View source for Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park

{{Short description|American Civil War battlefields in Virginia}}
{{Infobox protected area
| name = Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park
| iucn_category = 
| photo = Sunken Road Restored 2004 Section in Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.jpg
| photo_alt =
| photo_caption = The stone wall along Sunken Road, in Fredericksburg
| map = Virginia#USA
| relief = 1
| map_caption =
| location = [[Spotsylvania County, Virginia|Spotsylvania County]] and [[Fredericksburg, Virginia|Fredericksburg]] counties, U.S.
| nearest_city = [[Fredericksburg, Virginia]], U.S.
| coordinates = {{coords|38|17|35|N|77|28|09|W|region:US|display=inline, title}}
| area_acre = 8405
| area_ref = <ref name="area">{{NPS area |year=2020 |accessdate=2021-08-15}}</ref>
| established = February 14, 1927<ref>{{cite web |title=Park Anniversaries |url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/npscelebrates/park-anniversaries.htm |access-date=13 August 2021}}</ref>
| visitation_num = 534,636
| visitation_year = 2005
| governing_body = [[National Park Service]]
| website = [https://www.nps.gov/frsp/ Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park]
| embedded1 =
 {{Infobox NRHP
 | embed=yes
 | name = Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial National Military Park
 | nrhp_type = NMP
 | designated_other1 = Virginia Landmarks Register
 | designated_other1_date = January 16, 1973<ref name=register>{{cite web|title=Virginia Landmarks Register|url=http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/register_counties_cities.htm|publisher=Virginia Department of Historic Resources|access-date=19 March 2013}}</ref>
 | designated_other1_number = 111-0147
 | designated_other1_num_position = bottom
 | added = October 15, 1966
 | area = {{convert|4601.1|acre|sigfig=4}}
 | refnum = 66000046<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2009a}}</ref>
 }}
}}

'''Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park''' is a unit of the [[National Park Service]] in [[Fredericksburg, Virginia]], and elsewhere in [[Spotsylvania County, Virginia|Spotsylvania County]], commemorating four major battles in the [[American Civil War]]: [[Battle of Fredericksburg|Fredericksburg]], [[Battle of Chancellorsville|Chancellorsville]], [[Battle of the Wilderness|The Wilderness]], and [[Battle of Spotsylvania Court House|Spotsylvania]].

==Battles==

*'''Fredericksburg'''  –  December 11–15, 1862

Failed attempt by General Ambrose Burnside to cross the Rappahannock and take the Confederate capital Richmond. Delayed arrival of the pontoons had given Robert E. Lee time to fortify the high ground, and the result was a one-sided massacre. ''Visitor center staffed by Park Service rangers.''

*'''Chancellorsville'''  –  May 1–3, 1863

A bold gamble by Robert E. Lee, dividing his forces and sending Stonewall Jackson on a flanking attack, which took the enemy totally by surprise, causing the Union commander General Joseph Hooker to lose his nerve and call retreat. ''Visitor center staffed by Park Service rangers.''

*'''The Wilderness'''  –  May 5–7, 1864

Robert E. Lee's first battle against Grant, whose advantage in artillery could not be used in the dense forest. Casualties were high on both sides, and the battle is classed as a draw. Grant withdrew, but only in order to force another battle in more open country. ''Exhibit shelters, staffed on a seasonal basis.''

*'''Spotsylvania'''  –  May 8–21, 1864

Key crossroads which Grant hoped to occupy, to keep his army between Lee and the Confederate capital Richmond. Lee was able to take this position just ahead of Grant. Heavy rain had dampened the gunpowder, leading to intense hand-to-hand fighting. ''Exhibit shelters, staffed on a seasonal basis.''

The park also preserves four historic buildings associated with the battles: [[Chatham Manor]], [[Battle of Salem Church|Salem Church]], [[Ellwood Manor]], and the house where [[Stonewall Jackson]] died. The ruins of the Chancellor family mansion are included. Chatham Manor in Stafford County is open daily. All sites are free.

==Park history==

The park was established as '''Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial National Military Park''' on February 14, 1927, and transferred from the [[United States Department of War|War Department]] August 10, 1933. The lengthy name remains its official designation—75 letters, the longest name of any unit in the national park system. It was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] on October 15, 1966. The park includes 8374&nbsp;acres (33.89&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), of which 7369&nbsp;acres (30&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) are owned by the Federal government. Over 500,000 people visit the battlefield each year.

==Cemetery==
[[File:Fredericksburg National Cemetery Mass Grave Headstone 11 Persons.jpg|thumb|right|Mass grave headstone for 11 soldiers]]
[[File:Fredericksburg National Cemetery Mass Grave Headstone 4 Persons.jpg|thumb|right|Mass grave headstone for 4 soldiers]]

'''Fredericksburg National Cemetery''' was created by act of Congress, in July 1865 after [[Conclusion of the American Civil War|reunification]] of the states, to honor the [[Union Army|Federal]] soldiers who died in local battles or from disease. The cemetery was placed on [[Battle of Fredericksburg#Battle|Marye's Heights]], a Confederate stronghold during the Battle of Fredericksburg. There are a total of 15,243 Civil War [[Burial|interments]], of those, only 2,473 were identified.<ref name="natcem">{{Citation| title = Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park: Fredericksburg National Cemetery| publisher = [[National Park Service]]| date = 2009-05-18| url = http://www.nps.gov/frsp/natcem.htm| access-date = 2010-05-25}}</ref>

Graves of soldiers, known and [[Tomb of the Unknown Soldier|unknown]], are distinguished by their [[Headstone|markers]]. Identified soldiers are buried in individual graves, marked by a rounded headstone inscribed with the soldier's name and [[U.S. state|state]]. Unknown soldiers were buried in [[mass grave]]s, the headstones marking these plots contain two numbers. The first, upper, number identifies the [[Grave (burial)|plot]] while the second, lower, number identifies the number of soldiers buried in that plot.<ref name=natcem/>

Approximately 100 20th-century soldiers are buried in the cemetery; in some cases, their spouses were buried next to them. The cemetery allowed new burials until 1945.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fredericksburg National Cemetery |url=http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/national_cemeteries/virginia/Fredericksburg_National_Cemetery.html|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=14 September 2015}}</ref> Willis Cemetery, a separate cemetery on Marye's Heights, was established to serve local needs and predates the Civil War. This cemetery is distinguished from the Civil War burials by its brick wall. The Willis home, which [[Structure fire|burned down]] before the outbreak of war, was separated by a gap in the ridge from the Marye's family home, Brompton. Previously known as Willis Hill, the name Marye's Heights was applied to the whole of the ridge as the battle was covered by the national press in 1863.<ref name=natcem/>

Located near the 127th Pennsylvania Volunteer Monument, and throughout the cemetery, are plaques containing verses from [[Theodore O'Hara|Theodore O'Hara's]] 1847 poem "[http://www.nps.gov/gett/gettncem/bivouac.htm The Bivouac of the Dead"].<ref name=natcem/> O'Hara wrote the poem to commemorate American dead at the [[Battle of Buena Vista]], fought during the [[Mexican–American War]].<ref name="bivouac">{{Citation| title = The Bivouac of the Dead| publisher = [[National Park Service]]| url = http://www.nps.gov/archive/gett/gettncem/bivouac.htm| access-date = 2010-05-25}}</ref> The first two [[Stanza|octaves]], and the first half of the eleventh octave are displayed in the cemetery:

{{quote|
The muffled drum's sad roll has beat<br/>
The soldier's last Tattoo;<br/>
No more on life's parade shall meet<br/>
That brave and fallen few.<br/>
On fame's eternal camping ground<br/>
Their silent tents to spread,<br/>
And glory guards, with solemn round<br/>
The bivouac of the dead.

No rumor of the foe's advance<br/>
Now swells upon the wind;<br/>
Nor troubled thought at midnight haunts<br/>
Of loved ones left behind;<br/>
No vision of the morrow's strife<br/>
The warrior's dreams alarms;<br/>
No braying horn or screaming fife<br/>
At dawn shall call to arms.

Rest on, embalmed and sainted dead,<br/>
Dear as the blood ye gave,<br/>
No impious footstep here shall tread<br/>
The herbage of your grave.}}

The following monuments and memorials are located in the Fredericksburg National Cemetery:<ref name=natcem/>
* 127th Pennsylvania Volunteer Monument
* Fifth Corps Monument (dedicated 1901)
* Humphreys' Division Monument
* Moesch Monument
* Parker's Battery Memorial

==Photo gallery==
<gallery>
Fredburgsunkenlane.jpg|The stone wall and Sunken Road at the foot of Marye's Heights
ChancellorsvilleBattlefieldModern.jpg|Cannon preserved at the [[Battle of Chancellorsville|Chancellorsville Battlefield]]
Fredburgcemetary.jpg|Humphreys' Division Monument (1908) is in the center of the cemetery
Humphreys' Division Monument in Fredericksburg National Cemetery.jpg|Closeup of Humphreys' Division Monument
127th Pennsylvania Volunteer Monument in Fredericksburg National Cemetery.jpg|The 127th Pennsylvania Volunteer Monument
Artillery Marking Longstreet's Line in Fredericksburg National Cemetery.jpg|"[[James Longstreet|Longstreet's]] Line" on Marye's Heights
Fifth Corps Monument in Fredericksburg National Cemetery.jpg|Fifth Corps Monument erected by [[Daniel Butterfield]]
Parker's Battery Memorial in Fredericksburg National Cemetery.jpg|Parker's Battery Memorial
Innis House Exterior and Sunken Road in Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.jpg|The Innis House and Sunken Road
Richard Rowland Kirkland Monument in the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.jpg|[[Richard Rowland Kirkland]] Monument (dedicated 1965)
Innis House Interior in Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.jpg|Original 1862 damage to the interior of the Innis House
Sunken Road Original Section in Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.jpg|Only remaining original section of the Sunken Road's stone wall
Sunken Road Restored 2004 Section in Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.jpg|Sunken Road and a section of restored stone wall
Theodore O'Hara Bivouac of the Dead Panel 1 at Fredericksburg National Cemetery.jpg|Plaque showing the first half of the first octave of Bivouac of the Dead
Theodore O'Hara Bivouac of the Dead Panel 2 at Fredericksburg National Cemetery.jpg|Plaque showing the second half of the first octave of Bivouac of the Dead
Theodore O'Hara Bivouac of the Dead Panel 3 at Fredericksburg National Cemetery.jpg|Plaque showing the first half of the second octave of Bivouac of the Dead
Theodore O'Hara Bivouac of the Dead Panel 4 at Fredericksburg National Cemetery.jpg|Plaque showing the second half of the second octave of Bivouac of the Dead
Theodore O'Hara Bivouac of the Dead Panel 5 at Fredericksburg National Cemetery.jpg|Plaque showing the first half of the eleventh octave of Bivouac of the Dead
Theodore O'Hara Bivouac of the Dead Panel 6 at Fredericksburg National Cemetery.jpg|A second plaque showing the first half of the first octave of Bivouac of the Dead
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Other references==
* ''The National Parks: Index 2001–2003''. Washington: [[United States Department of the Interior|U.S. Department of the Interior]].

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.nps.gov/frsp/ National Park Service: Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park]
* [http://www.nps.gov/history/NR/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/45chatham/45chatham.htm ''Chatham Plantation: Witness to the Civil War,'' a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan]
* [http://www.nps.gov/frsp/upload/ROSTER%20OF%20KNOWN%20UNION%20SOLDIERS-B.pdf Roster of Known Union Soldiers buried at Fredericksburg B-surname PDF file]
* [http://www.nps.gov/frsp/upload/ROSTER%20OF%20KNOWN%20UNION%20SOLDIERS-O.pdf Roster of Known Union Soldiers buried at Fredericksburg O-surname PDF file]
* {{HABS |survey=VA-637 |id=va0938 |title=Jackson Shrine, State Route 606, Fredericksburg, Fredericksburg, VA |photos=9 |color= |dwgs=9 |data= |cap=1}}
** {{HABS |survey=VA-77 |id=va0921 |title=Chancellorsville (Ruins), State Routes 3 & 610, Chancellorsville, Spotsylvania County, VA |photos=5 |color= |dwgs=11 |data=4 |cap=}}
** {{HABS |survey=VA-1409 |id=va2019 |title=Chancellorsville Visitor Center, Chancellorsville, Spotsylvania County, VA |photos= |color=1 |dwgs= |data= |cap=1}}
** {{HABS |survey=VA-339 |id=va0947 |title=Chatham, State Routes 3 & 607 vicinity, Falmouth, Stafford County, VA |photos=58 |color=9|dwgs= |data=4 |cap=4}}
*** {{HABS |survey=VA-339-A |id=va1471 |title=Chatham, Garden Statuary & Grounds, .2 mile northeast of intersection of State Routes 218 & 3, Falmouth, Stafford County, VA |photos=20 |color=|dwgs= |data= |cap=2}}
*** {{HABS |survey=VA-339-B |id=va1472 |title=Chatham, Gazebo with Pan statue, .2 mile Northeast of intersection State Routes 218 & 3, Falmouth, Stafford County, VA |photos=1 |color=|dwgs= |data= |cap=1}}
*** {{HABS |survey=VA-339-C |id=va1473 |title=Chatham, Kitchen, .2 mile Northeast of intersection State Routes 218 & 3, Falmouth, Stafford County, VA |photos=3 |color=|dwgs= |data= |cap=1}}
*** {{HABS |survey=VA-339-D |id=va1474 |title=Chatham, Farm Office, .2 mile Northeast of intersection State Routes 218 & 3, Falmouth, Stafford County, VA |photos=2 |color=|dwgs= |data= |cap=1}}
*** {{HABS |survey=VA-339-E |id=va1475 |title=Chatham, Stable & Garage, .2 mile Northeast of intersection State Routes 218 & 3, Falmouth, Stafford County, VA |photos=2 |color=|dwgs= |data= |cap=1}}
*** {{HABS |survey=VA-339-F |id=va1476 |title=Chatham, Greenhouses, .2 mile Northeast of intersection State Routes 218 & 3, Falmouth, Stafford County, VA |photos=3 |color=|dwgs= |data= |cap=1}}
*** {{HABS |survey=VA-339-G |id=va1477 |title=Chatham, Dairy Barn, .2 mile Northeast of intersection State Routes 218 & 3, Falmouth, Stafford County, VA |photos=1 |color=|dwgs= |data= |cap=1}}
*** {{HABS |survey=VA-339-H |id=va1478 |title=Chatham, Laundry, .2 mile Northeast of intersection State Routes 218 & 3, Falmouth, Stafford County, VA |photos=3 |color=|dwgs= |data= |cap=1}}
*** {{HABS |survey=VA-339-I |id=va1479 |title=Chatham, Summer House, .2 mile Northeast of intersection State Routes 218 & 3, Falmouth, Stafford County, VA |photos=2 |color=|dwgs= |data= |cap=1}}
* [[Geographic Names Information System]] Map Data
** {{GNIS 4|1740060}} – Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitors Center – {{coords|38|17|33|N|77|28|01|W|source:GNIS}}
** {{GNIS 4|1488838}} – Battlefields Memorial National Military Park – {{coords|38|18|13|N|77|44|20|W|source:GNIS}}
** {{GNIS 4|1466863}} – Fredericksburg Battlefield – {{coords|38|15|32|N|77|27|52|W|source:GNIS}}
** {{GNIS 4|1467169}} – Confederate Cemetery [Spotsylvania] – {{coords|38|12|10|N|77|34|59|W|source:GNIS}}
** {{GNIS 4|1478416}} – Fredericksburg Confederate Cemetery – {{coords|38|18|09|N|77|28|02|W|source:GNIS}}
** {{GNIS 4|1479187}} & {{GNIS 4|2766709}} – Fredericksburg National Cemetery – {{coords|38|17|34|N|77|28|09|W|source:GNIS}}

{{Protected areas of Virginia}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in Virginia}}
{{NRHP in Fredericksburg, Virginia}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park| ]]
[[Category:Conflict sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia]]
[[Category:Battlefields of the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War]]
[[Category:National battlefields and military parks of the United States]]
[[Category:Parks in Spotsylvania County, Virginia]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Fredericksburg, Virginia]]
[[Category:Parks in Fredericksburg, Virginia]]
[[Category:Museums in Fredericksburg, Virginia]]
[[Category:American Civil War museums in Virginia]]
[[Category:National Park Service areas in Virginia]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Fredericksburg, Virginia]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Spotsylvania County, Virginia]]
[[Category:Cemeteries in Spotsylvania County, Virginia]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Fredericksburg, Virginia]]
[[Category:Cemeteries in Virginia]]
[[Category:American Civil War on the National Register of Historic Places]]
[[Category:Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia]]
[[Category:United States national cemeteries]]
[[Category:Cemeteries established in the 1860s]]

[[de:Fredericksburg Confederate Cemetery]]