Prospect Hill - Battle of Fredericksburg

One of our last stops in the Fredericksburg Battlefield was Prospect Hill, site of the Confederate right flank. We had a crazy time navigating through the City of Fredericksburg with its busy streets to find the site. Once we arrived through, Prospect Hill is a secluded place with rolling hills, beautiful foliage, and many Civil War cannons. The road leading to Prospect Hill is lined with Confederate earthworks where troops dug in to defend their lines.

During the Battle of Fredericksburg, on December 13, 1862, Federal troops assaulted the Confederate position on Prospect Hill commanded by General Stonewall Jackson. Union General Burnside hoped that a successful attack here would drive Lee off his strong position on the heights of Fredericksburg, but Jackson had no doubt his troops could defend it. Thousands of Federal troops were killed or wounded trying to cross the field known as the Slaughter Pen to attack Prospect Hill. John Pelham, a cannoneer under J.E.B. Stuart, held off the Union advance for nearly an hour with one cannon.

Union troops under General George Meade achieved a temporary breakthrough in Jackson's lines not far from Prospect Hill. This breakthrough took place where the ground was marshy and considered impassible. Meade's men drove through, scattered a Confederate brigade, and seized a road. However, reinforcements did not come to Meade's aide and a Confederate counterattack pushed the disorganized and outnumbered Union troops back. Confederate artillery from the hill drove them back as well. This failed breakthrough was the Union's best chance for success.

On the way back from Prospect Hill, we stopped at Howison Hill. Howison Hill was the site where large seige guns, called Parrot rifled cannon, were placed by the Confederate army. These cannons could fire a 30-pound shell with a range of two miles. One of the large Parrot guns on nearby Lee's Hill exploded and narrowly missed General Longstreet and General Lee. The Confederate guns on Howison Hill fired into advancing Union troops on Marye's Heights, creating a murderous crossfire.

Our visit to Fredericksburg National Battlefield concluded with this stop. After making our way up through Washington D.C. into Maryland, we stopped for the night and prepared to visit Antietam National Battlefield the next day.

Links to Learn More:

• More photos from Prospect Hill and Fredericksburg
• Virtual Tour Stop, Prospect Hill - NPS