The Killing Fields wayside marker

Battle of Fredericksburg • Tour the Battlefield • Monuments & Markers • Armies

The Killing Fields wayside marker is at Stop One on the Fredericksburg battlefield Auto Tour along the Sunken Road.

The Killing Fields wayside marker on the Fredericksburg battlefield

From the marker:

The Killing Fields

This view, taken a mile behind you, shows the vast open space in front of Marye’s Heights only months after the December 1862 battle. Union troops crossed the plain between the town (in the foreground) and Marye’s Heights. Some attackers advanced to within about 80 yards of the Sunken Road, and a few got as close as 40 yards. More than 7,500 Union troops fell killed or wounded in the span of the photograph, on the ground just behind you.

The photograph shows clearly both the stark nature of the battlefield and several prominent landmarks. Most important was the Stratton House, the solitary brick building at the right of the image, which gave cover to hundreds of Union soldiers. The Marye House and the Innis House (both still standing), as well as the Ebert House are also clearly seen. Today most of the open space in the image is covered by an early 20th-century neighborhood.

Call-outs listed on the map (from left to right):
Stephens House
Innis House
Marye House (Brompton)
Stratton House
Ebert House

Location of the marker

The marker is about 25 yards northeast of the Innis House, about 300 yards north of the Visitor Center and 30 yards east of the Sunken Road. (38°17’45.8″N 77°28’05.3″W) It is across from the “Seeking Cover” wayside marker.