The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-05-16
Memorable Battleilelds.


annual reunion Of the Confederate
veterans at Louisville, the main pro-
visions Of bill now before Congress,
to create in Virginia national park,
embracing the battlefields adjacent to
Fredericksburg, will be interesting.
| The bill provides that for the pur-
pose of preserving and suitably mark
ing for historical and professional mil
itary study the famous battlc6elds in
Spottsylvania County, Va, known as
Fredericksburg, Salem Church, Chan
cellorsvillc, the Wilderness and Spott-
sylvania Court House, all of them
within radius of eight miles, and on
which limited territory the late distn-
guished Union general, John G.. New
ton, after careful Investigation, de-
clared that moro great battles were
fought, more men engaged, and more
execution was d)ne than on any simi-
lar area in the world.
The report made on the subject by
the House Committee on Military
Affairs recommended the passage of
the bill. 1t sets forth that it is propos-
ed to set apart 5000 acres in Spott-
sylvania County, Va, embracing the
area on which were fought the great
battles of fredericksburg, Chancel-
lorsvillc, the. Wilderness and Spott-
sylvania Court House also Marye's
Heights, IIamilton's Crossing, Salem
Church, Laurel Grove, the Bloody
Anglo, Todd's Tavern, the Po and Ny
rivers. The land may now be pur-
chased at an average Of eight dollars
per acre.
Troops from every State, North and
South, were here arrayed in battle to
the number of at least 500, 1000, and
more men were here engaged than in
any battle in the world history. The
losses in killed, wounded and missing
on both sides aggregated 129, 1888, to
wit: Fredericksburg, Dec. 13, 1862
Union loss, 1883 Confederate loss,
1876. Charlottesville, May l to 4,
1863-Union loss, 5000; Confede-
rate loss, 1921. Wilderness, May S
to Z, 1864-IJnion loss, 37,737 Con-
federate loss, 11,4OO. Spottsylvania
Court House, May 8 to 19, 1854
Union loss, 26, ,461 Confederate loss,
5000. OF the aggregate of 129,838,
the Union loss was 92.581, while the
Confederates lost 81 ,257. In the ma
tional cemetery on Maryc's Heights,
the largest in the nation, there lie
buried 16,500 Union soldiers, and fre-
quent additions are made from the
exhumations on the battlefelds.
The general officers who here offered
up their lives q sacrifice to their con-
v;otions were, on the Union side, Ma
jor Generals John Sedgwick, Hiram
G. Berry and Amiel w. Whipple, Bre-
vet Major Generals James S. Wads-
worth and Alexander Hays, Brigadier
Generals George D. Bayard, Conrad
f. jackson, Edmund Kirby, James G.
Rice and Thomas j. Stevenson and
on the Confederate side, Lieutenant
General Thomas J. (StonewalD Jack
son, Brigadier Generals Thomas Il. r.
Cobb, Junius Daniel, Abner Perrin,
Macy Gregg. e. f. Paxton, J. nj.
Jones, Leroy A. Stafford and Micah
jenkins. Over the entire field the
intrenchments are in q remarkable
state Of preservation, protected in
large part by heavy growth Of tim
Der.
Capt. John Smith, within the limits
Of what is now fredericksburg, fought
the Indians in 1903. Here Washing
tons boyhood days were spent, and
from Fredericksburg he went to join
the army Of Braddock. Near the city
was opened the first iron mine ever
worked in America, from the product
Of which the cannon and cannon balls
used in the Revolutionary war were
made.-Nep Orleans Pscnyune.