Hazel Grove Artillery Position (Chancellorsville Battlefield)

What you see from Hazel Grove is what Confederate artillerists saw on May 3, 1863: the ground from which their guns would dominate the Union line. Lieutenant Colonel Edward Porter Alexander's battalion took the rise: 18 guns from four Virginia batteries, then 10 more, including pieces from the Madison Louisiana Light Artillery under Captain George V. Moody. The Hazel Grove batteries completely dominated the Federal defenses near Fairview. As crews ran out of ammunition, Alexander replaced them with fresh batteries—a rotating barrage that didn't stop. The 4th U.S. Artillery, Battery K, positioned closest to Hazel Grove, lost 45 men out of 120 and 59 horses. The gunners' only complaint was the poor quality of Confederate-made shells.

The site is part of Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park, which protects four major Virginia battlefields from 1862 and 1863. Replica cannon mark the battery positions. Stand where the guns stood and the battlefield's geometry becomes clear.