Natural Wonders and War Remembrance

Natural Wonders:

The Rappahannock River is the main geographic feature that distinguishes Fredericksburg from other cities, and it offers one of the most scenic and best-protected river corridors in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. It is the longest free flowing river in the eastern United States, originating in the Shenandoah National Park of western Virginia and extending east 184 miles to the Chesapeake Bay.

The Rappahannock River provides the northern boundary for Fredericksburg, running along much of its historic downtown. The river played a dominate role in the city’s history and remains one of the community’s biggest assets.

A number of American Civil War battles took place along the Rappahannock, and it is otherwise historically important for its evidence of early Native American (Algonquian) and colonial settlements, mill sites, and navigation canals and locks. The river’s name is of Algonquian origin, from a word meaning “quick rising waters.”

Sources:

Rappahannock River. (n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2020, from https://www.fredericksburgva.gov/210/Rappahannock-River

Rappahannock River. (n.d.). Retrieved November 24, 2020, from https://www.britannica.com/place/Rappahannock-River

War Remembrance:

The monument to the 7th Michigan Volunteer Infantry, constructed on August 31, 2003, is at the Upper Landing Site of the Rappahannock River a few blocks north of the center of Fredericksburg at the corner of Sophia and Hawke Streets.

In December 1862, Union General Ambrose Burnside ordered pontoon bridges to be thrown across the Rappahannock River. Colonel Norman J. Hall asked for volunteers to flush out Confederate riflemen by crossing the Rappahannock in pontoon boats.

The 7th Michigan Volunteer Infantry responded to his call. The men of the Seventh poled and paddled their way across the river. Once ashore, they drove the Confederate riflemen from their concealments. The battle of Fredericksburg occurred two days later on December 13, 1862.

Visit the 7th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment Monument:

Address: 7th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment Monument, Fredericksburg, VA 22401

7th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment monument

Other Historical Monuments to Visit:

This is one of many historical monuments constructed throughout Fredericksburg. Others include:

Thomas R.R. Cobb

Marye’s Heights Compass Rose

Prospect Hill Compass Rose

The Fifth Corps, Army of the Potomac

Major General Andrew A. Humphreys

Irish Brigade

Jackson on the Field

Sergeant Richard R. Kirkland

Colonel Joseph A. Moesch

Parker’s Battery (C.S.A.)

127th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment

Martha Stevens

Stuart and Pelham

Sources:

7th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment monument. (2017, July 10). Retrieved November 23, 2020, from https://stonesentinels.com/fredericksburg/tour-battlefield/upper-landing/7th-michigan-monument/

Monuments and Markers at Fredericksburg. (2020, March 26). Retrieved November 23, 2020, from https://stonesentinels.com/fredericksburg/monuments-markers/