Visitor Guide to Fredericksburg Battle Sesquicentennial

The National Park Service (NPS) joins the City of Fredericksburg in commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Fredericksburg from Dec. 7 - 15, 2012.

The weekend of Dec. 7 - 9 will include a bus tour, a walking tour, lectures, living history demonstrations and re-enactments. 

The weekend's culminating event is Sunday's "A Nation Remembers: Fredericksburg" procession, which begins at 1 p.m.  From the shore of the Rappahannock River at Riverfront Park, participants will walk through town to the Sunken Road. 

The procession will be "accompanied by the words of those who were there, and witness to the names of those who fell," according to the Visitor Guide.  There also will be the simulated explosion of 100 shells per minute, the tolling of bells and the playing of drums.

At 3 p.m., descendant units of both Virginia's Stonewall Brigade and the Union's Irish Brigade will participate in a program of music, reflection and salutes.  Participants will lay flowers on the stone wall in remembrance of the fallen.

Events continue through the week, and are outlined in the free 12-page Visitor Guide. A digital version is available for download. The booklet also can be found at NPS visitor centers, local visitor centers for the City of Fredericksburg, Stafford County and Spotsylvania County.

Entities wishing to make the booklet available should contact Louise Brent for copies: Louise_Brent@nps.gov or 540 371-0802.

The Visitor Guide was produced by the cooperative effort of the National Park Service, the Regional Tourism Alliance, Eastern National and Fire on the Rappahannock.

Visit Battle of Fredericksburg 150th for information about and coverage of the week's events by Fredericksburg Patch.

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