Plantations on Guinea Station Road - Civil War Discovery Trail Sites on Waymarking.com

In the spring of 1864, Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant was appointed general-in-chief of the Union army and he launched an offensive against the Confederate army in Virginia. While Federal forces came from the east and south, Grant led the Army of the Potomac on the Overland Campaign from the north driving Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia to Petersburg.

After two days of fighting in the Wilderness, both armies moved south to Spotsylvania Court House on May 7. That battle raged for two weeks. Losses were heavy on both sides, but there was no decisive victory. The Confederate army continually thwarted the Federals with their fortified earthworks.

On May 21, Grant decided to move south hoping to draw Lee and his troops out of their trenches. The Federal troops moved towards Guinea Station along the same road the ambulance transporting a wounded Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson to Fairfield had taken a year earlier.

Some of the homes that both Jackson and Grant passed still exist along the road. Stirling was built in 1858 by John Holladay and is owned by his great-great-grandson. La Vista was built in 1838 and is currently a Bed & Breakfast. Westwood was built in 1818. Samuel Alsop gave it to his grandson, William Samuel Chandler. Westwood served as Confederate HQ in 1862 for Gen. George Pickett. Nyland was built c. 1843 and was originally part of a larger Chandler farm. The Parrish family bought it in 1973 and restored it. Spring Grove was built c. 1860 by Dr. Joseph Chandler. It was sold to C. E. Beazley in 1886. The property still remains in the family, now spelled Beasley.

All of these historic homes are privately owned and sit along Guinea Station Rd. which has been designated a scenic byway. Stirling stands across the road from a pull-off with a CWDT marker. While it is not possible to visit the old plantations, most of them can be seen from the road.

References:

• Civil War Animated: The Overland Campaign
• The Free-Lance Star (4/28/2002): Path offers well-preserved portrait of the past
• On-site information

See also:

• HMdb.org: Plantations on Guinea Station Road

Type of site: Other Address: Guinea Station Rd. Fredericksburg, VA USA 22407 Admission Charged: No Charge Website: [Web Link] Phone Number: Not listed Driving Directions: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   05/08/2023 bobfrapples8 visited it