The park was established as Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial National Military Park on February 14, 1927, and transferred from the War Department on August 10, 1933. The lengthy name remains its official designation—75 letters, the longest name of any unit in the national park system. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. The park includes 8374 acres (33.89 km²), of which 7369 acres (30 km²) are owned by the federal government. Over 500,000 people visit the battlefield each year.

At the heart of Fredericksburg’s haunting legends is the Sunken Road. A site steeped in Civil War history. For history lovers, the road is a stark reminder of a fierce battlefield where the air was once thick with cannon smoke and the ground soaked with the blood of fallen soldiers. Over the years, visitors and locals alike have reported strange occurrences along this road. Some claim to have heard the distant echoes of war cries. Others recount sightings of spectral soldiers marching in formation, locked in an eternal battle. These uncanny experiences breathe a dreadful life into the historic Sunken Road. They are infusing it with spectral energy, a haunting testament to its blood-stained past.