The Canal Ditch: Battlefield Obstacle
The Rappahannock Canal fed lesser waterways that powered a variety of small industries. One of these secondary drainages branched off from the main canal in this area and became an obstacle to Federal troops during the 1862 battle of Fredericksburg.
On December 12 , the 82nd New York Infantry Regiment cleared Confederate pickets from a paper mill (no longer standing) between the main canal and what was called the canal ditch. They secured the gates to close off the water flow, but the ditch remained a deep and muddy obstacle when the Federal assault columns moved forward the next day.
On December 13, the 71st infantry deployed on the elevated ground to your left, where the Mary Washington monument lay on its side, unfinished. They maintained a picket line in this area while their comrades attacked the Confederates at Marye’s Heights.
Marker can be reached from Rappahannock Canal Footpath 0.1 miles west of Washington Avenue.
Courtesy hmdb.org
