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| FREDERICKSBURG |
| Fredericksburg, Virginia |
After leaving DC Ron and I followed the trails of the
American Civil War history. Our first stop was at
Fredericksburg, Virginia, where the Union Army
clashed with the Confederacy on four separate
occasions.
The pictures on the left depict the story of one battle
where the Confederacy had set up camp in a local
home, the Innis House on Sunken Road, overlooking
the Rappahannock River. Across the river, Major
General Ambrose Burnside commandeered the Union
Army headquarters in Chatham.
The Confederacy was victorious in the Battle of
Fredericksburg - December 11-15, 1862 - called
"Robert E. Lee's most one-sided victory." "A Union
disaster just two weeks before the Emancipation
Proclamation." That victory was not without a price.
The clashes left over 100,000 casualties and a scarred
landscape. At the Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania
National Military Park you can view the "Stonewall"
Jackson Shrine. Jackson died when his own troops
mistakenly opened fire during the Battle of
Chancellorsville. Sergeant J. O. Kerbey, Ohio, pointed
out, "If each separate deed of heroism done here were
marked by a stone, the ground would be a forest of
monuments."
On the outskirts of Fredericksburg, we toured George
Washington's boyhood home, the "Ferry Farm."
Second picture down on the right is called the
Surveyor's Shed, thought originally to date to
Washington's time but later learned that the structure
was built after 1870. However, near this structure the
remains of an early 20th century icehouse were found.
Its stone-lined pit extends down about 12 feet. Stones
outlining an area northwest of the icehouse mark the
location of what appears to be the burned cellar of a
kitchen building. Before the invention of modernized
air conditioning, homes typically had a separate
kitchen in order to keep the main house cool. It is
believed this very cellar may be the original kitchen of
the Washington home, as their first house was
destroyed by a fire on Christmas Eve of 1740.
Walked down to the river where George undoubtedly
spend many fun-filled days of fishing. Colonel Lewis
Willis, George's play-mate, said he had often seen
George throw a stone across the Rappahannock at the
lower ferry of Fredericksburg. Ferries operated from
several points along the shore. The Washington family
never operated the ferry nor profited from it. The ferry
landing played a key role in the 1861 Battle of
Fredericksburg.
Notice the house across the river. I have a feeling this
is prime real estate now!
American Civil War history. Our first stop was at
Fredericksburg, Virginia, where the Union Army
clashed with the Confederacy on four separate
occasions.
The pictures on the left depict the story of one battle
where the Confederacy had set up camp in a local
home, the Innis House on Sunken Road, overlooking
the Rappahannock River. Across the river, Major
General Ambrose Burnside commandeered the Union
Army headquarters in Chatham.
The Confederacy was victorious in the Battle of
Fredericksburg - December 11-15, 1862 - called
"Robert E. Lee's most one-sided victory." "A Union
disaster just two weeks before the Emancipation
Proclamation." That victory was not without a price.
The clashes left over 100,000 casualties and a scarred
landscape. At the Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania
National Military Park you can view the "Stonewall"
Jackson Shrine. Jackson died when his own troops
mistakenly opened fire during the Battle of
Chancellorsville. Sergeant J. O. Kerbey, Ohio, pointed
out, "If each separate deed of heroism done here were
marked by a stone, the ground would be a forest of
monuments."
On the outskirts of Fredericksburg, we toured George
Washington's boyhood home, the "Ferry Farm."
Second picture down on the right is called the
Surveyor's Shed, thought originally to date to
Washington's time but later learned that the structure
was built after 1870. However, near this structure the
remains of an early 20th century icehouse were found.
Its stone-lined pit extends down about 12 feet. Stones
outlining an area northwest of the icehouse mark the
location of what appears to be the burned cellar of a
kitchen building. Before the invention of modernized
air conditioning, homes typically had a separate
kitchen in order to keep the main house cool. It is
believed this very cellar may be the original kitchen of
the Washington home, as their first house was
destroyed by a fire on Christmas Eve of 1740.
Walked down to the river where George undoubtedly
spend many fun-filled days of fishing. Colonel Lewis
Willis, George's play-mate, said he had often seen
George throw a stone across the Rappahannock at the
lower ferry of Fredericksburg. Ferries operated from
several points along the shore. The Washington family
never operated the ferry nor profited from it. The ferry
landing played a key role in the 1861 Battle of
Fredericksburg.
Notice the house across the river. I have a feeling this
is prime real estate now!
| Progress moves forward. As we started our walking tour in the town of Fredericksburg, I noticed the Ben Franklin store and had to get a photo. Had not seen one of those in years. Reminiscent of my childhood days when a dime would buy a lot of baubles. |
There is still an abundance of thriving cherry trees on
the property. I couldn't help but notice the one that
had been cut down and had to get a picture of that.
Judging from the rings of the tree and size of those
roots, it wasn't hard to imagine that this might have
been the very tree that George cut down and "could
not tell a lie" about.
the property. I couldn't help but notice the one that
had been cut down and had to get a picture of that.
Judging from the rings of the tree and size of those
roots, it wasn't hard to imagine that this might have
been the very tree that George cut down and "could
not tell a lie" about.
Start your tour at the Fredericksburg Visitor Center on
the corner of Charlotte and Caroline Streets in the
Historic Distict. For those less inclined to walking,
check out the Trolley Tour link to the left.
the corner of Charlotte and Caroline Streets in the
Historic Distict. For those less inclined to walking,
check out the Trolley Tour link to the left.
| Trolley Tours of Fredericksburg and The Shops of Old Town. The Trolley Tour Features: More than 75 minutes of Local History. |