150th Commemoration of the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House

The Bloody Angle at
the Spotsylvania Court House battlefield

The 150th anniversary of the battle of Spotsylvania Court House is coming up in just a few weeks—part of the larger action known as the Overland Campaign. We’re busy at the Ridge getting ready for the commemoration.

A big chunk of the Union army occupied the ground that’s now Stevenson Ridge. We still have earthworks that criss-cross the property, but there are other signs of the army’s presence, too. Chris has been hard at work this spring piecing together the story that took place here, and he’s been developing new materials that will help tell that story to our guests.

On May 1, we’ll be hosting Spotsylvania County’s annual Dinner with the Generals. That will kick off four days of commemoration by Spotsylvania County, including the annual reenactment, which is always very popular.

On May 2, the Friends of Fredericksburg Area Battlefields will host their third annual Civil War Symposium at the Old Courthouse in Spotsylvania. One of the featured speakers is John Cummings, who offers tours for our guests here at the Ridge.

On May 3, Chris will be a featured speaker for the Lake of the Woods Study Group’s program commemorating the battle of the Wilderness. On May 4, he’ll be doing a book signing at the NPS’s Chancellorsville Battlefield Visitor Center.

And of course, the National Park Service will be hosting a number of events throughout the first two weeks of May.

(And while we’re talking about Civil War events, don’t forget about our upcoming Emerging Civil War Symposium August 15-17!)

As you might imagine, lots of visitors are coming to Spotsylvania County for the sesquicentennial events, and that means our houses are filling right up. In fact, all of our historic houses are booked for the first two weekends of May. (The only exception is the Riddick House, which is still available May 9 & 10; rates are $285-$395/night, depending on the number of lodgers.)

We do still have limited availability for several of our houses on weeknights during the first two weeks of May, too.

We hope to see you here in Spotsylvania for these once-in-a-lifetime events!