grave of stonewall jackson's arm

On a working farm, down a long, fenced in driveway stands a little burial plot for Stonewall Jackson's arm, that the surgeons cut off of him after he was wounded by his own men.

Through the years, we have been to the Chancellorsville Battlefield where Stonewall Jackson was shot, the Stonewall Jackson Shrine where he died and Jackson's home and grave in Lexington, but we have somehow missed the grave of Stonewall Jackson's arm. To remedy this omission, we made a stop there on a recent cold winter's day.The directions from Roadside America (http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2348) were a big help in locating the site and the information on the National Park Service website was informative since Ellwood House was closed on the day we were there. (http://www.nps.gov/frsp/ellwood.htm) We had to park at the closed gate and walk about 1/2 mile along a road between cornfields to reach the property. There are a few interpretive signs which encircle the house and a sign showing the way to the cemetery, which you cannot see from the house. The gravestone is the only one in the fenced-in cemetery. The entire visit, including the 1 mile walk to/from Ellwood House from the gate, took about 30 minutes. I would recommend this stop for anyone who has an interest in Civil War history or just roadside oddities.

We went here just to see the final resting site of Stonewall Jackson's arm. I figured it would be something different. There was a volunteer working and he was very informative and friendly. The hose was closed for the winter so we learned about the cemetery, trees and other outdoor things. The volunteer that took the time to chat with us brought more insight to the site.

The view from their memorial was beautiful. A little difficult to get up close and personal with the memorial because of the heavy fencing around the site. If you like hanging out and meetin the residents of old cemeteries,this is a great one.

Any Civil War Buff must stop here. This is worth a stop. After finishing here you must go to where Jackson died. It is all too fitting.

This out of the way spot is a must for Jackson devotees. On the Lacy (Elwood) House property, owned and operated by the National Park System, it is a part of the Wilderness Battlefield Park. The walk to the site is not bad, and it will open up and give you a view across Route 3 to where Jackson's arm was amputated in May 1863. Not much to see, and the monument was set there in the 1920's or so, by a Marine officer who viewed the site after a war games exercise in the area. If you are a Jackson historian, then you need to see this site, and continue on your way to the Jackson Shrine to see where he died from the complications of the amputation and pneumonia.

A pleasant drive south on Constitution Highway leads to the tranquil location of the Elwood house, which played a major part in the Battle of the Wilderness. Leading down a short path, the visitor comes upon a family burying plot, the highlight of which is a tombstone bearing the inscription, "The Arm of Stonewall Jackson." The home is owned by the Park Service, but maintained by a force of volunteers, each and everyone of whom is willing to tell the visitor about the house itself and about the special stone in the cemetery.

Summer 2005 we were driving in rural Virginia on vacation when a brown sign stating "House where Stonewall Jackson Died" was on the side of the road. I quickly cut into the driveway saying "should we stop?" to the backseat chorus of "Noooooo!" Since we were committed to the turn, I dragged everyone through the house where Stonewall Jackson died.Flash forward nine years. We're visiting Fredericksburg and I see on the list of attractions "Grave of Stonewall Jackson's Arm". How could we not visit this site? It turned into a real adventure, as several of the on line sites that mentioned it did not have the correct location and we spent at least an hour searching in the wrong locations. At this point it turned into a challenge that we could not walk away from. Fortunately for me, my son-in-law was more passionate about it than I was or we might have given in to the naysayers of our group.We finally located Ellwood, arriving about 1/2 hour after they closed. We didn't get to tour the house, but the grounds were open until sunset. The Park Service had some kind of program taking place that evening so there were still rangers on site and one of them pointed us in the right direction. A short walk brought us to a small family cemetary with only one remaining stone, that of Stonewall's arm. I won't bother to post a picture because it is no different than the ones already here.This is probably not a place that most people would want to visit just to see the stone. I can't comment on the Ellwood House as we were too late to see inside. But let's face it, how many people do you know who can say "I saw where Stonewall Jackson's arm is buried"?For those wanting to visit, take Plank Road (Rt 3) west out of Fredericksburg. It's about 12-1/2 miles from the Rt3/Rt95 intersection to the intersection of Rt 3 and Rt 20. Take a left on Rt 20 heading south. Go about 0.6 miles and there will be a brown sign on the right saying "Ellwood Manor" and a dirt driveway on the left. Turn into the dirt driveway and follow it up to the parking area, about 0.4 miles. As you are approaching the house from the parking area there will be a small sign saying Cemetary pointing you off to the right. Follow the path that goes between some boxwoods, down a small set of wooden stairs and out across the corn field to a small family plot surrounded by a split rail fence.

Ellwood house tour was good, as we had a very interesting docent. Don't go just to see the burial site of Stoney J's arm.

A very well kept period home used by Union Army as a hospital but where Stonewall Jackson was brought after he was wounded by friendly fire and where his arm was amputated and subsequently buried there.. It has been in continuous use thus well preserved. Tours of the grounds and cemetery and interior of the home were offered by enthusiastic volunteers and park service personnel.

Of course the reason we visited Ellwood is because of the burial of Stonewall's arm. Even if I was not interested in the War Between the States, I would have to visit a place that was known for the internment of a body part. Apart from the arm, the house and grounds are a good example of a plantation of moderate size and "importance". Sort of a large farm. If you can go on a day when there are living history personnel on site (it was used as field hospital - interim place for the injured, between the battlefield and back home) it will make your visit much more interesting.

How can you really rate a place like this? If you really understand the importance of visiting, this is an experience like few others. If you don't get it, this is a small family cemetery in a rather pleasant location. Either way, Ellwood is well worth visiting - with all the respect and decorum due a burying ground.

We stopped by to see Ellwood, the small plantation house, and found the docent interesting and well informed. Not worth a detour, but if you are nearby, stop in. Admission is free but contributions appreciated.

Admission is free; docents are very helpful, home is nicely restored and the grave site is most unusual as it just contains an arm. Whomever insisted that it be remembered was aware of the significance of what would become of a world class general.

the grave is off the beaten path so you must perservere. Its worth the effort to find the grave. Very peacefull with a nice view. The Elwood building is interesting and well worth the extra 30 min. to listen to the presentation by the staff that guides you through.