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Stay at Wilderness Presidential Resort for Civil War Travel Near Fredericksburg, VA
Wilderness Presidential Resort is the best place to stay for Civil War travel near Fredericksburg, Virginia. Wilderness shares a property line with Chancellorsville Battlefield National Park and is nestled in the middle of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County’s Civil War attractions.
Fredericksburg Battlefield, Wilderness Battlefield, Chancellorsville Battlefield, Fredericksburg National Cemetery, and Spotsylvania Court House Battlefield are all within 12 miles of Wilderness, as are lesser-known Civil War attractions such as the Monument to Stonewall Jackson’s Arm, Catharine Furnace Ruins, and the Old Salem Church.
For the best location and lowest price, book your home base for Civil War exploration at Wilderness Resort.
Stay at Wilderness Presidential Resort for Civil War Travel in Virginia
Fredericksburg Area Civil War Attractions
|
Site |
Miles from Wilderness Resort |
|
Chancellorsville Battlefield |
0.4 |
|
The Chancellor House Site |
1 |
|
Jackson's Flank Attack Site |
1.8 |
|
Catharine Furnace Ruins |
2 |
|
Ellwood Manor |
5 |
|
Monument to Stonewall Jackson’s Arm |
5.5 |
|
Wilderness Battlefield |
6 |
|
Old Salem Church |
8.5 |
|
11 |
|
|
11 |
|
|
Spotsylvania Court House Battlefield |
11 |
|
11 |
|
|
Sunken Road |
11 |
|
Fredericksburg National Cemetery |
11 |
|
Chatham Manor |
12 |
|
Slaughter Pen Farm |
13.5 |
|
Prospect Hill |
15 |
|
17 |
|
|
17 |
|
|
"Stonewall" Jackson Death Site |
25 |
|
64 |
|
|
65 |
Waterfront Getaways in Camp Cabins, Fredericksburg, Virginia
Best RV Campgrounds in Virginia
Bring your own accommodations to Wilderness Resort with our RV sites. All are equipped with electricity and water. Sewer-equipped sites and sewer pumping service is also available.
Lakeside Cabin Rentals in Fredericksburg VA
Looking for Virginia campgrounds with cabins? Wilderness Resort offers the best cabin rentals near Fredericksburg. Our cabin rentals include an option for every budget, from fully-equipped Lakeside Camp Cabins and Presidential Log Cabins to affordable Camping RVs.
Civil War Travel in Virginia: Your Stay Itinerary
Wilderness is right in the middle of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania’s Civil War attractions. Pick and choose from the attractions you’re most interested in, or follow our suggested four day Civil War Stay Itinerary:
Top 6 Civil War Attractions in Fredericksburg
- Fredericksburg Battlefield
- Chancellorsville Battlefield Visitor's Center
- Fredericksburg National Cemetery
- Wilderness Battlefield
- Monument to Stonewall Jackson's Arm
- Chatham Manor
Your Civil War Stay Itinerary - Day One
Chancellorsville Battlefield Visitor’s Center
Start your Civil War exploration just half a mile from your home base at Wilderness Resort. Wilderness shares a property line with Chancellorsville Battlefield, and the visitor center is less than two minutes down the road.
The Chancellorsville Battlefield Visitor Center is free to visit and offers park maps, brochures, walking trails, and touring opportunities. There is a 22-minute orientation film you can view for a small fee, though you can watch it online for free before you go here.
While you’re there, explore the exhibits and walk the "Wounding of Stonewall Jackson" trail.
Ask a worker about the NPS Auto Tour Route, purchase a touring CD from the bookstore, or download the American Battlefield Trust's Chancellorsville Battle App on your phone for a guided tour experience at no cost.
Be sure to get information about the Spotsylvania Court House Battlefield and Wilderness Battlefield driving tour while you’re at the visitor’s center for later use.
The Chancellor House Site
The Chancellor family house site is part of the NPS Auto Tour Route for Chancellorsville Battlefield. Union commander Joseph Hooker directed his army from the building. It was the focal point of the battlefield, where Union troops advanced in a failed attempt to get behind the Confederates at Fredericksburg.
The Chancellor home served as a hospital and Union headquarters throughout the battle until it was destroyed by a fire.
Catharine Furnace Ruins
The Catharine Furnace Ruins, just off of Jackson Trail in the Chancellorsville Battlefield, is the site of the ruins of a once thriving furnace complex which reached its peak before the war. During the war, the complex was reactivated for use by the Confederacy. In 1864, during the Wilderness Campaign, it was burned by Union troops under the command of General George A. Custer. Today one stone stack is all that remains.
Spotsylvania Court House Battlefield
By the time you reach the far south portion of Chancellorsville Battlefield, you’ll be within fifteen minutes of Spotsylvania Courthouse Battlefield. Once there, you can recreate the battle through the NPS driving tour (information available in the Chancellorsville Battlefield Visitor’s Center), which encompasses the Court House, Laurel Hill, Lee’s Last Line, Spotsylvania Confederate Cemetery, and more.
Your Civil War Stay Itinerary - Day Two
Old Salem Church
Head towards downtown Fredericksburg for day two of Civil War exploration. On your way, stop by Old Salem Church, an important yet often overlooked part of the Battle of Chancellorsville.
Old Salem Church served as a field hospital for both sides and a refugee center for civilians during the Chancellorsville Battle. The church lies on part of the battlefield that has been all but destroyed by urban development and is one of the only buildings from the era left in the area.
The grounds are open daily from sunrise to sunset, and the church itself is open on summer weekends. Call 540-693-3200 to confirm hours if you are interested in visiting inside the church.
Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitor Center
From Old Salem Church, travel about ten minutes further east to downtown Fredericksburg, where the Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitor’s Center sits just north of the battlefield. Built in 1936 to provide an office for Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park, it now doubles as the visitor center for the Fredericksburg portion of the park.
There are two floors of exhibits that can be viewed for free, as well as another orientation film offered for a fee. You can view the film online for free here.
While you’ll want to tour the actual battlefield, be sure to explore Sunken Road and the Fredericksburg National Cemetery while you’re nearby.
Sunken Road
Directly behind the Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitor’s Center, walk the historic Sunken Road, where Union soldiers broke through a line of Confederate soldiers that used the stone wall and well-worn road for their defensive line. Nearly 10,000 Union soldiers died in the attack.
If you’re getting hungry by this point in your day, nearby restaurants include Battlefield Restaurant, Sunken Well Tavern, and many more downtown eateries.
Fredericksburg National Cemetery
Established in 1865, Fredericksburg National Cemetery is the final resting place for more than 15,000 Union soldiers that died in battle in the Fredericksburg area, though only 2,473 of those soldiers are identified. The cemetery also houses the graves of veterans of the Spanish-American War, World War I, and World War II.
Fredericksburg Battlefield
Just south of the cemetery, Lee Drive stretches along the Fredericksburg Battlefield. Explore one of the largest and deadliest battles of the Civil War by using the Civil War Trust's free Fredericksburg Battle App for a guided tour experience. Or follow the NPS Auto Tour Route, which starts at the Fredericksburg Visitor Center.
The Slaughter Pen Farm
Slaughter Pen Farm, adjacent to the Fredericksburg Battlefield, is preserved by the Civil War Trust. The unassuming 208 acre site witnessed a terrible battle on the afternoon of December 13, with many Union soldiers dying on the field under Confederate fire. Five Union soldiers were presented with the Medal of Honor for their actions in and around the field.
Prospect Hill
End your day at Prospect Hill, where "Stonewall" Jackson held the right flank of the Confederate army during the Battle of Fredericksburg.
Your Civil War Stay Itinerary - Day Three
Jackson's Flank Attack Site
If you didn’t explore it during your tour of Chancellorsville Battlefield, start your day with a visit to Jackson’s Flank Attack National park, just four minutes east of Wilderness Resort. On the afternoon of May 2, 1863, the right flank of the Union Army was located here when Stonewall Jackson's troops struck them unexpectedly. This is the site of Stonewall Jackson’s ultimately fatal wounding by his own men.
Ellwood Manor
Ellwood Manor served as a Confederate hospital after the Battle of Chancellorsville. In the fall of 1863, Union troops occupied and looted it, turning it into a Union headquarters and hospital during the Battle of Wilderness.
While the grounds around Ellwood are open sunrise to sunset year round, the hours of operation for the Manor vary by season. To access the grounds, park at the Ellwood Manor gate, leaving the gate clear, and walk 0.4 miles up the drive into the grounds.
Monument to Stonewall Jackson’s Arm
Stonewall Jackson’s chaplain retrieved the general’s arm after it was amputated, rather than allow it to be tossed on the pile of limbs outside the medical tents. He buried it in the Jones-Lacy family cemetery at Ellwood Manor.
It is unclear whether the arm is still buried at the site. Union soldiers dug it up in 1864 and supposedly reburied it, though no one knows if it was in the same spot. Some people believe the arm was stolen. Whether it is still there or not, you can visit the Ellwood cemetery to see a monument of it, reading “Arm of Stonewall Jackson May 3, 1863”.
Wilderness Battlefield
The Battle of the Wilderness, which ended in a draw, resulted in 17,500 Union casualties over a two day period. Despite this, Grant refused to order a retreat, having promised President Lincoln that he would not halt his army’s advance.
Ellwood Manor sits at the edge of the battlefield. From here, complete the NPS driving tour of Wilderness, whose information you can find at the Chancellorsville Battlefield visitor’s center.
Your Civil War Stay Itinerary - Day Four
Fredericksburg Area Museum
Located in downtown Fredericksburg, the Fredericksburg Area Museum—FAM for short—is a place to learn not only about the Civil War battlefields of the area, but also about Fredericksburg’s 40-block historic district, where much of the battle of Fredericksburg was fought.
The building that the museum is housed in was a Confederate headquarters for sharpshooters during the war and also housed a large hospital, like many of the public buildings in town. Stop by the "Fredericksburg at War" exhibit to learn about the civilian experience during the war.
Chatham Manor
Just across the river and less than a five-minute drive from the FAM lies Chatham Manor, a historic Georgian-style manor and former slave plantation. The home and grounds served as a field hospital and Union headquarters during the War, also housing an artillery platform. Famous visitors to the home include George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Clara Barton, and Dr. Mary Walker. Admission is free, and the manor is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
White Oak Civil War Museum
Drive ten minutes further east to visit White Oak Museum, which houses an extensive collection of Civil War artifacts. Many of the artifacts are items that were discarded or lost by troops in the Stafford County and Fredericksburg areas. The museum exhibits both military and personal items of both Union and Confederate soldiers. Admission is $4 for adults. The museum is generally open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday to Sunday. Call 540-371-4234 to check hours and for more information.
White Oak Primitive Baptist Church
When you’ve seen the museum, be sure to visit White Oak Primitive Baptist Church directly across the street. The church was used as a military hospital and an encampment of around 20,000 Union troops for over seven months. Fifty-two soldiers who died during the encampment were buried on the church grounds, though their bodies were later moved to Fredericksburg National Cemetery.
Your Civil War Stay Itinerary - If You Have Time
"Stonewall" Jackson Death Site
Travel thirty minutes south of Wilderness Resort to see the room that General "Stonewall" Jackson died in. An outbuilding on the Chandler plantation in the rural community of Guinea Station, his Death Site is now part of Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park. The room contains the bed frame and one of the same blankets there when Jackson died, as well as the clock on the mantel.
The building is open most days during the summer season, but the grounds are open daily from sunrise to sunset.
Historic Tredegar
A further 45 minutes south, located in downtown Richmond along the James River, is Tredegar Ironworks. Tredegar was one of the country’s largest industrial sites before the Civil War, and the largest in the Confederacy, supplying around half of the Confederate Army’s artillery.
The Historic Tredegar site is now a part of the American Civil War Museum, a 30,000 square foot museum with two galleries for exhibits and over 500 Civil War artifacts on display.