Battle of Salem Church, Spotsylvania, VA
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garmin_geek
N 38° 17.332 W 077° 31.857
18S E 278646 N 4240896
Battle of Salem Church, May 3 + 4, 1863, fought by Lee and Hooker, concluded the Chancellorsille campaign.
Waymark Code: WM641G
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 03/29/2009
Views: 16
The Battle of Salem Church, also known as the Battle of Banks' Ford, took place on May 3 and May 4, 1863, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, as part of the Chancellorsville Campaign of the American Civil War.
After occupying Marye's Heights on May 3 following the Second Battle of Fredericksburg, Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick's VI Corps of about 25,000 men marched out on the Plank Road with the objective of reaching his superior Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker's force at Chancellorsville. He was delayed by Brig. Gen. Cadmus M. Wilcox's brigade of Maj. Gen. Jubal A. Early's force at Salem Church. During the afternoon and night, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee detached two of his divisions from the Chancellorsville lines and marched them to Salem Church. Several Union assaults were repulsed the next morning with heavy casualties, and the Confederates counterattacked, gaining some ground. After dark, Sedgwick withdrew across two pontoon bridges at Scott’s Dam under a harassing artillery fire. Hearing that Sedgwick had been repulsed, Hooker abandoned the entire campaign, recrossing on the night of May 5 into May 6 to the north bank of the Rappahannock River back towards the Federal camp at Falmouth. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Salem_Church)
Name of Battle:
The Battle of Salem Church, also known as the Battle of Banks' Ford.
Name of War: American Civil War
Parking: N 38° 17.287 W 077° 31.860
Date(s) of Battle (Beginning): 05/03/1863
Date of Battle (End): 05/04/1863
Entrance Fee: Not Listed
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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.