ECW Weekender: Snow at Spotsylvania

The Virginia snow storm this week made national news as once again weather conditions prevented anyone from advancing on Richmond. Though the restoration of the power grid and the arrival of plows and salt seemed to take as long as waiting for pontoon bridges in 1862, the snow did create a scene of beauty on the Central Virginia battlefields.

By Wednesday some of the roads looked good enough for a still-scared-of-snow-on-the-asphalt girl to venture out for a few minutes of exploration. One little icy slide and I arrived at Harris Farm battlefield, a very small acreage preserved from the May 19, 1864 combat. It was worth breaking a path to the 1st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery Monument to capture these photos.

There’s been a lot of tree damage at the battlefields and on private property in the area. As of Thursday, the National Park Service had kept the battlefield land closed. (Check the Fredericksburg-Spotsylvania NPS social media for updates.)

However, I was able to get to the Sedgwick Monument along Brock Road at Spotsylvania Battlefield. The monument and marker cannon are conveniently located outside the access gate.

The weekend’s road conditions and battlefield open/closed status are unknown at this point for Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, The Wilderness, and Spotsylvania, but the snow will likely be on the ground at least through Saturday if you feel like some very chilly adventuring (and conditions permit).

Whether you have snow or not this weekend, I hope you all stay safe and warm. And here’s to snow days, but hopefully no more wrecks, along the Rappahannock!