Twice-Hallowed Ground:
A piece of land that is associated with two separate historical events or conflicts of great importance, like this tract at Fredericksburg.
I'm sure you're aware that the battle to preserve hallowed land is getting increasingly more competitive and expensive. This is certainly the case for the 7.5 acres we are now currently fighting to preserve at Fredericksburg.
Two significant Civil War battles took place on this sacred land – one a devastating loss for the Union and the second a great victory!
The First Battle
In December of 1862, was one of the largest and deadliest battles of the Civil War. It featured the first opposed river crossing in American military history, as well as some of the deadliest urban combat of the Civil War.
It was also a decisive Confederate victory, that served as a catalyst for a Federal command change within Lincoln’s principal army, while setting the stage for the spring 1863 campaign in northern Virginia.
The Second Battle
In April of 1863, Union General Joseph Hooker split his army into three pieces, leaving one in the vicinity of Fredericksburg to hold the Confederates in place, while his other wings cut into the rear of the Confederates.
Undaunted, Robert E. Lee, too, split his forces to meet these threats, leaving some 56 cannon and 11,000 soldiers at Fredericksburg to hold the Federals in place, while Lee and Stonewall Jackson led the remainder of the army west to thwart Hooker. On May 3, 1863, Union forces overwhelmed Lee's rear guard at the Second Battle of Fredericksburg.
Our Battle Today
The tract is entirely inside the authorized boundary of the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. Yet it is now unprotected and features several modern structures.
The current zoning for this property allows for development into 34 residential townhouse lots, and developers have been chewing at the bit to acquire it.
We were able to negotiate a sale with the landowner, but it won't come cheap. It's going to cost us $1.525 million over three years. And the first $500,000 is due soon!
Join us today in this special effort to preserve twice-hallowed ground. Let's save history together!
'Til the battle is won,
David N. Duncan, President
American Battlefield Trust