Memories and Memorials at Fredericksburg, Virginia

I was always interested in American Colonial and Civil War history as a child, but since I lived in Minnesota there wasn’t much I could do about it except read books and go to movies, if any. (1776 starring William Daniels was de rigeur viewing on July 4. On July 18, it was Glory ). Now that I’ve moved to the Hampton Roads area, I will indulge my passion to the full. I want to walk in the footsteps of history. I want to feel the way Nicolas Cage’s character felt in National Treasure, when he carried the Declaration of Independence into Independence Hall and shivered. “The last time this document was here, it was being signed.”

No movies this time, however well acted. The real thing.

The times are appropriate. April 9, 2005 marked the 140th anniversary of the end of the Civil War, 2006 will mark the 135th anniversary of the beginning of the War, and preparations are already being made for 2007, the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown.

Virginia has more battlefield sites than any other state through which the Civil War raged from 1861-1865, and thus more Memorial Day commemorations than any other, and I’m making plans to attend the commemorations at Fredericksburg.

There were two Battles of Fredericksburg. The first one took place from December 11-15, 1862, with the main action taking place on December 13. It was a Confederate victory. The second battle over the same ground took place on May 3, 1863 and the Union won. I want to walk on that battlefield, but most particularly I want to see the monument to Richard Kirkland.

Kirkland was little more than a kid – 19 years old, serving in Company E. At the first battle, Confederate soldiers behind the Stone Wall at the base of Marye’s Heights, mowed down over 8,000 men as the Union officers sent wave after fruitless wave against the Wall. On the day after, many of those soldiers still lay where they had fallen. Some of them were still alive – without food, water or medical treatment. Their cries for help were heard by both sides. Only Kirkland did something about it. He gathered all the canteens he could manage, climbed over the parapet and gave what help he could to the enemy. His commanding officer refused to let him carry a white flag, and at first he was fired upon by the Federals, until they realized what he was doing. Both sides called him the “Angel of Marye’s Heights.” He died the next year at Chickamauga.

This Memorial Day weekend will be an extra special three days to visit the Battlefield because the National Park Service and the City of Fredericksburg have spent eight months (beginning in September, 2004) restoring the historic Sunken Road (along which ran the Stone Wall). They “rebuilt missing sections of the wall, removed pavement, marked house sites, buried power lines, and installed pathways and exhibits for visitors.” The Dedication Ceremony for this newly restored monument to the glory of courage and the folly of war will take place on May 29.

I’ll be one of the thousands of people there to witness the event.

Getting to Fredericksburg:

You can take a plane to Washington-Dulles, Washington-National or Richmond Airports.

If you’re driving, Fredericksburg is located 50 miles south of Washington and 50 miles north of Richmond. The park contains numerous areas on both sides of I-95 in the Fredericksburg area.

Amtrak goes into Fredericksburg, as does commuter rail service from Washington.