The National Park Service commemorates the 161st Anniversary of the Battle of Fredericksburg with guided programs on Saturday, December 9th, 2023. The programs will examine the battle, and will discuss how these events affect and translate to modern day.
All programs are free and open to the public. In case of inclement weather, programs may be altered or cancelled.
Program Schedule
9am-5pm, Chatham Conversations, Drop-In Program at Chatham
Swing by Chatham throughout the day to learn about how Chatham contributed to the Battle, how the nearby pontoon bridges were constructed, and how Chatham was transformed into a field hospital. Park rangers will be available to talk with you about the history.
10 am – 11 am, “It appeared as though fate was against us”: The Fight at Prospect Hill
Meet near the parking lot at Prospect Hill (Tour Stop #6)
On the southern end of Fredericksburg Battlefield, both the Union and Confederate troops sought control of Prospect Hill, the fighting at which was a vital determining factor in the Confederate’s victory.
11:30am-11:45am, Pontoon Crossing at Chatham
Meet inside Chatham
The Battlefield’s park rangers will give a fifteen-minute talk about the US soldiers crossed the river into Chatham via pontoon boats, the the trials and obstacles that the soldiers faced.
2pm – 3pm, “Seizing the Heights”: The Sunken Road and the Fredericksburg National Cemetery
Meet at the Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitor Center, by the battle painting
The Battle of Fredericksburg was a catastrophe for the Union Army, as countless waves of soldiers were killed in combat. At the foot of Marye’s Heights, where many Union soldiers died, Fredericksburg National Cemetery now stands to commemorate the fallen.
3:30pm-3:45pm, Chatham Field Hospital
Meet inside Chatham
The park rangers will give a fifteen-minute lecture about how Chatham was utilized as a field hospital during the battle, and how the medical staff cared for the wounded soldiers.
For more information and news about the Fredericksburg Battlefield, please visit:
About the park. Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial National Military Park (NMP) includes the sites of four major battles spanning eighteen crucial months of the Civil War. The battles caused more than 100,000 casualties. The constant presence of armies left Fredericksburg and the surrounding agricultural landscape devastated and ended bondage for thousands of enslaved people in the region. The park is the second largest military park in the world. Learn more at www.nps.gov/frsp, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.