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VIRGINIA BATTLEFIELD GRANT SUMMARIES
Here's the complete list of 15 Civil War battlefields receiving
preservation grants announced Monday by the Virginia Department
Historic Resources:
1862
Cross Keys Battlefield, Rockingham County: This June 8, 1862
battle was central to the culmination of Confederate General Thomas J.
"Stonewall" Jackson's 1862 Shenandoah Valley Campaign that allowed
Confederate forces to retain control of the upper and middle
Shenandoah Valley. The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation's
purchase of a conservation easement on four parcels totaling 110 acres
at Cross Keys will protect land associated with the battle's core area
and 'field of fire.'
Port Republic Battlefield, Rockingham County: Fighting at Port
Republic on June 9, 1862 involved Confederate attacks against Union
troops holding strong positions just north of the Kaylor Farm. The
collapse of the Union line gave the Confederate army undisputed
control of the upper and middle Shenandoah Valley. The Shenandoah
Valley Battlefields Foundation's purchase of a conservation easement
on approximately 178 acres will protect and preserve acreage
associated with this battle.
Glendale Battlefield, Henrico County: In June 1862, General
Robert E. Lee's army attacked the Union line and surged eastward
hoping to isolate half the opposing forces. However late in the day
Federal reinforcements counterattacked and held the line. Lee's best
opportunity to trap and destroy the Union army was lost. The Civil War
Preservation Trust is purchasing four parcels totaling 87.5 acres
within the core area of the battlefield. One parcel includes a study
area of the First Bottom battlefield, while another one connects to
land at Richmond National Battlefield Park on Malvern Hill, resulting
in nearly three miles of contiguous protected areas. All four parcels
are adjacent to nearly 362 acres of the battlefield already saved by
the CWPT.
Malvern Hill, Henrico County: Also known as the Battle of
Poindexter's Farm, this July 1, 1862 battle was the sixth and last of
the Seven Days Battles of the Union's Peninsula Campaign. Gen. Robert
E. Lee launched a series of disjointed assaults on the nearly
impregnable Union position on Malvern Hill. The Confederates suffered
more than 5,300 casualties without gaining ground. Despite his
victory, Union Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan withdrew to entrench at
Harrison's Landing on the James River, ending the Peninsula Campaign.
The Civil War Preservation Trust's purchase of 178 acres in the core
and study area of the Malvern Hill and Glendale Battlefields will
secure the site of a historic house and road, and the area where
Confederate Gen. John B. Magruder supervised his troops while under
fire. Due to significant development in the immediate vicinity of
Malvern Hill, the area to be acquired is at high risk for single
family, residential development.
1863
Chancellorsville, Spotsylvania County: A major Civil War
battle, Chancellorsville, fought from April 30 to May 6, 1863, pitted
Union Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker's forces against Gen. Robert E. Lee's
Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, which was half the size of
Hooker's army. It is known as Lee's "perfect battle" because of his
risky but successful division of his army in the presence of a much
larger enemy force. Lee's audacity and Hooker's timid combat resulted
in a vital Confederate victory, tempered by the mortal wounding of Lt.
Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson to friendly fire. The Civil War
Preservation Trust's purchase of two tracts will protect core
battlefield land representing a significant portion of the field upon
which the battle's first engagement was fought. Along with another
tract previously preserved by the CWPT, these two parcels together
encompass most of the battle ground that is integral to interpreting
the opening engagement. The tracts are adjacent to 7,242-plus acres
previously preserved by the National Park Service and the CWPT in the
core battlefield at Chancellorsville. Due to significant growth in
Spotsylvania, the grant-acquired tracts--totaling 159 acres--face high
risk for single-family, residential development, without
intervention.
Brandy Station, Culpeper County: Also called the Battle of
Fleetwood Hill, this was the largest predominantly cavalry engagement
of the Civil War, as well as the largest ever to take place on
American soil. It was fought at the beginning of the Gettysburg
Campaign by the Union cavalry under Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton
against Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart's Confederate cavalry. The battle was
highlighted by massive, decisive cavalry charges, concluding finally
when Federal attackers were driven off Fleetwood Hill on June 9, 1863.
The Civil War Preservation Trust's acquisition of two tracts, totaling
49.5 acres, will preserve the core area of Fleetwood Hill and the
battlefield. Located on U.S. 29, the two tracts stand in close
proximity to nearly a thousand acres of battlefield land already
preserved by the Brandy Station Battlefield Foundation and CWPT. Due
to significant development in the Culpeper area, the tracts would
otherwise face high risk for single-family, residential development,
without intervention.
1864
Cold Harbor Battlefield, Hanover County: The final battle of
Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign, Cold Harbor was
one of U.S. history's bloodiest, most lopsided battles. Thousands of
Union soldiers were slaughtered in a hopeless frontal assault against
the fortified troops of Gen. Robert E. Lee, whose victory was one of
his last. After this battle, Grant gave up the idea of a direct attack
on Richmond. The Richmond Battlefield Association's purchase of
10-plus acres will protect a core area of the battlefield. The tract
is situated between two portions of the battlefield already protected
by the National Park Service and the Association for the Preservation
of Virginia Antiquities. Cold Harbor is one of the state's most
threatened battlefields; acquisition of this tract will prevent
development of the property into a residential subdivision.
Trevilian Station Battlefield, Louisa County: This engagement
was a major clash between Union and Confederate cavalry divisions on
June 11 and 12, 1864. From their defensive position across the
railroad and the road to Gordonsville, Confederate dismounted cavalry
pushed back several determined dismounted Union assaults. Federal
forces withdrew after destroying about six miles of the Virginia
Central Railroad. The Confederate victory at Trevilian Station
prevented Union troops from reaching Charlottesville to reinforce the
Union army in the Shenandoah Valley. The Civil War Preservation
Trust's purchase two tracts, comprising nearly 255 acres, and the
Trevilian Station Battlefield Foundation's purchase of four parcels of
428 acres will preserve core areas of the battlefield. The three
tracts, adjacent to 1,455 acres already preserved by the CWPT, are at
high risk for single-family, residential development.
First Deep Bottom Battlefield, Henrico County: This July 27–29,
1864 battle was part of the Siege of Petersburg. During the night of
July 26 and 27, the Union Army II Corps and two divisions of Gen. Phil
Sheridan's cavalry under the command of Maj. Gen. Winfield Hancock
crossed to the north side of James River to threaten Richmond,
diverting Confederate forces from the impending attack at Petersburg
on July 30. Union forces abandoned efforts to turn the Confederate
position at New Market Heights and Fussell's Mill after Confederates
strongly reinforced their lines and counterattacked. During the night
of July 29, the Federals re-crossed the river, leaving a garrison to
hold the bridgehead at Deep Bottom. CWPT's purchase will preserve 125
acres entirely within the core area of the battle, specifically a
historic farm that was the scene of the heaviest fighting, where total
casualties surpassed 800. Because of extensive recent development in
the area, this is the only sizeable portion of the July 28 battlefield
that can feasibly be saved.
Second Deep Bottom Battlefield, Fussell's Mill, Henrico County:
Fighting at Fussell's Mill on August 14 and 16, 1864 diverted
Confederate attention from Union attacks on the Petersburg Railroad.
The Richmond Battlefield Association's purchase of the Fussell's Mill
tract will protect and preserve 30-plus acres of a portion of the
battlefield's core area that retains historic integrity and includes
the ruins of the antebellum mill as well as Confederate entrenchments
associated with the fighting. The tract is adjacent to six acres of
the battlefield already owned by the Civil War Preservation Trust.
Acquisition of the mill tract will preserve the eastern side of the
battlefield; the western portion is already under residential and
commercial development.
Fishers Hill Battlefield, Shenandoah County: Confederate
fortifications across the width of the valley at Fishers Hill
prevented the Union army's use of the Valley Turnpike (U.S. 11 today).
A Union attack on September 21, 1864 at Fisher's Hill and a surprise
Union flanking maneuver on September 22 resulted in a Confederate
retreat, opening the Shenandoah Valley to Union Gen. Phil Sheridan's
destruction of mills, barns, crops and livestock later that year. The
Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation's purchase of a conservation
easement on 78 acres at Fishers Hill will protect and preserve the
land associated with the battle. Acquisition of this easement will be
visible from an interpretive trail on SVBF's property at Ramseur's
Hill.
Cedar Creek, Frederick County: Also called The Battle of Belle
Grove, this battle of October 19, 1864 was one of the final, and most
decisive, battles in the Shenandoah Valley Campaigns of 1864. The
final Confederate invasion of the North, led by Lt. Gen. Jubal A Early
was effectively ended and the Confederacy was never again able to
threaten Washington, D.C., through the Shenandoah Valley, nor protect
the economic base in the Valley. The Union victory at Cedar Creek
played a significant role in Lincoln's reelection. The Civil War
Preservation Trust's purchase of 49 acres will preserve land entirely
within the core area of the battlefield. The acreage is adjacent to
308 acres already preserved by the National Park Service and the CWPT.
Due to significant development in the immediate Cedar Creek area,
including the rezoning for a mining company to extend their quarry
within the battlefield ground, this tract is at high risk for
single-family, residential and extractive development.
1865
Sailor's Creek, Amelia County: Also known as the Battle of
Sayler's Creek (as well as Hillsman Farm or Lockett Farm), this
battle was fought April 6, 1865, southwest of Petersburg, as part of
the Appomattox Campaign in the final days of the Civil War. After Lt.
Gen. Ulysses S. Grant broke the Confederate defenses at the Siege of
Petersburg, Gen. Robert E. Lee's forces began a retreat in hopes of
linking up with Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's army in North Carolina. At
Sayler's Creek, nearly one fourth of the retreating Confederate army
was cut off by Union cavalry. The Confederates attacked but were
driven back and most were forced to surrender. Sayler's Creek was
considered the death knell of the Confederate Army. The Civil War
Preservation Trust will purchase a tract partially in the core area
and in the larger study area of the battlefield. It stands in
proximity to 220 acres already preserved by the National Park Service
and the CWPT in the core battlefield. Due to significant development
in the immediate Amelia County area, the tract is deemed to be at high
risk for single-family residential development.
Appomattox Station, Appomattox County: On April 8, 1865, Union
troops captured three trains loaded with provisions for Gen. Robert E.
Lee's army and scattered the Confederate defenders, cutting off any
hopes of re-provisioning the exhausted Confederates camped at nearby
Appomattox Courthouse. The battlefield of this small but critical
engagement has been largely obliterated by residential and commercial
development. However, recent archaeological studies show that there
are areas of remaining integrity. In particular, a 46-acre tract that
Civil War Preservation Trust will purchase provides a last chance to
preserve and protect land within the study area before the current
owner expands his trucking company doing damage to the last,
relatively untouched portions of the Appomattox Station
Battlefield.
Appomattox Courthouse Battlefield, Appomattox County: In this
final engagement of the war, on April 8, 1865 Gen. Robert E. Lee
bivouacked near the village of Appomattox Courthouse, while nearby
Union troops converged. The last Confederate offensive on April 9
initially gained ground, but the arrival of Union infantry stopped the
advance and Lee found himself surrounded on three sides. Lee's formal
surrender took place the following day. The Civil War Preservation
Trust's purchase of two tracts totaling nearly 12 acres will preserve
land within the study area of the battlefield. The two tracts are
adjacent to each other and contiguous with nearly 1,774-plus acres
already preserved by the National Park Service and the CWPT in the
core battlefield at Appomattox. Due to significant development in the
immediate Appomattox area, these tracts are at high risk for
single-family, residential development.
Source: Virginia Department of Historic Resources
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