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This full 3600 panoramic photograph is taken from the lawn of Chatham plantation, over looking Fredericksburg and the Rappahannock River. Built in 1771 by William Fitzhugh, the house was the center of what was once an estate of over 1200 acres and for decades hosted the most influential men of the time including Washington and Jefferson. In December of 1862 the house and grounds were occupied by the Army of the Potomac and served as the headquarters for General Edwin Sumner. Following the their thorough defeat by General Robert E. Lee in the Battle of Fredericksburg, the Union forces used Chatham as a hospital to aid some of the thousands of wounded. The war left the mansion and grounds devastated. Only early in the 20th century was the estate restored. Today Chatham is a part of the Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park.
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