Church services had been a part of the both armies on Sunday. But after Antietam in September, 1862 more and more revivals were requested by the soldiers themselves and not necessarily from chaplains. Many troops also came from a revivalist background. Officers supported revivals since there was the belief that Christian soldiers made better soldiers. … Read more
Beginning on the night of December 11, 1862 and continuing into the 12th, Fredericksburg suffered a level of destruction that had not been seen up to that time. After the event about $170,000 in donations came to the city to cover part of the losses or about $3.6 to $3.7 million in today’s dollars. Portions … Read more
December 11, 1862 would directly bring St. George’s into the hostilities of the Civil War. It was that day that the Church became a fortress against an advancing Union line coming from Stafford. Located prominently on a hill overlooking key streets to the north, the Church provided a wonderful location for soldiers to view approaching … Read more
Even before forces clashed Fredericksburg, we were close to the early battles in central Virginia to have an affect on life here. Confederate troops were garrisoned here and unfortunately fell victim to disease. Minutes from a City Council meeting on Nov. 1, 1861, record how a section of the city-owned Potter’s Field cemetery for indigents … Read more
William D. Smith was the rector at St. George’s at the turn of the 20th century having assumed that position as of January, 1897 at the tender age of 34. He was a Virginian from Clarke County in the Shenandoah Valley and took his seminary training at Virginia Theological Seminary. Prior to being called to … Read more
Both St. George’s and Fredericksburg were on a growth spurt just prior to the Civil War when the disaster of war struck. The Church experienced rapid growth in membership in the 1820’s, early 1830’s and then in the year prior to Edward McGuire’s death in 1858. However, there had been some lean years in the … Read more
There are only a few photographic pictures of St. George’s during the Civil War. However, those we have show a young church less than 15 years old. The next pictures would not be taken until 40 years later after George Eastman had developed transparent roll film and the roll holder that made photography easier and … Read more
150 years after the Civil War, Fredericksburg remains a richly stocked laboratory for studying that conflict. You can see it in the homes and buildings that remain from the conflict; you can feel it in the vivid descriptions left by soldiers and observers. Rather than only a study of the combat, the next few months … Read more
St. George’s has 17 windows (or more depend on how you count them). Most were placed in the decade between 1907-1917. Check out the variety of windows and those who purchased them for the church
1. The Gift The 2 Patens and 2 cups (chalice, flagon) were an 1827 gift by John Gray to St. George’s as recorded by historian Philip Slaughter in his History of St. George’s Parish in the County of Spotsylvania, and Diocese of Virginia: With a Biography of the Author and a Continuation, Embracing the … Read more