Fredericksburg National Cemetery

Fredericksburg sits at the fall line of the Rappahannock River, halfway between Washington and Richmond — a geography that made it strategic in war and catastrophic for its residents. The Battle of Fredericksburg from December 11–15, 1862 caused significant destruction. More than 10,000 enslaved people in the region crossed the river to Union lines that year, part of a mass exodus toward freedom in wartime Virginia.

After the war ended, the federal government developed a national cemetery on Marye's Heights — the Confederate position that had turned back Federal attacks during the December battle. Congress established it in 1865; construction was completed in 1869. More than 15,000 Union soldiers are buried here, most from the four major battles fought around Fredericksburg, though some died of illness in the camps. Many graves are unidentified, soldiers buried in mass graves whose names were never recovered.

The cemetery closed to new burials in 1945. It is open daily from sunrise to sunset.