Fredericksburg Battlefield, Fredericksburg, VA
Speaking of Virginia, while here you should check out this battlefield. Everything here happened either “before the war” or “after the war,” and everyone’s clear on which war you’re talking about. Soldiers, civilians, and slaves’ lives were changed by what took place here. Nearly 100,000 men were killed or wounded in four battles over eighteen months.
The constant presence or passage of armies mangled the landscape, bringing agriculture to a virtual standstill for nearly two years. In Fredericksburg, the Union army bombarded and then looted, leaving about 100 buildings damaged and the prosperity of many families ruined. But amidst the destruction, slaves sought AND found freedom. You can say that the Civil War modified this community socially, physically, and politically.
Walk the streets of this town today, and you’ll find extraordinary homes and family-friendly attractions, but during the battle of Fredericksburg, the roads were filled with fighting. Fredericksburg saw some of the most intense urban combat of the war with Union and Confederate soldiers, the latter being the ultimate victors, duking it out on streets and in alleys all over town.
