Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania
National Military Park

Welcome to the Electronic Visitor Center!

Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitor Center

Welcome to the website for Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park. Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania—this is the bloodiest landscape in North America. No place more vividly reflects the Civil War’s tragic cost, in all its forms. A city bombarded, bloodied, and looted. Farms large and small ruined. Refugees by the thousands forced to the countryside. More than 85,000 men wounded; 15,000 killed—most now in graves unknown. The fading scars of battle, the homeplaces of bygone families, and the granite tributes to those who fought still mark these lands. These places reveal the trials of a community and nation at war—a roiling cataclysm, a virtuous tragedy that freed four million Americans and reunited a nation.

Check the special events page for programs and tours. Click here for more information.

In case of inclement weather check this webpage for information on park closure or call the park weather hot line at (540) 654-5532. Also check the weather link at Fredericksburg Weather

TABLE OF CONTENTS

VISITING THE PARK| THE BATTLES | TOURS AND LECTURES | CIVIL WAR RESEARCH | EDUCATION | WHAT'S NEW | HOW CAN I HELP | MISCELLANEOUS |

SECTION ONE - VISITING THE PARK

Preparing For Your Visit
Park and Fredericksburg area information including directions to the Park and telephone numbers.

Touring The Park
This is the gateway to information on battlefield touring options. There is a section on each of the four battlefields of the park, the Jackson Shrine, Salem Church, and the local Civil War cemeteries. The park walking tour folders can be found here as well as links to a great deal of information about the battles, the leaders and the units involved.

Park Maps
Download free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view Park Maps.

The Battle of Fredericksburg, Animated Maps
View an animated recreation of the entire battlefield on December 13, 1862. The Confederate army is represented by red bars and the Union army by blue bars. The animation requires Shockwave to play. If you don't have it, you can download it for free from Macromedia. Battle animation courtesy of TravelBrains. (File size: 1.9 MB) (Download time: 38 sec with DSL / 4 min 30 sec with 56K)
Click Here to begin the program
The park bookstores sell superbly detailed troop position maps for all four battlefields. The bookstore manager can be reached at (540) 372-3034.

SECTION TWO - THE BATTLES

THE BATTLE OF FREDERICKSBURG.

Fredericksburg Battlefield
This page contains information on visiting the Fredericksburg Battlefield with links to more information including trail folders.
The Battle of Fredericksburg
This park page contains information on the Battle of Fredericksburg including links to more information on aspects of the battle and key participants.
Articles on Battle of Fredericksburg
Staff Historian Don Pfanz has written a series of 37 articles on the Battle of Fredericksburg.
Chatham Manor
This page contains information on this historic house used as a Union headquarters and hospital during the Battle of Fredericksburg. The house doubles today as the park headquarters and an exhibit building.
Civilian Strife
The Civil War had a huge impact on the area's civilian population. Read firsthand citizen accounts of the horror of war. There are also links to find more information about the homefront, women and children in the war.
Fredericksburg National Cemetery. The cemetery contains the last remains of over 15,000 United States veterans. Most of these are Union soldiers who died in the Fredericksburg area with a sprinkling of 20th century local veterans. Over 80% of the Civil War soldier buried here are unknown.
Confederate Cemeteries
There are Confederate cemeteries in Fredericksburg and at Spotsylvania. Each of these cemeteries contain hundreds of identified Confederate soldiers who died in the Fredericksburg area as well as many more who are unidentified.

THE BATTLE OF CHANCELLORSVILLE.

Chancellorsville Battlefield
This page contains information on visiting the Chancellorsville Battlefield with links to more information including trail folders.
The Battle of Chancellorsville
This page contains information on the Battle of Chancellorsville with links to more information on aspects of the battle and key participants.
The Battle of Chancellorsville
Robert K. Krick, our former Chief Historian, has written a series of articles on the Battle of Chancellorsville that are being published in the local newspaper. As they are printed in the newspaper, they are put online. These articles are an excellent source of information on the Battle of Chancellorsville.
Old Salem Church
This page contains information on this historic church and the fighting that occurred around the church during the Battle of Chancellorsville. Links are provided to key participants and a driving tour folder of the 2nd Fredericksburg/Salem Church portion of the Chancellorsville Battlefield.
2nd Fredericksburg and Salem Church
This page contains information and a driving tour of the 2nd Battle of Fredericksburg and Salem Church battlefields.
Stonewall Jackson Shrine
This page contains information on the historic building where Stonewall Jackson died. Links lead to more information on the life and death of Jackson.

THE BATTLES OF WILDERNESS AND SPOTSYLVANIA.

Wilderness Battlefield
This page contains information on visiting the Wilderness Battlefield with links to more information including trail folders.
Spotsylvania Battlefield
This page contains information on visiting the Spotsylvania Battlefield with links to more information including trail folders.
The Battles of Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House
This page contains information of the Wilderness/Spotsylvania Campaign with links to more information on aspects of the campaign and key participants.
Battle of Todd's Tavern
This page contains the text for a driving tour of this important cavalry action that links the battles of Wilderness and Spotsylvania.
Ellwood
This page contains information on this historic house that was a Union headquarters during the Battle of the Wilderness. Stonewall Jackson's arm is buried in the family cemetery.

Where One Hundred Thousand Fell This is a digital version of the park's 1966 handbook, reproduced here unaltered from its original form (including a few errors the careful reader will quickly note). We hope to have the park's most recent handbook online in the near future.

NPS Battlefield Sites
Links are provided here to the battlefield park websites including Gettysburg, Manassas, Shiloh, etc.

Civil War Battlefield Sites in Virginia.
This is a portal to links for information on battlefield sites such as Cedar Creek, Brandy Station, North Anna River, Mine Run and many more.

SECTION THREE - TOURS AND LECTURES

There are two areas of the website to check for tours and lectures. 1) There are walking tours led by park Civil War historians at Chancellorsville and Fredericksburg on weekends only. The number of tours and times depend on the time of year. See the appropriate season listed below or call the park at (540) 373-6122. 2) There are park special events listed below under the heading of "special events." Also listed are programs that are sponsored by other groups and hence not official park programs, but open to anyone to attend. These include tours in the park, programs given by park historians, and other Civil War related programs in the Fredericksburg area. Be sure to check both categories to see the numerous programs going on through out the year.
Late Summer hours August 14-September 4
Special Events
This is a listing of special events taking place in the park as well as Civil War programs in the area sponsored by other groups.

SECTION FOUR - CIVIL WAR RESEARCH

Research Your Civil War Ancestor
This is a primer on how to research your Civil War ancestor with links to numerous sources of information on the internet.

Links to Historical and Genealogical Websites
This is a comprehensive list of links for those looking for an ancestor who fought in the war or for information on a military unit. There are portals for each state that lead to information on military units, rosters, and genealogy.

Civil War Links
Here you will find links to local Civil War related websites [such as the local Civil War Round Table, preservation group and Friends groups] and websites that are portals to hundreds of websites about the Civil War.

Famous Participants in the Fredericksburg Area Battles
Famous people participated in the battles around Fredericksburg including civilians Walt Whitman and Clara Barton who assisted doctors during the Battle of Fredericksburg. In addition, well known individuals such as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln visited what is now Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania N.M.P. Matthew Fontaine Maury, the father of modern Oceanography, was born in what is now the Park. This webpage consists of links to information about some of these people.

SECTION FIVE - EDUCATION

Education Resources
Lesson plans and field trip guidelines for teachers and dozens of links to information for students writing reports.

SECTION SIX - WHAT'S NEW

FRSP Press Releases

Archaeology
James Madison University is conducting archaeological research on the Sunken Road, Stone Wall and Marye's Heights on the Fredericksburg Battlefield.

SECTION SEVEN- HOW CAN I HELP

How Can I Help?

Seasonal Work
You can now find out about working as a seasonal employee with the National Park Service and apply online.

Volunteers-In-Parks
Find out about our volunteer program, and what opportunities exist for volunteering.

Internships
The internship program is an excellent opportunity for students and recent graduates to apply knowledge learned in the classroom, gain experience, meet professionals in the field, and often to determine which aspect of their chosen field is of greatest interest. Recently the word "internship" has begun to take on an additional meaning than it had in the past. For years an internship was considered to be a work experience arranged in conjunction with a college or university for official credit. Currently, however, many inquiries about internships are made by both students and college graduates seeking a volunteer work in their field of study to gain training and experience without any connection to a school. Some candidates have successfully utilized their internships as a way to gain the experience needed to qualify for seasonal jobs.

The park has internships available in four areas - Historical Interpreter, Educational Coordinator Assistant and Curatorial Assistant. Applications are now being accepted for historical interpretive positions for the summer of 2005. This is a 12 week session from May 22-August 14. Applicants should print out and fill in the internship form and send to the address below or cut and the paste the form into a microsoft word document which you send as an attachment to Greg_Mertz@nps.gov. The address is Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, 120 Chatham Lane, Fredericksburg, Virginia 22405. Questions should be addressed to Greg Mertz at (540) 373-6124.

SECTION EIGHT - MISCELLANEOUS

Bookstore
We have one of the most complete Civil War bookstores in Virginia. Take a look.

Boy Scout Hiking Trails.
There are five trails in the park that boy scouts can hike to earn a patch. The trails range in length from 0.2 miles to 7 miles and are on all 4 battlefields of the park. Although the trails are in the park, the hiking program is run by a local boy scout troop. To obtain the trail literature and patch contact: Scout Troop 847, % Tabernacle United Methodist Church, 7310-A Old Plank Road, Fredericksburg, Va. 22401.