First Day At Chancellorsville Battlefield - Civil War Discovery Trail Sites on Waymarking.com

In the spring of 1863, 80,000 Union troops under Gen. Joseph Hooker of the Army of the Potomac advanced towards Fredericksburg from Wilderness in Spotsylvania County, VA with plans to attack the left flank and rear guard of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. Lee's scouts alerted him to the movement and he and Gen. Stonewall Jackson left a few men at Fredericksburg and took 42,000 troops to confront Hooker. They met on these fields off Orange Turnpike (modern-day Rt. 3) in Chancellorsville on May 1. Battle raged for several hours and ultimately, the Confederate troops succeeded in causing Hooker to withdraw and retreat.

Gen. Lee went on to gain decisive victories in Chancellorsville and Fredericksburg and continued his advance into the North, before it finally ended at Gettysburg.

The First Day of Chancellorsville is a self-guided walking tour interspersed with historical plaques along the route. Walk the same fields where battle raged over 100 years ago and learn of the maneuvers and strategy and imagine the personal stories and the effect of the war on the local families.

The site is located on Rt. 3, approximately 5 miles west of Fredericksburg. The posted coordinates will bring you to a small visitors area with parking. There is no admission and the trail is open sunrise to sunset. There is a series of interlocking shorter trails or a loop that covers the entire area which is about 2 miles. (For coordinates to locations along the trail, right-click and save this GPX file.)

References:

• On site information

Type of site: Battlefield Address: Rt. 3 Chancellorsville, VA USA Admission Charged: No Charge Website: [Web Link] Driving Directions: From I-95, take exit 130-B Route 3 West. Continue on Route 3 (Plank Road) approximately 5 miles. Immediately after passing Chancellor Elementary School and Corter Road, the battlefield will be on your right. The parking area is approximately 0.5 mile ahead. Phone Number: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   06/09/2014 Moorephun visited it 10/23/2011 Team 57 visited it

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