Massaponax Baptist Church
Not long after the new church was occupied, the American Civil War began. Black members of the church were given letters of dismissal. Several small churches were established for the disenfranchised blacks.
Church services ended for the duration of the war. During that time, the church was used as a stable, hospital, headquarters for planning strategy. Soldiers used the interior walls to draw scenes of battle, write messages, and leave names of troops, companies, and soldiers. The walls were whitewashed after the war to cover the graffiti. In 1938, during renovation work, the writing on the walls was exposed. Portions of the graffiti are now visible behind plexiglass frames.
On May 21, 1864, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant, Major General George Meade, other generals and their staffs met at the church after the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. Also present was Assistant Secretary of War Charles A. Dana. During the meeting, Grant ordered his troops to carry church pews outside to provide a place for the generals to rest and plan strategy. The meeting was photographed from the second floor of the church by Timothy H. O'Sullivan, a noted 19th-century photographer of the Civil War and, later, of the Western United States.
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
- ^ "History". Massaponax Baptist Church. Massaponax Baptist Church. Archived from the original on 17 April 2011. Retrieved 5 June 2012.
- ^ Loth, Calder, ed. (2000). The Virginia Landmarks Register. Virginia Department of Historic Resources. p. 497. ISBN 9780813918624. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
- ^ Ethier, Eric; Aloisi, Rebecca (2008). Insiders' Guide to Civil War Sites in the EasternTheater. Globe Pequot. p. 143. ISBN 9780762741823. Retrieved 5 June 2012.
- ^ Frassanito, William A. (1983). Grant and Lee: the Virginia campaigns, 1864-1865. Scribner. p. 121. ISBN 9780684178738.
- ^ "Virtual Tour Stop, Massaponax Church". Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park. National Park Service; United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 6 June 2012.