Situated on the banks of the Rappahannock River, Fredericksburg is perhaps best known as the town George Washington grew up in. It was here that General Washington’s father ran a ferry service across the Rappahannock River and where his mother, Mary, lived and died.
Fredericksburg was strategically important during the Civil War because it lay about halfway between the National Capitol in Washington D.C. and the Confederate Capitol in Richmond. It was the site of troop activity from 1861 to 1865 and home to several major Civil War battles which left the town in shambles.
We enjoyed an interesting one-hour trolley tour of Fredericksburg which provided a nice overview of town, including Mary Washington’s home, James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library, and the Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop (view antique medical equipment and jars of leeches!). It's an easy town to explore on foot.
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought in December 1862. Nearly 150,000 Union soldiers advanced into Fredericksburg, fighting 90,000 entrenched Confederate troops under the leadership of Robert E. Lee. Almost 20,000 fatalities ensued in this battle, mostly Union, and the advancing troops ultimately withdrew. As the war ran its course Fredericksburg was captured by the Union forces.
The town still bears witness to the Civil War battles. For example, this church pillar has 2 cannonballs from the war embedded in it....
(Cannonballs embedded in the pillars of a church in Fredericksburg)
This old home was in the active line of fire during one of the battles in Fredricksburg and still shows a number of bullet holes in its wood.
(bullet holes in the wall of the old home)
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