Grant Comes to Virginia
The Battle of Fredericksburg
This short trail leads to "Grant's Knoll." For three days Gen. Ulysses S. Grant made his headquarters here, issuing orders that would determine the fate of armies and men. President Abraham Lincoln had recently appointed Grant general-in-chief over Union armies throughout the country. Rather than remain in Washington, Grant chose to travel with Gen. George G. Meade's Army of the Potomac, which was battling Lee's Confederates here in Virginia. Grant hoped to infuse the Union army with his own relentless drive and determination. He succeeded.
Grant's strategy was simple: hammer at the South day in and day out until it buckled under the weight of superior Union manpower and resources. The results were bloody but effective. In less than a year, the Confederate army in Virginia was battered into submission.
"We must make up our minds to get into line of battle and stay there; for that man [Grant] will fight us every day and every hour till the end of this war."
-Confederate General James Longstreet
Marker is on Constitution Highway (State Highway 20), on the right when traveling west.
Courtesy hmdb.org
