Some battles are named after geographic features such as rivers or mountains, others for nearby towns or cities. The May 1863 Battle of Chancellorsville took its name from an intersection at the heart of where fighting occurred, near the stately Chancellor House. Only ruins now remain of the dwelling, but it’s still a place of pilgrimage for students of history.
Today, this iconic part of the Chancellorsville battlefield is a target for developers seeking to build a gas station, convenience store and professional complex on westbound Route 3, a scant 1,500 feet from the historic Chancellorsville intersection.
An artist's rendering showing combat on the 11-acre property (shaded in grey) contemplated for a gas station and other commercial development. Fighting raged across this tract on May 3, 1863, as Confederates assaulted the federal lines protecting the Chancellor House intersection. (Peter Giraudeau/Hill Studio)
Both contiguous to and across Route 3 from land protected as part of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, this is a site that even the most casual evaluation would recognize as deeply historic. It is core battlefield upon which Union troops were entrenched throughout the battle and where fierce fighting took place on the morning of May 3 (see our Battle Map here), when a Confederate assault dislodged Union troops from their concentrated position around the Chancellor House. This land’s listing on the Virginia Landmarks Register, position within a county-designated historic district, and location immediately adjacent to the Congressionally authorized boundary of the National Park all bear witness to the significance of the site.
This land has a history that demands more than pay-at-the-pump accessibility.
For two decades, the Trust and its allies have worked to protect critical portions of the Chancellorsville Battlefield. Longtime members will remember our triumphant negotiation with developers to craft a win-win solution that saw us preserve the First Day at Chancellorsville site – now home to beloved walking trails and the Spotsylvania County Museum. For years, this nearly 2 miles of conserved road frontage along Route 3 has held in check development pressure spreading west from Fredericksburg.
Bad enough in its own right, we fear that the proposed gas station complex could be the spark that jumps this figurative firebreak and opens the eastern part of the battlefield to development. That would decrease the impact of the work we and our allies at the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust have accomplished at Chancellorsville and make future acquisition efforts even more of an uphill battle. We need YOU to speak out to protect Chancellorsville.
1. Sign a Letter of Opposition
Please visit our website to learn more about this proposal and sign a letter of opposition that we can provide to elected officials – and share this opportunity with your friends. We need to send a message that while modern infrastructure is necessary, we need not sacrifice our history in the process.
LOCAL RESIDENTS: Sign this letter to governement officials
CONCERNED PRESERVATIONISTS: Sign this letter
2. Attend a Public Meeting on August 10 at 6 pm
Local voices are especially important, as constituent opinion carries tremendous weight with government decision makers! In addition to having a specific letter just for area residents, we are calling on those who live nearby to attend a public meeting on August 10 at 6 pm at the Chancellor Ruritan Club located at 5994 Plank Road, Fredericksburg, Virginia 22407. If you are able, please attend and be counted among those who will take a stand for Chancellorsville.
With great appreciation,
Jim Campi, Chief Policy & Communications Officer
American Battlefield Trust
P.S. Thanks to your years of consistent support for Chancellorsville, hundreds of acres of hallowed ground are saved there. Please rally once again for this battlefield by making your voice heard!