Spotsylvania Court House Battlefield - Battlefields on Waymarking.com

On May 7, 1864, after two days of intense and bloody fighting at Wilderness, VA, Gen. Ulysses Grant and his Union troops and Gen. Robert Lee and his Confederates decided to move south towards Richmond. They marched during the night unbeknowst to each other and the first troops met at a farm at Laurel Hill near the town of Spotsylvania Court House where fighting erupted and the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House was on.

More troops continued to arrive and the battle and conflicts raged for two weeks. Losses were heavy on both sides. Even though Gen. Grant captured a Confederate division at Bloody Angle dealing Gen. Lee a huge blow, Grant failed to obtain a decisive victory over the Confederate army as he had hoped, to bring the Civil War to an end.

On May 21, both armies left Spotsylvania Court House and continued south. They would meet again at the North Anna River.

The Spotsylvania Court House Battlefield is part of the Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park. Admission is free to the battlefield and exhibits and it is open daily from dawn to dusk. The nearest visitor centers are at the Fredericksburg Battlefield or the Chancellorsville Battlefield, but there is an exhibit shelter with signs, information, and pamphlets which is where the posted coordinates will take you. During the summer, there is a park historian to answer any questions.

You can explore the battlefield by car or foot. There are pull-offs at several key stops if driving, and marked trails if walking. Tours will take you to the preserved earthworks of the Confederate army, old homesites and farms, Bloody Angle, and monuments. Along the way, there are informational signs and displays for guidance and orientation. The driving tour is about five miles long and begins at the exhibit shelter. Numbered signs along the road will guide you through 8 stops including Bloody Angle. For a closer look, the Spotsylvania History Trail is a walking tour 5.5 miles long, but is broken up into smaller loops including the Bloody Angle Trail. You can explore the ruins of homesites, walk through the woods and see the intricate pattern of the Confederate trenches, and walk across fields where battle raged.

For more information on directions, hours of operation, maps, and other links, visit the NPS site on the Battle Of Spotsylvania.

References:

• Spotsylvania Court House
• The Battle Of Spotsylvania Court House
• On site information

Name of Battle: Battle of Spotsylvania Court House Name of War: American Civil War Entrance Fee: 0.00 (listed in local currency) Date(s) of Battle (Beginning): 05/08/1864 Date of Battle (End): 05/21/1864 Parking: Not Listed

Visit Instructions:
Post a photo of you in front of a sign or marker posted at the site of the battle (or some other way to indicate you have personally visited the site.

In addition it is encouraged to take a few photos of the surrounding area and interesting features at the site.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   08/18/2023 Don.Morfe visited it 09/26/2021 SpeedCity visited it 12/20/2014 Moorephun visited it 12/20/2014 Moorephun visited it 04/05/2014 BurnsideBridge visited it

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