Remembering the battle at Wilderness

Zann Miner and Allison Brophy Champion / Culpeper Star Exponent
Published: May 2, 2007

FOWB kicks off anniversary of historic battle

The great generals U.S. Grant and Robert E. Lee met head-to-head for the first time during the Civil War 143 years ago this weekend at Wilderness.

Described as the most horrific battle of the war, the armies fought in dense underbrush May 5-6.

The Friends of Wilderness Battlefield, an Orange County based nonprofit organization, is very serious about preserving this sacred soil on which more than 25,000 men died, were injured or went missing. 

The anniversary weekend kicks off Friday with the fifth annual auction for preservation at the Lake of the Woods Clubhouse.

Preservation of Ellwood, a circa 1790s farmhouse on the battlefield's grounds, is among the FoWB's top charges.
Lee, himself a Virginian, knew and appreciated the natural beauty of the area.

On Aug. 4, 1861 after traveling to western Virginia, Lee wrote to his wife Mary, "I enjoyed the mountains as I rode along. The views were magnificent, the valleys so beautiful, the scenery so peaceful. What a glorious world Almighty God has given us. How thankless & ungrateful we are & how we labour to mar His gifts. May He have mercy on us!"

FoWB, an all-volunteer organization, conducts tours at Ellwood, keeps its grounds manicured and performs various tasks to enhance the visitor's experience to the battlefield.

"It is my hope that we never have to repeat the infamous words of the Gettysburg tour guide who said, 'Through these motels and fried chicken stands, Pickett's men charged. The first line faltered in the Burger King parking lot and regrouped next to the Tastee-Freeze,'" said Craig Rains, chairman of the Battlefield Resources Committee and a living historian with Orange County's Captain William L. Day Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

"We are caretakers of this special piece of ground, not only for our members in 29 states, but for all Americans who take pride in the country's history," he added.

The Union army, under Grant, and Confederates, under Lee, spent the winter of 1863-64 in Culpeper and Orange counties, converging in the Wilderness on May 5 and 6.

The expansive fields of the horrific Wilderness Battle covered thousands of acres of land that lay in Orange and Spotsylvania Counties, predominantly on the Ellwood Plantation.
It is land worth protecting.

"Preservation does so many different things at once: It protects our heritage, honors the sacred soil and maintains open space. It's a win for everyone in every respect," said Frank Walker, former FoWB board member and noted historian, preservationist and scholar of Orange County history.

The Friends of the Wilderness Battlefield membership is varied: descendants of those who fought in the battle, lived on the grounds or worked the farm, students of early American history, architecture, African-American culture or agriculture, or those whose simple wish is to protect a place where they can take their children and grandchildren to teach them first-hand about history and heritage.

Carolyn Elstner, a descendant of the second of only two families to own Ellwood and hairwoman of the Ellwood Restoration Project, has been engaged in the mission to preserve Ellwood since 1997.

Her father, Dr. Gordon Jones of Fredericksburg, as a joint owner of the property, was deeply concerned about the future of Ellwood and its vast history.

"My father wanted to insure that the house and its stories would be around for generations to come," Elstner said. "He realized that was a bigger task than one family could achieve. He arranged for the Fredericksburg Spotsylvania National Military Park to take ownership of the house and 180 acres.
"It was his wish that the house be restored and the history accessible to the public."

In 1977 the park took ownership and began stabilization and infrastructure work to the 18th century house.

The house was jacked-up and the front foundation completely rebuilt while new joists were added to reinforce the floors and ceilings. The 20th century shingled siding was removed to reveal the original clapboards and the exterior color was researched and painted to reflect its 1864 appearance.

The national military park has since added a new, shingled roof and installed heating and air-conditioning, security and fire prevention systems.

The long-term plan is to restore the house to its Civil War- era presence.

Ellwood has paid witness to much of America's history, through the birth of democracy and including domestic life, slavery, and the strife of war and agricultural practices of the 21st century.

During the American Civil War, the house served as a Confederate hospital following the 1863 Battle of Chancellorsville and as headquarters for Union Gen. G. K Warren during the 1864 Battle of the Wilderness.

Ellwood is especially celebrated as the burial ground for Gen. "Stonewall" Jackson's amputated arm.

According to Dwight Mottet, immediate past president of FoWB, "Some visitors head straight for the family cemetery to pay homage to the arm.

 "Meaning no disrespect, it is often referred to as 'the arm farm'."

In 2003, FoWB initiated efforts to raise funds for interior restoration and interpretation of Ellwood.

"Ellwood is so personal to me; I really wanted to do this. I had no idea that so many others would share my dream," said Elstner. "I hope readers will choose to participate in at least one of the activities planned for the weekend.

"I feel sure they will have a great time and who knows, they may just become believers."

Miner is a research historian and writes a weekly column for the Culpeper Star Exponent. She serves on the FoWB Board of Directors. E-mail .

Living  history displayed

History will envelop the Wilderness this weekend and visitors will have opportunities aplenty to step back in time. May 5 and 6 marks the 143rd anniversary of the Battle of the Wilderness, a bloody two-day battle between north and south that claimed some 25,000 casualties.

Various aspects of Civil War life will be on display and available for firsthand experience during this weekend's commemoration, including medicine and wartime tactics. The history events will take place on and around the battlefield in Spotsylvania County, during a bus tour of various significant sites in the area and at Ellwood, a circa 1790s farmhouse that served as both a Union headquarters and Confederate hospital.
Here are the highlights:

Saturday
-Historian Howard Coffin leads a bus tour of regional Civil War sites with a focus on the Vermont Brigade at Wilderness and Spotsylvania. "Did the Vermont Brigade save Gen. Grant's army in the thick woods at the Wilderness-" Coffin will answer that question while leading tour takers to Brandy Station and the St. James Church in Culpeper; Grant's Headquarters, Saunders Field, the Brock Road, Widow Tapp Farm, Bloody Angle and Lee's Last Line in the Spotsylvania Battlefield. More stops along the way, including a more than mile-long walk in the Wilderness woods. Motor coach tour includes lunch and snacks.

The bus leaves promptly from the Lake of the Woods clubhouse lower parking lot at 8:30 a.m. and will return by 5:30 p.m. $85 per person/$80 for Friends of Wilderness Battlefield members. Reservations required. Call 540-371-2304 for information.

Saturday
Free tours and living history at Ellwood 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. All day presentations of "A Scene I Can Never Adequately Describe," a program about the federal hospital and medical practices during the Civil War. Sponsored by FoWB.

Living history in the Wilderness - all day programs presented by the Southern Guard Living History Association at various locations. *Living historians at the Wilderness Exhibit Shelter on route 20 (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.); *National Park Service historian talks at 11 a.m. about the Federal Soldier Experience at the Higgerson Farm in a 45-minute program. Parking on the shoulder off Hill-Ewell Drive, about ¾ mile south of route 20; *NPS historian presents, "Stalled at the Clearing," at 2 p.m. in the same location; *"Confusion in the Woods" living history walking tours, departing at 5 p.m. and 5:15 p.m., parking on Longstreet Drive.

Sunday
Living history at Ellwood, "Fighting Through a Troublesome Thicket," noon
Ongoing medical programs at Ellwood, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

- Allison Brophy Champion