Fredericksburg Battlefield - Fredericksburg, VA
Posted by: 
DougK
N 38° 17.623 W 077° 28.040
18S E 284225 N 4241284
Approximately 20,000 soldiers died in the region during the Civil War near Fredericksburg Battlefield.
Waymark Code: WMB85Q
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 04/17/2011
Views: 19
The
Fredericksburg Battlefield website is a great starting point for information about the area. A short story of the battlefield is told on a local sign:
"Approximately 20,000 soldiers died in the region during the Civil War, their remains scattered throughout the countryside in shallow, often unmarked, graves. In 1865, congress established Fredericksburg National Cemetery as a final resting place for Union soldiers who died on area battlefields. Confederate soldiers were buried in cemeteries located at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania Court House.
Work on Fredericksburg Cemetery commenced in 1866 and was completed in 1869. Veterans erected two major monuments here in the late 19th century, and the remains of 300 veterans of later wars were interred before 1945, when the cemetery closed to new burials. Of the 15,300 men buried here, the identities of fewer than 3,000 are known."
A replica of a stone wall, behind which the Confederate soldiers hid while fighting the Union soldier, traverses the whole park area. The park features a self-guided walking tour and also has NPS ranger led tours. There are many signs of history, a national cemetery and a large memorial art sculpture.
Seasonal Visitor Center hours can be found online.