Idlewild served as Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee ’s headquarters on May 4 – 5 , 1863 , during the Civil War ’s Chancellorsville campaign . With its location just west of Fredericksburg , the mansion and its grounds were often the site of skirmishes and occupations by troops of both sides . Mention is made of some of the incidents in the " practice " letters of daughter Sophia who jotted down her correspondence in her father 's old notebooks - one volume of which recently found its way back to Fredericksburg . ( This little book and its writings was the subject of an article written by local historian and Idlewild advocate Donna Chasen . ) Idlewild has been in ruins since it burned in April 2003 after vandals set it on fire . Idlewild again suffered damage from a smaller porch fire in August 2006 . An earthquake on August 23 , 2011 damaged the chimneys in the main house and leveled the two chimneys on the summer kitchen . The brick walls of the house have been braced with steel beams and remained basically unharmed by the quake . Considering , the house remains in stable condition
An earthquake
2011 Virginia earthquake
Idlewild (Fredericksburg, Virginia)