The Mississippi Civil War Sesquicentennial continues and in the coming months we will be highlighting Museum Division collections related to 1862 and the Civil War. Special thanks to Nan Prince, Asst. Director of Collections, for writing this series.
The Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia, began on December 11, 1862, when a brigade of Mississippians under the command of General William Barksdale fired on Federal troops as they were building pontoon bridges to cross the Rappahannock River. The ensuing battle lasted five days and resulted in staggering casualties, 13,353 US and 4,576 CS. Among the Mississippi soldiers involved in this battle was Private J.M. Weatherly serving under Barksdale in Company I, 13th Mississippi Infantry. According to his service records, Private Weatherly was wounded on December 11 and his leg was amputated. His crutch is pictured here. Weatherly returned to Attala County, Mississippi, after Fredericksburg where he married, fathered thirteen children and died of heart failure on August 17, 1892, at the age of forty-nine.
The Bible pictured below was found in the Federal lines at Fredericksburg on December 16, 1862. A faint inscription inside the front cover reads “Jack Boyd, Co. I, 13th Miss / This book found in Fredericksburg with other property Dec. 16th / 62.”
Artifacts from the Museum Division collection that are not on exhibit are available for viewing by appointment. Please contact Nan Prince, Assistant Director of Collections, by email to schedule an appointment.
Sources:
National Park Service, “Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields National Military Park,” http://www.nps.gov/frsp/index.htm.
National Park Service, “CWSAC Battle Summaries: Fredericksburg I,” http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/va028.htm.