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During the Battle of Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862, the famed Washington Artillery of New Orleans was posted around the Marye House, here on Marye's Heights. Colonel J.B. Walton, the commanding officer, had his headquarters in the house. The commander of the Fredericksburg Artillery, Edward A. Marye, lived in his family's house before the war.This unit, and Alexander's Reserve Battalion, which relieved it during the afternoon, helped hurl back seven Federal charges. His battery was posted four miles south of this position during the battle. During the Wilderness and Spotsylvania operations of May 1864, the Marye House serves as a Federal Hospital, and the wounded lay outside under the trees, one of which still stands. Known locally then and now as Brompton, the house now serves as the home for the president of Mary Washington College.  A wartime photograph showing rifle pits in front of the Marye House. |