Near Marye's Hill, Virginia, December 13, 1862
The pilgrims hid their horse and carriage back in the woods and walked on foot towards the sunken road. As they approached, the voices of men grew stronger. Up ahead they could see the road and the stone retaining wall. The road had been used so much over the years, it had literally sunken into the earth at the foot of the hill. The stone wall was built to keep the dirt from collapsing onto the road. The Confederate soldiers under General Robert E. Lee and Brigadier General Cobb would use this stone wall to try and hold off the Union Army from advancing further south. The army of the Potomac would first have to cross the Rappahannock River by pontoon boats which were late in arriving. This gave the southern army a chance to bring more troops to Fredericksburg.