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Willis Hill, 8.3 acres, Battle of Fredericksburg The Central Virginia Battlefields Trust helped the National Park Service to acquire a key portion of Marye's Heights in 1996. This is what got us started.
From their perch atop Marye's Heights, soldiers of the Washington Artillery of New Orleans enjoyed a breathtaking view of Fredericksburg and the plain west of town. Although trees now limit the view and houses clutter the plain, visitors to the site can still make out several 1862 landmarks, including the steeples of St. George's Episcopal Church (right) and Fredericksburg Baptist Church (left). The CVBT played a key role in acquiring this vital historic ground at the most heavily visited site on the battlefields around Fredericksburg.
Fredericksburg was the scene of two major battles. Both times, the fighting centered on Marye's Heights, a ridge one-half mile in rear of the town. Artillery on the ridge supported Confederate riflemen standing in the Sunken Road. Today, thanks to the generosity of CVBT members, visitors can view the battlefield from either Confederate perspective.
Included in the purchase of Willis Hill were several buildings at Montfort Academy, including this 1885 house built by Lieutenant Colonel Charles Richardson, a former artillery officer in the Army of Northern Virginia. |
