While looking for the Pyramid, keep going to almost the very end of Lee Drive and you'll see the…read morePyramid past the railroad tracks in the distance to your left. And since you're visiting the Pyramid, take your time going down Lee Drive. Many Confederate fighting positions are still visible, including an artillery site and trench works. I found this to be more interesting than the Pyramid itself. While you can see the Pyramid from the road you can't get close to it, since it's on the other side of an active Amtrak line. About the battle: While the Union's river crossing on Day 1 and heroic attack on the Sunken Road at Marye's Heights on Day 3 get plenty of attention, Day 2 is often overlooked. In fact Meade's attack against the southern Confederate flank on Day 2 almost broke through their lines, but failed mostly because of poor communication between Union commanders. The "pyramid" stands near the point of the Union's greatest penetration. The "Slaughter Pen" (which has its own Yelp entry) is on the opposite side of the wood line. Unfortunately the Confederate and Union positions are separated by the railroad, so you can't walk the entire length of the battlefield. Funny thing about the Pyramid - it was actually built by southerners. The idea for a monument was pitched by the Confederate Memorial Literary Society to Virginia railroad execs who sought to memorialize the battle in a location visible to train travelers. The pyramid shape is based on the monument to the Unknown Confederate dead in Richmond.

A very cool hidden gem in Fredericksburg - there is a path that you can walk down but I don't think…read moreyou're supposed to. There is a train track in between the path and the pyramid. You can pull off of the road and take pictures with a zoomed lens. It was a bit challenging to find - my Apple Maps took me to the wrong place (completely different battlefield!) but android seemed to have it down just fine. Just make sure you're going to the location near Lee Dr!

This is not a grand plantation home with velvet ropes and dramatized plaques. This is the real…read moreplace where history quietly ended for one of the Civil War's most consequential figures. The small, plain building you see is the plantation office of the Chandler family, where General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson was brought after being accidentally shot by his own men at Chancellorsville in May 1863. His left arm was amputated nearby, and pneumonia soon followed. He died here days later, reportedly saying, "Let us cross over the river and rest under the shade of the trees." If that line doesn't stop you in your tracks, check your pulse. What makes this site powerful is its restraint. There's no spectacle. No romanticized grandeur. Just a quiet structure sitting beside open fields and a railroad line, which adds an eerie reminder of how the war--and the country--was rapidly changing. You're standing at the intersection of brilliance, tragedy, faith, and the brutal reality of 19th-century medicine. The space encourages reflection rather than celebration. Jackson's reputation is complex, and the site doesn't shy away from that. It presents his death as a human moment inside a massive, devastating conflict rather than a mythic ending to a legend. If you're a serious history lover, this is a must-stop. It's sobering, authentic, and deeply moving--proof that sometimes the smallest places carry the heaviest history. Pro tip: Visit quietly. This is one of those places where silence feels appropriate.

This is an important piece of civil war history. We have been meaning to stop for years and finally…read moredid. There are plenty of boards to explain the whole property and the campaign in the area. I honestly didn't know that this was home to a prison camp and was happy to learn it. If you're at the speedway or even just stopping for gas at Sheetz, take a half hour and get some history. It's totally free and well maintained.

The Slaughter Pen is the site of one of the bloodier fights that made up the Battle of…read moreFredericksburg. The Union briefly penetrated Confederate lines, but miscommunication between General Burnside and his subordinate commanders resulted in their failure to exploit the breach. After this defeat, Burnside launched an even more disastrous assault Marye's Heights the next day. How bloody was it? Five Medals of Honor were awarded to men who served here. So suffice to say, the nickname for this fight is apt. The area is primarily private property, who's owner made a deal with Civil War Trust to erect a walking path and signs through the corn farm. While bits and pieces of the overall battlefield remain, this property is unique in that it's the only remaining part of the battle where you can follow much (but not all) of the day's fighting almost from beginning to end. Be sure to park in the designated areas and not wander off the trail. The walk takes maybe 60 minutes, and is guided by a number of interpretive plaques along the path. You can also download an app to guide your tour. You can also visit the Meade Pyramid along Lee's drive, which was the Confederate trench line the Union was trying to reach. Unfortunately an AMTRAK line separates the Slaughter Pen from Lee's Drive, so you can't walk the entire length of the fight. If you enjoy the tour, thank Civil War Trust, who are working to preserve the land. This place is not part of the larger NPS Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/fredericksburg/fredericksburg-history-articles/slaughter-pen-virtual-tour/

Visit this serene farm!…read more During the battle of Fredericksburg, desperate Union soldiers - the Meade leadership fearing a thumping and the death of ranks - tried to break the Confederate lines: not possible. Meade's 'brigade' was chopped to bits in the swamp and railroad embankments. The Confederate troops did not budge. What resulted was the encirclement of Union troops; and a massacre. Bayonets pierced guts. This is the original farm as it was then. It is wooden and there are trails that meander around. There are trails plenty and many signs to guide you through, it was once the stained grounds of the Battle of Fredericksburg. Rebel review: 4

Great historical marker, in its actual setting!…read more Come debate and talk about US history! Great - and accurate in its place at the intersection of William Street - historical resource for all ages, all races, all creeds, all walks of life, all genders, all peoples! An absolute must to understand America in its 'en plein air' scenery. This is where the town of Fredericksburg sold pigs, wheat, rice, white indentured servants and shoes. Since almost all of Fredericksburg was blasted to rubble in the Civil War, this one monument still stands the test of time: not in a dustbin museum showcase, where nobody cares that an item wastes away, but in real life! Erasing history, spells ruin for future posterity. Walk with people who make America, America!! We are our Past. The Rebel review: 5 stars

Sadly another important piece of history not around anymore. Removing historical monuments doesn't…read moretake from our history.would love to know where it went?!

This place is amazing! And it's only getting better with the boardwalk addition that just opened…read morethis in the month of May!

Pretty neat area to explore. Successfully walked around with two 3 year olds. They enjoyed the mini…read moreboardwalks over the muddy areas a lot.

I was in Dallas not too long ago and took the opportunity to visit the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey…read morePlaza so when I was zipping along US 301 towards Maryland, I noticed this sign and had to turn around to find it again. It's not easy. A "historic site ahead" sign would be more than helpful as you near mile marker 122. The marker denotes the spot where John Wilkes Booth (why do they always have a middle name?) was encountered by a New York cavalry regiment after he escaped Washington following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The marker reads: "This is the site of Locust Hill, Richard Henry Garrett's farm. Early on the morning of 26 April 1865, a 16th New York Cavalry detachment cornered John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, and his co-conspirator, David E. Herold, as the two men slept in Garrett's tobacco barn. Herold gave himself up, but Booth refused to surrender. The barn was set on fire, and Sgt. Boston Corbett shot the assassin, still inside. Booth was laid on the porch of the Garrett house and died about sunrise. The house and barn stood a short distance from this spot."

People miss these markers and if you actually take time and read them …read more Your knowledge of history changes with every word. Never knew this happened right here and imagined the chase. Bell Grove plantation is just across the river.

I have to agree 100% with Kal B's review - "Q Town is what it is." Uniform tailors, barbers,…read moremilitary gear shops, some decent lunch type restaurants, a few apartments and some small homes nestled within Marine Corps Base Quantico on the Potomac River. Not much has changed there from when I first visited 29 years ago. . .I've always been amazed that there hasn't been a more concerted attempt by the Base to help clean the town up or somehow encourage businesses with staying power to invest in the town. The potential is there, with a large on-base population of military families, DoD civilians, civilian contractors, etc. Why not make the town more appealing for investors and draw in business? On the other hand, maybe that's part of the "charm" of good old Q Town - it's like going back in time to Smedley Butler's Quantico days. . .the Tokyo Japanese restaurant next to the train tracks is by far the best eatery in Q town. I've been going there for years whenever I visit Quantico for conferences, workshops, and other duties, and have never been disappointed. Yung's barber shop is the best of the MANY barbers in town - they take their time and don't rush you out of the place. The Marine Shop is legendary among Officer Candidate School and Basic School graduates for uniforms and other Marine Corps accoutrements. I wouldn't go out of my way to visit the place if I didn't have business on the base, but if for some reason you ever find yourself in the area, it's worth a stroll just to say you've visited the "Crossroads of the Marine Corps." Q Town, you will always occupy a small piece of my heart - maybe one day I can define what it is you have given me.

I think that in all fairness in saying A-OK, Quantico is what it is. A tiny town, literally in the…read moremiddle of the Gateway to the United States Marine Corps Quantico VA and those that live in "downtown" Quantico which is comprised of a bank, an ATM, the Marine Shop owned by a military company, multiple tailors and such and a hand full of restaurants and a few unappealing apartments that house the tailors for the most part and a hand full of Marines and that is IT. There is also a train station there. Quantico is and always has been a rundown tiny hole in the wall. Years ago a dental facility went in and dumped a bunch of money in with the hope of revitalizing Quantico but now that I write this and with our daughter currently at Officer Candidate School at Quantico and having been there the past several weekends, I'm not sure that it is even still there and if it is, their dream didn't come true. To come aboard Quantico, you generally have to have a DoD sticker on your car or a civilian or military identification card as well which makes it something of an annoyance at best to come aboard to go anywhere in Q'Town as it is affectionately called. I will say that one restaurant that has always been there and still is (no, not Dominos) is still a bright spot in an otherwise hole in the wall town - Tokyo Japanese is almost an institution. Don't drive from DC for it but if you're in town and need to "dine", this is the place! I've been associated with Q'town for over 26 years now. I repeat. It is what it is.

An excellent private historical site. We have been here before and took a private tour. That was no…read morelonger offered due to the foreign virus. There are live human guides around but they do not walk the place with you but are available to answer any questions you might have. The recorded tour was very good with many options to hear the story of the place and its inhabitants. The enslaved and indentured folks who lived and worked here are well represented in the tour. We really enjoyed it and highly recommend a stop. We spent 2 solid hours inside the Plantation house and walking the grounds. You can stay as long as you wish. Cost was minimal $14 each and value was excellent. You could choose just a house or exterior tour we chose both. Mark & Nancy.

Fantastic! The team were easy to work with. Great place to see and alot of family events near by. I…read morewill definitely be finitely back!