NEWS RELEASES
Special Programs Commemorate The 156th Anniversary Of The Battle Of Fredericksburg
Editor's Note: This news item was retrieved and first published through The National Park Service's website.
FREDERICKSBURG, Virg. - The National Park Service (NPS) plans a weekend of special programs on December 8-9, 2018 to commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of Fredericksburg at the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Battlefield Park. In December, 1862, General Burnside, newly appointed by President Lincoln to command the Army of the Potomac, crossed the Rappahannock River and met Robert E. Lee’s forces in the streets of the quiet Virginia town of Fredericksburg. The two armies were the largest that would meet during the long Civil War and suffered devastating casualties on both sides: the Confederates lost more than 5,000 men, while the Union forces had nearly three times that number.
The special programs planned by the NPS for the anniversary weekend include a retrospective of the Union crossing of the Rappahannock, and interpretive walks through battlefields where the fighting was heaviest, including the streets of the town, up Prospect Hill, and the annual Remembrance Walk along the Sunken Road, where many of the casualties occurred on the final day of battle.
The Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Battlefield Park preserves the sites of the Civil War battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, The Wilderness, and Spotsylvania. Visit the park’s website for more information on special programs. The NPS recommends visiting the park’s Facebook page for weather updates, or that you call the park at 540-693-3200.
Read a full description of the 156th Anniversary events here.