captivating!
There are many notable people buried here, including President James Monroe.
There were absolutely gorgeous views of the James River.
The other US President buried here, John Tyler.
I LOVED all the angel statues.
Hollywood Cemetery is also the resting place of the only Confederate States President, Jefferson Davis.
It is also the resting place of 28 Confederate generals, more than any other cemetery in the country; these include George Pickett and J.E.B. Stuart. I'm so glad we got to spend some time wandering this beautiful spot in Richmond.
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