Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park is hosting a series of walking tours, living history demonstrations, and a special campfire program to commemorate the 153rd Anniversary of the Battle of Chancellorsville and the 152nd Anniversary of the Battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House during May 2016
Good walking shoes and water are recommended for each walking tour. All programs are free.
Battle of Chancellorsville 153rd Anniversary
Sunday, May 1, 1 – 4 p.m.
Spark of Battle: The First Day at Chancellorsville
Join historians Frank O’Reilly and Mike Westermeier for a three-hour hike following the entire trail on the Civil War Trust’s First Day at Chancellorsville battlefield. The tour will walk slightly over two miles exploring the initial clash of armies and the circumstances leading to battle at Chancellorsville. Meet at the First Day at Chancellorsville, 6159 Plank Road, 22407
Monday, May 2, 7 – 8:30 p.m.
Killing Fields: Stonewall Jackson’s Flank Attack
Join historians Frank O’Reilly, Mike Westermeier, and Beth Parnicza for an evening walk following the footsteps of Stonewall Jackson’s famous flank attack at Chancellorsville from the end of the Union line to their last stand of resistance at the Buschbeck Line. Meet at Tour Stop 8 Jackson’s Flank Attack on the Chancellorsville Battlefield.
Battle of the Wilderness 152nd Anniversary
Friday, May 6, 7 – 8:30 p.m.
Clash of Titans: The Battle of the Wilderness
Join historians Peter Maugle and Becky Oakes for an evening walk in Saunders Field on the Wilderness Battlefield. Here in Saunders Field, Union and Confederate forces clashed for the first time in the battle—the first meeting of Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant. Meet at Tour Stop 3 Saunders Field on the Wilderness Battlefield.
Saturday, May 7
11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Artillery Demonstrations at Ellwood Manor
Join the park’s cannon crew for a description of the uses and challenges of artillery in the Battle of the Wilderness and a firing demonstration. Meet at Ellwood Manor.
11:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m., and 5:30 p.m.
Wilderness Crossing Walking Tours
Walk the behind-the-scenes landscape of war on the park’s Wilderness Crossing Trail with a volunteer from the Friends of Wilderness Battlefield. Each tour will last 75 minutes and will depart from Ellwood following the preceding artillery demonstration.
11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
“No Turning Back” Walking Tour
“Whatever happens, there will be no turning back!” proclaimed Ulysses S. Grant at the Wilderness. Join a park historian for a 45-minute introduction to the Battle of the Wilderness at Tour Stop 3 Saunders Field on the Wilderness Battlefield.
1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Lee to the Rear: The Fight for Widow Tapp’s Farm
Historians Becky Oakes and Frank O’Reilly will lead this 90-minute program walking the ground of Tapp Field, where the Confederate line nearly broke on May 6, and Lee attempted to personally lead reinforcements into the desperate fight. Meet at Tour Stop 6 on the Wilderness Battlefield.
7 – 8 p.m.
Twice into the Wilderness: A Campfire Program
Join historian Greg Mertz for a special evening campfire program contrasting the issues each army and nation faced as they plunged into the Wilderness during the Chancellorsville and Wilderness campaigns a year apart. Meet at Ellwood Manor on the Wilderness Battlefield.
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House 152nd Anniversary
Sunday, May 8
10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Race for the Crossroads: Battle of Laurel Hill
Walk in the footsteps of the soldiers who opened the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, 152 years ago to the day with historian Greg Mertz. The army that won the race to the critical crossroads of Spotsylvania Court House determined the next moves of the Overland Campaign. Meet at Tour Stop 1 on the Spotsylvania Battlefield.
2 – 4 p.m.
“I’ll Take Those Works!” Upton’s Attack at Spotsylvania
With a swift-moving column charging into the heart of the Confederate mule shoe salient, young Emory Upton and the architects behind his attack changed the nature of fighting at Spotsylvania Court House. Follow the route of his attack and unravel the story behind the myths surrounding this assault with historian Beth Parnicza. Meet at Tour Stop 2 on the Spotsylvania Battlefield.
Thursday, May 12, 7 – 8:30 p.m.
Spotsylvania’s Bloody Angle: “The Toughest Fight Yet”
Join historians Peter Maugle and Beth Parnicza for an evening walking tour of the Union attack and the soldiers’ experience of the Bloody Angle, the site of Spotsylvania’s most famous and most desperate fighting. Hand to hand combat rocked this small bend in Confederate earthworks for 22 hours in the pouring rain. Meet at Tour Stop 3 on the Spotsylvania Battlefield.
More
Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park Visitors Provided $67.6M to Local Economy in 2015
Kirsten Talken-Spaulding Named Superintendent of Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park
Fit-History Hikes Offered at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania Battlefields
Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park Spring Hours and Tours
Sen. Kaine Visits Fredericksburg to Celebrate American Battlefield Act
Spotsylvania Planning Commission Approves Commercial Development Across From Chancellorsville Battlefield
