Battle of Fredericksburg • Tour the Battlefield • Monuments & Markers • Armies
The Angel of Marye’s Heights wayside marker is at Stop One on the Fredericksburg battlefield Auto Tour. It is along the Sunken Road in front of the monument to Sergeant Kirkland.
The marker is in front of the monument to Sergeant Kirkland
Text from the marker:
Angel of Marye’s Heights
While the Civil War entailed immense destruction and tragedy, it did not always engender hate. For two days following the battle, wounded Union soldiers, caught between the lines, cried out for water. Though exposure to enemy fire even for a moment meant almost certain death, Sergeant Richard R. Kirkland of the 2nd South Carolina Volunteers tried to help.
Filling several canteens with water, the young Confederate stepped over the stone wall to care for his wounded enemies. When Union soldiers understood Kirkland’s purpose, they ceased firing at him and cheered. For nearly two hours he continued his ministrations. Kirkland has since been known as “The Angel of Marye’s Heights.” He died in battle at Chickamauga, Georgia, in September 1863.
From the caption below the inset photo at lower left:
Richard Kirkland was just 19 years old when he performed his heroic deed.
Location of the marker
The marker is along the Sunken Road Trail about 350 yards north of the Visitor Center, about 50 yards north of the Innis House, and 30 yards south of the Kirkland Monument.