Prospect Hill

Running around a mile in length, General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's 35,000 troops were spread across fields, woods, and on both high and low grounds. The historic line of the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad ran below Prospect Hill on what became the southern end of the battlefield. Some of Jackson's troops used the railroad embankment as a defense.

As dawn broke on December 13, some heavy fog hid the Union forces advancing on the plain below. This kept General Jackson from realizing that his force would be engaged in some of the first actions of the battle. Today, the earthen artillery placements that the Southern gunners used are still visible across this ridge.