Fredericksburg, VA ~ Wow

The Battle at Fredericksburg is one the North lost. The "Sunken Road" is where the Rebels held off the Union soldiers ... approximately 10,000 men killed on both sides. More North than South.

The next two plaques are located at the Confederate Cemetery. If you ever watched Ken Burns, "Civil War Series on PBS ... you'll remember the old women with her eyes closed reciting from memory these two poems. (If you've not seen the Ken Burns series ... you owe it to yourself to do so!)

Meant to put the next 3 pics with the Town buildings ... oops. Signs like these were posted on the door window during the period.

We took a guided tour of the "Sunken Road". This ranger is a school teacher and has been doing this in the summer for the last 8 years ... he was fantastic!! He reviewed with us the entire Fredericksburg Battle.

This part of the wall was rebuilt since 2000 and the park service has replicated the exact way it would have been originally.

This wall is original! By the way, the road we stood on would have been much deeper ... they leave the dirt in place to preserve the original road.

I went up on the ridge where the South had the cannons and whatever else. After this picture you should invision turning around from the cannons and seeing out over the city. Trees have grown in the last 175 years ... but you can get the idea of the advantage the South had as the Northern troops attacked straight in to the wall.

I realize you loose the depth ... but just look at how small the wall is compared to the pictures with the ranger standing in them.

Mary Washington's home in Fredericksburg. George purchased it for her and moved into town ... guess she wasn't pleased to be in the city ... but safer! Maybe?

This is chilling ... stopped me in my tracks ... this auction block is right down the street from Mary Washington's home.

This was an upper class travern ... still sleeping conditions for the common person were stunning ... 5 to a bed ... ugh!