Chatham Plantation: Witness to the Civil War. Teaching with Historic Places.

On a bluff in Stafford County, Virginia, overlooking the Rappahannock River and the town of Fredericksburg beyond, stands the 18th-century plantation house called Chatham. For years this house stood as the centerpiece of a prosperous estate supported by nearly 100 slaves. Between 1862 and 1864 it became, in turn, an army headquarters, a communications center, a hospital, a campsite, and a refuge from the cold for Union soldiers. Four major Civil War battles were fought in the countryside surrounding Chatham. In the wake of passing armies, Chatham, like the war-torn town visible from its front door, emerged standing but forever changed by the turmoil of the Civil War. This lesson is based on the National Register of Historic Places registration file, Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park and Cemetery, and primary sources from the park. The lesson can be used in U.S. history courses on the Civil War and women's history. It is divided into eight sections: "About This Lesson"; "Getting Started: Inquiry Question"; "Setting the Stage: Historical Context"; "Locating the Site: Maps" (Fredericksburg, VA and surrounding region; Chatham, above the river (inset), and Fredericksburg region); "Determining the Facts: Readings" (Impact of the Civil War on Chatham; Chatham at the Center of Military Activities; Chatham as a Hospital); "Visual Evidence: Images" (Advertisement for Chatham; Chatham, c. 1862; Chatham as it appears today); "Putting It All Together: Activities" (Write a Letter Home; Restoration of Chatham; Living through a War); and"Supplementary Resources." (BT)