Chancellor Cemetery - Spotsylvania VA
N 38° 18.426 W 077° 38.486
18S E 269040 N 4243190
An 19th century family cemetery stands on a Civil War battlefield in Virginia.
Waymark Code: WMB6AC
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 04/10/2011
Views: 5
A small cemetery dating from the early 19th century belonged to the Chancellor family of Spotsylvania, Virginia. It sat next to Fairview, one of the Chancellor homes. Other members of the family buried here lived at Chancellorsville, Hazel Grove, Forest Hall, and Dowdall's Tavern. The earliest known grave was 1812. Today there are 25 headstones, all buried after the Civil War.
During the Civil War, on May 3, 1863, this area became a central point in the battle that raged at Chancellorsville. The Union army who had set up headquarters and artillery at Fairview were pummeled by Confederate troops and forced to withdraw. Confederate troops gathered up the wounded Union soldiers and brought them to Fairview. Many died and some may have been buried in the cemetery at one time.
The Fairview house survived the battle, but burned down weeks later. The white picket fence that surrounded the cemetery was replaced by a brick wall.
The Chancellor Cemetery sits on the Chancellorsville Battlefield
at the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park which is open dawn to dusk. A historical marker located between Fairview and the cemetery is at:
- N 38° 18.452' W 77° 38.528'