The park preserves and protects historic landscape, like this area where Confederate General Jackon's flank attack hit the United States 11th Corps at the Battle of Chancellorsville.
Buddy Secor
Park Purpose
The purposes of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park are:
to preserve and protect the cultural resources associated with the Civil War battlefields of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, the Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Court House
to interpret and commemorate the battlefields and related sites in the larger context of the Civil War and American history, including the causes and consequences of the war and its effect on the American people, especially on the American South
to manage natural resources to preserve the setting and environment in order to support visitor understanding and appreciation of the battlefields and related sites
Park Priorities
Priority 1: Protect Cultural and Natural Resources: Protect, maintain and improve the condition of core cultural and natural resources, including buildings, landscapes, and archeological sites.
Priority 2:Prevent encroachment and protect the park from external development and traffic: Through cooperative planning, diligent monitoring, negotiation, partnerships, advocacy, and acquisition, protect the park from physical encroachment, increasing traffic, the negative impact of adjacent or nearby development, and incompatible recreational uses.
Priority 3: Improve and upgrade interpretive facilities and media: Replace or upgrade outdated media (A-V programs, waysides, exhibits, website, and publications) parkwide and ensure that visitor facilities, including roadsides and trails, enhance the visitors’ experience.
Priority 4:Safety: Ensure a safe environment for both employees and visitors.
Priority 5:Ensure orderly succession at adequate staffing levels: Plan for personnel succession and organizational change due to retirements and constrained budgets.
Priority 6:Improve visitor services: Expand the nature and reach of interpretive programs, educational programs, and special events to increase visitation and support for the park, better serve children, and illustrate the park’s relevance to 21st Century visitors.
The Humphreys Monument in the middle of the Fredericksburg National Cemetery commemorates one of the Federal charges against Marye's Heights during the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862.
NPS Photo
Significance
Statements of significance describe why an area is important within a global, national, regional, and systemwide context. These statements are linked to the purpose of the park unit, and are supported by data, research, and consensus. Significance statements describe the distinctive nature of the park and inform management decisions, focusing efforts on preserving and protecting the most important resources and values of the park unit.
Fredericksburg, Virginia, and the surrounding area was the scene of four major Civil War battles: Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, the Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Court House. Within a 17-mile radius of the city, there were more than 100,000 casualties, reflecting the war’s tragic cost.
The assemblage of battlefields, historic landscapes, and related sites at the park commemorate major Civil War events that occurred between December 1862 and May 1864, providing an outstanding opportunity for visitors to learn about the social, political, and military aspects of the war over time. The sites and the associated events represent the transformation of the war into a conflagration that affected soldiers, civilians, and entire communities. They illustrate the progression of the war from great Confederate successes under General Lee and significant Union defeats, to the start of the final campaign that would lead to the surrender of Lee’s forces at Appomattox Court House and victory for the Union Army under General Grant.
The national military park contains nationally significant historic structures present at the time of the battles, including Chatham used by the Union Army as a headquarters and hospital; Ellwood used by the Union Army as a headquarters and by both sides as a hospital; Salem Church, a shelter for civilian refugees from Fredericksburg in 1862 and a focal point of battle in 1863; the Innis House on Fredericksburg Battlefield; and a plantation outbuilding at Guinea Station where the great Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson died in 1863, with far reaching consequences for the Confederacy.
The Fredericksburg National Cemetery honors more than 15,000 Union soldiers, who died in battle or from disease. The cemetery contains almost 85% unknown burials and is one of the largest Civil War national cemeteries.
The earthworks in Saunders Field on the Wilderness Battlefield are some of the many resources we protect in the park.
Buddy Secor
Fundamental Resources and Values
Fundamental resources and values are those features, systems, processes, experiences, stories, scenes, sounds, smells, or other attributes determined to merit primary consideration during planning and management processes because they are essential to achieving the purpose of the park and maintaining its significance.
Battlefield Landscapes
Battlefield Archeology
Civil War Historic Structures and Landscapes
Earthen Fortifications
Historic Roads, Traces, and Trails
Museum and Research Collections
Commemorative Landscape
Natural Quiet, Light, and the Lack of Modern Visual Intrusions
Park Setting
Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park contains other resources and values that may not be fundamental to the purpose and significance of the park, but are important to consider in management and planning decisions. These are referred to as other important resources and values.
Viewsheds and Adjacent Lands
Passive Recreation
Foundation Document
Foundation Document (pdf) - The park Foundation Document, published in 2015, lays out the park purpose, misson, enabling legislation, and management priorities. Foundation Document Overview (pdf) - This brief overview summarizes the park, its purpose, and the significance of protecting the resources that we manage.
