The Killing Fields
This view, taken a mile behind you, shows the vast open space in front of Marye's Heights only months after the December 1862 battle. Union troops crossed the plain between the town (in the foreground) and Marye's Heights. Some attackers advanced to within about 80 yards of the Sunken Road, and a few got as close as 40 yards. More than 7,500 Union troops fell killed or wounded in the span of the photograph, on the ground just behind you.
The photograph shows clearly both the stark nature of the battlefield and several prominent landmarks. Most important was the Stratton House, the solitary brick building at the right of the image, which gave cover to hundreds of Union soldiers. The Marye House and the Innis House (both still standing), as well as the Ebert House are also clearly seen. Today most of the open space in the image is covered by an early 20th-century neighborhood.
Marker is at the intersection of Sunken Road and Kirkland Street, on the right when traveling south on Sunken Road.
Courtesy hmdb.org
