An Oasis of Civil War Carnage

Atists conception of Chatahm Manor over looking Fredericksburg

 Chatham Manor Allows You to Stop And Reflect


I  like to visit Civil War battle grounds. I have visited many and have noted the carnage that was produced. The numbers of killed and wounded boggle the mind.  One, Chatham Manor in Virginia stays with me more than that of others. On the banks of the Rappahannock river in Stafford county. Across from the city of Fredericksburg.  It was not actually the scene of a battle but the scene of where wounded Union Soldiers were taken. Soldiers of Gen. Burnside's forces. After a bitter and disastrous defeat. Standing on the bank of the river behind the manor you can see the City of Fredericksburg.  The Manor is only one room wide with a hallway running down the length of it that provided access to each room.  It was constructed in this way to take advantage of the cross breezes that would provide ventilation. The termination of each end of the hall there was a room that capped either end.  It is a stately house. Constructed of red  brick and mortar. It had multiple owners through it's existence. The first being named Fitzhugh. It sat on 1200 hundred acres and was built in 1771. It produced what plantations of the time produced and made income from. The estate was home to at least 100 slaves. It was the site of a slave revolt in 1805 when the slaves protested the early termination of Christmas break by the overseer.  One owner of Chatham willed that all slaves be set free in and around the 1850s but the will was deemed to be null and void. When challenged in court by a new owner of the manor.

Chatham Manor Today

The notable people that visited the Manor were George Washington, Lincoln and later George Marshall and Dwight Eisenhower. Although no battles were fought on the site. The surrounding areas were scenes of intense fighting. Clara Barton  founder of the Red Cross and Walt Whitman were volunteers at the manor. Which was used as a hospital and rest area. I had a chance to glimpse at a diary kept by Barton that described arms and legs that were amputated stacked up to the sills of the first floor windows. The fact that it was not the actual scene of active fighting also allowed me to pause. I stood and tried to imagine what it was like to be there and reflect upon the time it was used for the purpose of healing wounds amputations and burying the dead. It was sort of a rest area for me as well. When standing on the banks I tried to imagine soldiers of each side communicating with each other. By sending notes across the river on little boats made of sticks and leaves. Later to perhaps be thrown into battle against each other.