Battle of Chancellorsville artifacts that were on renamed Navy missile cruiser will now be displayed at Spotsylvania County's museum

Sword, box of artifacts and Civil War saddle for years were on USS Chancellorsville (now USS Robert Smalls)

One year after the U.S. Navy changed the name of a guided-missile cruiser from USS Chancellorsville to USS Robert Smalls, numerous artifacts from the Battle of Chancellorsville that were formerly displayed on the warship have been returned to a Virginia community.

Spotsylvania County officials requested the Navy return items donated years ago by the Friends of the USS Chancellorsville.

“We are grateful artifacts previously displayed aboard the former USS Chancellorsville have found a fitting home at the Spotsylvania County Museum, where they can be shared with our community and visitors for years to come,” said Drew Mullins of the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors, in a recent press release.

The decision to rename the ship came after the Naming Commission examined more than 750 bases, facilities, buildings and more to see if they commemorated the Confederacy, according to CNN. The commission found the Ticonderoga-class cruiser’s original name honored the major Rebel victory at Chancellorsville.

Civil War sword and scabbard that have been returned by the Navy (Spotsylvania County photo)

The cruiser (CG 62) was commissioned Nov. 4, 1989, and was deployed in March 1991 to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Desert Storm.

The ship's motto was "Press On," a saying of Confederate Lt. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson when his men had Yankees on the run. Jackson was fatally shot by his own troops at Chancellorsville.

USNI News, in a 2022 article about the suggested renaming, quoted a Naming Commission leader's comments on the vessel's crest (below), heraldic background and what was said during the commissioning ceremony and before then, when a Navy officer praised the performance of Jackson and Gen. Robert E. Lee at the battle. The inverted wreath on the crest was a reference to Jackson's death.

The ship’s wardroom featured a painting of Lee and Jackson that was removed in 2016, according to USNI News.

“We looked at the entire context and felt as though that this commemorated the Confederacy,” the commissioner said.

So now, the items are back on shore. The Civil War items included in the Navy’s gifting to Spotsylvania County include:

-- A McClellan cavalry saddle

-- Two framed cases of excavated Chancellorsville battle artifacts, including buckles, belt plates, bullets, tools and uniform fasteners. They appears to be items that were used by Confederate and Union soldiers.

-- An Ames Model 1860 Light Cavalry Saber presented in 1992 to the ship’s captain.

-- Framed map of Chancellorsville 

-- “Battle of Chancellorsville, Sunday, May 3, 1863” print (original art from “Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Famous Leaders and Battle Scenes of the Civil War,” 1896) 

-- A copy of “The Campaign of Chancellorsville: A Strategic and Tactical Study” by John Bigelow Jr., 1910 Yale University Press

Craig Carroll presented these battle belt plates for ship (Spotsylvania County)

The collection includes several modern items associated with the cruiser.

“Plans are underway for the artifacts to go on display but that date has yet to be determined since we just recently acquired the items,” Michelle McGinnis, director of community engagement and tourism for the county, told the Picket in an email.

It has not yet been determined which items will go on display, she said.

Mullins said the museum will be the “perfect location and will serve to honor not only the ship itself and the crew who served our country while working on board, but also recognizes history while giving us the opportunity to learn from the lessons of our nation’s past.”

The late Lynn Freshour, a 23-year U.S. Navy veteran, was active in organizing the Friends of the USS Chancellorsville, according to officials, and helped foster a relationship between the crew and the Spotsylvania community. (Officials said the group is no longer active).

The Navy League, which also supported the vessel, assisted with the transfer of the items to the county. The Picket has reached out to its local chapter for comment.

Lt. Ian McConnaughey, a spokesman for Naval History and Heritage Command, said the Navy decided to keep a few items from the USS Chancellorsville collection. (As to where the artifacts were displayed on the cruiser, he said possible locations include the wardroom, quarterdeck, a passageway and the captain's office/quarters.)

McConnaughey said among items retained by the Navy are a modern blue and gray battle streamer, several plaques, a mounted 12-pound Napoleon spherical shot (right) and a .58-caliber 1861 Model Springfield rifle-musket.

The renamed cruiser honors Smalls, a South Carolinian (photo above) who escaped slavery by commandeering a Rebel steamship.

At the start of the Civil War, the enslaved Smalls was a pilot on the CSS Planter. On the morning of May 13, 1862, he led a takeover of the ship by its slave crew, sailed past Charleston Harbor's formidable defenses and surrendered the vessel to the Union blockade fleet. His wife and children were among those on board who gained freedom.

Crew of then-USS Chancellorsville with banners from Spotsylvania

Smalls, 23 at the time, was celebrated across the North for his daring ride to freedom and he served as a ship’s pilot for the rest of the conflict. After the war, he returned to his hometown Beaufort and bought his former master’s home.

Following a stint in South Carolina’s Legislature, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and served several terms.

The congressman fought against the disenfranchisement of black voters across the South, according to the American Battlefield Trust. He also fought against segregation within the military.

The Spotsylvania County Museum is located at 6159 Plank Road, Fredericksburg, Va. It features 1,800 square feet of exhibits that provide visitors insight into the county’s 300-plus-year history. The area is buffered by land under the control of the American Battlefield. The museum is free to the public daily from 10 a.m. to 4.p.m., except major holidays.