First Day at Chancellorsville

First Day at Chancellorsville (HM1FRI)

Location: Fredericksburg, VA 22407
Buy Virginia State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 38° 18.043', W 77° 36.723'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 442 views
Inscription

A Dangerous Field Hospital



The shell(s) fell pretty thick around me at first but that soon stopped and I went on operating." — Surgeon John Shaw Billings



As the Union army fell back, the structures atop this ridge made convenient targets for Confederate gunners. One of these buildings, a "little frame house" probably inhabited by the Newton family, served as a field hospital. Federal Surgeon John Shaw Billings noticed that "the wounded who could walk would not stop" at the house because "it was entirely too close" to danger.



Many Union regiments had bands. The bandsmen, who typically helped transport the wounded when not playing music, carried the more severely injured soldiers to the hospital here but never went back for a second load. Billings recalled, "Finally a shell went through this wooden shanty making a deuce of a clatter, and that settled the question of the men stopping." Billings moved the field hospital back about 200 yards, to the house of Absalom McGee.



(captions)

(lower left) A field hospital at Chancellorsville — Courtesy Library of Congress

(upper right) Frame house near Fredericksburg showing the effects of artillery fire. — Courtesy Library of Congress
Details
HM NumberHM1FRI
Series This marker is part of the Virginia Civil War Trails series
Tags
,
Placed ByVirginia Civil War Trails, Civil War Trust
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Thursday, September 18th, 2014 at 7:06am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 271590 N 4242409
Decimal Degrees38.30071667, -77.61205000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 38° 18.043', W 77° 36.723'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds38° 18' 2.58" N, 77° 36' 43.38" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)540
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling West
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 6301-6353 Plank Rd, Fredericksburg VA 22407, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Nearby Markersshow on map
Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. What historical period does the marker represent?
  2. What historical place does the marker represent?
  3. What type of marker is it?
  4. What class is the marker?
  5. What style is the marker?
  6. Does the marker have a number?
  7. What year was the marker erected?
  8. This marker needs at least one picture.
  9. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  10. Is the marker in the median?
© 2024  Historical Marker Project.  All Rights Reserved.
All registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
HMP is owned and operated by 3RiverDev (Fort Wayne, Indiana).
Terms and Conditions   |   Privacy Policy   |   Disclaimers   |   About   |   Contact Us