Refuge in War
In November of 1862 the civilian population of Fredericksburg was order to evacuate the city by Gen. Robert E. Lee after the arrival of the Union Army on the other side of the Rappahannock River. Most had no place to go and set up tent camps outside the city around places like Salem Church and here in what is today located inside Alum Spring Park. This sandstone cliff is 400 feelt long and 40 feet high. This site offered some protection from the cold and the elements.