Fredericksburg, VA Summary

Fredericksburg (population 20,000) was founded in 1723 as a major tobacco port along the Rappahannock River. It’s a pretty place with a rich historic district; the exit off I-95 brings into view narrow streets lined with white picket fences and Federal-style buildings.

Halfway between the opposing capitals of Washington and Richmond, Fredericksburg’s rolling green fields were bloody battlefields during the Civil War. There are reminders of the Union artillery shells that bomdarded the town. In Fredericksburg’s Old Town area, the Presbyterian Church features embedded shrapnel from a cannonball in its walls. The Rising Sun Tavern was built in 1760 by George Washington’s brother.

The Old Town Hall and Market House, built in 1816, is one of the oldest continually used community halls in the South. Other Federal-era buildings include the James Monroe Museum, where the former president practiced law from 1786 to 1789; the estates of Kenmore and Belmont; and the Mary Washington House, built by George for his mother in 1772.

The Freemasons have a solid collection of artifacts from the colonial years at the George Washington Masonic Museum, while the Fredericksburg Area Museum and Cultural Center has Native American, colonial, and Civil War collections. An interesting display of medicinal procedures used two centuries ago is exhibited at the Hugh Mercer Apothecary. A Scottish doctor who was killed in battle during the Revolutionary War owned the shop.

The boyhood home of George Washington is at Ferry Farm in Falmouth, while west of the river from Fredericksburg is Chatham Manor, a Georgian structure dating back to the 1770s. Many dignitaries were entertained in its parlors: Abraham Lincoln; General Joe Hooker, who used the house as his headquarters; and Clara Barton, founder of the Red Cross.

The serene Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Battlefield Parks present a solid insight into the four battles that saw Confederate sharpshooters, under the command of General Robert E. Lee, rip apart the Army of the Potomac. Though the battles of Fredericksburg (1862), Chancellorsville (1863), the Spotsylvania Court House (1864), and the Battle in the Wilderness (1864) were largely Confederate victories, the fight over the control of the Virginia railroads saw more than 100,000 casualties, including Confederate General Stonewall Jackson at Chancellorsville.

Within 17 miles of each other, the battle sites have been preserved, including Confederate cannons at Hazel Grove, plus 5 miles of trenches and fortifications. The remains of 15,000 Union troops are buried at Fredericksburg National Cemetery.

The National Park Service provides self-guided touring maps that cover the 75-mile area. The pass to the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Battlefield Park is valid for 10 days.

Fredericksburg is serviced by buses, trains, and planes.