Fredericksburg, Virginia USA

[Raudy]

Hi Fredericksburg Sketch Crawlers! Hope many of you can join us for this crawl on July 14th. We will meet at 10 a.m. at the statue of The Angel of Marye's Heights in the Fredericksburg Battlefield. This statue is on the part of Sunken Road that is closed to vehicles. You can park anywhere in the neighborhood. We will plan to have lunch around noon at the Sunken Well Tavern on Littlepage St. We can decide at that point if we want to continue into the afternoon. Besides the famous statue, the park includes the stone wall behind which Confederate soldiers defended the heights in the 1862 Battle of Fredericksburg, an 1800s building, the national cemetery, and beautiful trees. Some of the homes in the neighborhood are also interesting. Let us know if we can expect you. See you then!
Raudy

[Raudy]

We are still on for the crawl in Fredericksburg Saturday. If you'd like to join us, please leave a note here so we can expect you. Hope it won't be too hot but we can play it by ear.

[Raudy]

Anita and I went to the battlefield park at Sunken Road to sketch. We found a good spot in the shade to sketch the statue of the Angel of Marye's Heights. I have walked past this statue a hundred times but never really stopped to look carefully at it. I was taken in particular by Kirkland's hand holding that of the wounded soldier. Here is the Wikipedia account of Richard Rowland Kirkland:
On December 13, 1862, Kirkland's unit had formed at the stone wall at the base of "Marye's Heights" near Fredericksburg, Virginia. In the action that followed, he and his unit inflicted heavy casualties on the Union attackers. On the night of December 13, walking wounded made their way to the field hospital while those who were disabled were forced to remain on the battlefield. The morning of December 14 revealed that over 8,000 Union soldiers had been shot in front of the stone wall at Marye's Heights. Many of those remaining on the battlefield were still alive, but suffering terribly from their wounds and a lack of water.
Soldiers from both sides were forced to listen to the painful cries of the wounded for hours, with neither side daring to venture out for fear of being shot by the enemy. At some point during the day, Kirkland allegedly approached Confederate Brig. Gen. Joseph B. Kershaw, also from Kershaw County, South Carolina, and informed him that he wished to help the wounded Union soldiers. By Kershaw's own account, at first he denied the request, but later he relented. However, when Kirkland asked if he could show a white handkerchief, General Kershaw stated he could not do that. Kirkland responded "All right, sir, I'll take my chances."
Kirkland gathered all the canteens he could carry, filled them with water, then ventured out onto the battlefield. He ventured back and forth several times, giving the wounded Union soldiers water, warm clothing, and blankets. Soldiers from both the Union and Confederate armies watched as he performed his task, but no one fired a shot. General Kershaw later stated that he observed Kirkland for more than an hour and a half. At first, it was thought that the Union would open fire, which would result in the Confederacy returning fire, resulting in Kirkland being caught in a crossfire. However, within a very short time, it became obvious to both sides as to what Kirkland was doing, and according to Kershaw cries for water erupted all over the battlefield from wounded soldiers. Kirkland did not stop until he had helped every wounded soldier (Confederate and Federal) on the Confederate end of the battlefield. Sergeant Kirkland's actions remain a legend in Fredericksburg to this day..