We’ve been a fan of Civil War general, Lt. Gen. Thomas J. Jackson, aka Stonewall, every since we watched the movie Gods and Generals, which portrays Stonewall as a great soldier and a great man of faith.
Stonewall was mistakenly shot at the Battle of Chancellorsville by his own troops. As a result, his left arm was amputated. Though he was healing from his wounds, pneumonia ended up killing him days later.
This past weekend Dale and I happen to see where that arm is buried. It was an unexpected high point to our trip to the Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville Battlefields. We had also hoped to see Spotsylvania and Wilderness Battle sites but we were a bit overambitious! Enjoy these highlights from our trip.
On December 13, 1862, United States forces under General Ambrose Burnside attacked the stone wall along the Sunken Road. Wave after wave of US soldiers marched towards the Confederate line; none made it closer than 50 yards. Confederate troops behind the stone wall and atop Marye’s Heights held the high ground with their well defended line. Dale and I took a short walking tour of this area. There were seven “stops” along the tour. All of them were very interestingThis cemetery, adjacent to the National Cemetery, was used as a hospital during the battle. You can see the cannon and bullet marks on the cement pillars.This plaque, located in the Gettysburg National Cemetery, is a line from the poem “Bivouacs of the Dead”. Kentucky native Theodore O’Hara wrote the poem after the Mexican War of 1847 and is used at many National Cemeteries. The Union used his poem but as a Kentuckian, he would not have been allowed to be buried here.
Chatham Manor has stood along the banks of the Rappahannock River opposite the city of Fredericksburg for 250 years. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and many other renown people visited here. During the war it was used as a hospital by the Union.
Stonewall Jackson died on May 10, 1863. His last words were “Let us cross over the river and rest under the shade of the trees. His arm, which was amputated after the battle of Chancellorsville, was buried in the family cemetery at the home of J. Horace Lacy.
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