- FREDERICKSBURG, Va. The last privately held portion of the Chancellorsville clearing, the bulls-eye of one of the wars bloodiest engagements, has been purchased for permanent protection by Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park.
Also in June, the park announced the purchase of a 64-acre tract virtually surrounding the site of Wilderness Church at Chancellorsville, the scene of one of the few pockets of resistance by Union troops as Stonewall Jackson rolled up the Federal right in his famous Chancellorsville flank attack.
The two parcels purchased in the Chancellorsville clearing, totaling about 12 acres, were the last "inholdings" in the 85-acre clearing that were not yet in park hands. The purchase price was $239,000.
"This was the hole in the doughnut, if you will," said Assistant Superintendent John Hennessy. The land, on the north side of Route 3 about 500 yards west of the Chancellorsville intersection, includes two non-historic homes. One is to be removed this summer and the other perhaps this fall.
With the buildings removed, Hennessy said, the park will at last be able to remove a screen of trees blocking Hazel Grove and Fairview from Route 3. With the newly opened vista visitors will be able to view the course of the notorious cannon shot from Hazel Grove 2000 yards to the Chancellor House "that knocked Hooker senseless" during the battle on May 3, 1863.
"In the fighting in the Chancellorsville clearing," Hennessy said, "17,500 men fell in five yours. That's an immense rate of casualties, probably exceeding any comparable five hours in the war."
To the west, the 64-acre tract around the church, purchased by the park for $263,000, lies along the route of Jacksons surprise assault. "It's the second big piece of Jackson's flank attack mosaic that weve been able to put in place," said Hennessy, noting last years acquisition of 40 acres.
"There's still a long way to go" to complete the flank march, which comprises a total of 380 acres, according to Hennessy. "It's like building a brick wall one brick at a time but this was an important one."
Around 6 p.m. on May 2, on this property north of Route 3, the 11th Corps 26th Wisconsin put up enough resistance against Jacksons wave to "buy time" for the Union, Hennessy said.
"These little pockets of resistance slowed Jackson enough so he wasn't able to get into the heart of the Union position at Chancellorsville," giving the Federals time to regroup as night fell. The situation "led Jackson on his fateful ride that night."
The property currently comprises a non-historic home and poured-concrete chicken coops, along with open fields. Hennessy said the park plans to restore the property once the entire flank attack area is acquired. "Then well be looking at knitting it all together in terms of public access."
The park has received $5.5 million in federal funding in the last two years to purchase properties inside the boundary. "We're looking to spend it as fast as we can," said Hennessy, attempting to stay ahead of rampant development in the area. Of the 8600 acres within the parks authorized boundary, the park currently owns 7400; of the 2000 acres at Chancellorsville, the park owns 1600.
Although privately held properties lie within the park boundary, "If people want to develop their land they can," Hennessy said. The park has condemned land only once in 75 years, when an asphalt plant was proposed for the Chancellorsville intersection.
"We already have a grocery store within our boundary, across from Salem Church," Hennessy noted. "We think its the only grocery store within a park boundary anywhere. Its kind of our signature atrocity. Thats vivid evidence that bad things can happen."
