Richmond National Battlefield Park
Encyclopedia
Richmond National Battlefield Park commemorates more than 30 American Civil War
sites around Richmond, Virginia
, which served as the capital of the Confederate States of America
for the majority of the war. The park is focused around the home front
within the city, defensive fortifications surrounding the city, as well as a number military actions taken in an attempt to capture or defend the city, including the Seven Days Battles
of 1862, battles of the Overland Campaign
of 1864, and the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign of 1864-65. Its various sites are spread across Richmond, Hanover County
, Henrico County
, and Chesterfield County
.
was authorized on March 2, 1936. Today, over 68,000 people visit the park. As with all historical areas administered by the National Park Service
, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
on October 15, 1966.
Within the city of Richmond, and with significance covering the span of the war, are:
Sites of battles and significance during the 1862 Peninsula Campaign
and Seven Days Battles
:
Sites of relating to the Overland Campaign
of 1864 include:
Sites relating to the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign of 1864-65 include:
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
sites around Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, which served as the capital of the Confederate States of America
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
for the majority of the war. The park is focused around the home front
Home front
Home front is the informal term commonly used to describe the civilian populace of the nation at war as an active support system of their military....
within the city, defensive fortifications surrounding the city, as well as a number military actions taken in an attempt to capture or defend the city, including the Seven Days Battles
Seven Days Battles
The Seven Days Battles was a series of six major battles over the seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia during the American Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee drove the invading Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, away from...
of 1862, battles of the Overland Campaign
Overland Campaign
The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, in the American Civil War. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all Union armies, directed the actions of the Army of the...
of 1864, and the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign of 1864-65. Its various sites are spread across Richmond, Hanover County
Hanover County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 86,320 people, 31,121 households, and 24,461 families residing in the county. The population density was 183 people per square mile . There were 32,196 housing units at an average density of 68 per square mile...
, Henrico County
Henrico County, Virginia
Henrico is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the United States. As of 2010, Henrico was home to 306,935 people. It is located in the Richmond-Petersburg region and is a portion of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, and Chesterfield County
Chesterfield County, Virginia
Chesterfield County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the United States. In 2010, its population was estimated to be 316,236. Chesterfield County is now the fourth-largest municipality in Virginia . Its county seat is Chesterfield...
.
Administrative history
The national battlefield parkNational Military Park
National Military Park, National Battlefield, National Battlefield Park, and National Battlefield Site are four designations for 24 battle sites preserved by the United States federal government because of their national importance...
was authorized on March 2, 1936. Today, over 68,000 people visit the park. As with all historical areas administered by the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on October 15, 1966.
Park units
The park consists of 13 units/sites:Within the city of Richmond, and with significance covering the span of the war, are:
- Tredegar Iron WorksTredegar Iron WorksThe Tredegar Iron Works was a historic iron foundry in Richmond, Virginia, United States of America, opened in 1837. During the American Civil War, the works served as the primary iron and artillery production facility of the Confederate States of America...
, serving as the main visitors center and museum - Chimborazo Hospital, which was the Confederacy's largest wartime hospital camp,
Sites of battles and significance during the 1862 Peninsula Campaign
Peninsula Campaign
The Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The operation, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B...
and Seven Days Battles
Seven Days Battles
The Seven Days Battles was a series of six major battles over the seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia during the American Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee drove the invading Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, away from...
:
- Chicakhominy Bluffs, one of the defensive works overlooking the Chickahominy RiverChickahominy RiverThe Chickahominy is an river in the eastern portion of the U.S. state of Virginia. The river rises about northwest of Richmond and flows southeast and south to the James River...
. - Drewry's BluffBattle of Drewry's BluffThe Battle of Drewry’s Bluff, also known as the Battle of Fort Darling, or Fort Drewry, took place on May 15, 1862, in Chesterfield County, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. Five American warships, including the ironclads and , steamed up the James River to...
, a defensive battery in Chesterfield County overlooking the James River - Beaver Dam CreekBattle of Beaver Dam CreekThe Battle of Beaver Dam Creek, also known as the Battle of Mechanicsville or Ellerson's Mill, took place on June 26, 1862, in Hanover County, Virginia, as the first major engagement of the Seven Days Battles during the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the start of Confederate...
, in Hanover County - Gaines' MillBattle of Gaines' MillThe Battle of Gaines's Mill, sometimes known as the First Battle of Cold Harbor or the Battle of Chickahominy River, took place on June 27, 1862, in Hanover County, Virginia, as the third of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War...
, in Hanover County - GlendaleBattle of GlendaleThe Battle of Glendale, also known as the Battle of Frayser's Farm, Frazier's Farm, Nelson's Farm, Charles City Crossroads, New Market Road, or Riddell's Shop, took place on June 30, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, on the sixth day of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War.The...
, in Henrico County - Malvern HillBattle of Malvern HillThe Battle of Malvern Hill, also known as the Battle of Poindexter's Farm, took place on July 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, on the seventh and last day of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War. Gen. Robert E. Lee launched a series of disjointed assaults on the nearly impregnable...
, in Henrico County
Sites of relating to the Overland Campaign
Overland Campaign
The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, in the American Civil War. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all Union armies, directed the actions of the Army of the...
of 1864 include:
- Totopotomoy CreekBattle of Totopotomoy CreekThe Battle of Totopotomoy Creek , also called the Battle of Bethesda Church, Crumps Creek, Shady Grove Road, and Hanovertown, was a battle fought May 28–30, 1864, in Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses Grant's Overland Campaign against Confederate Gen. Robert E...
, in Hanover County - Cold HarborBattle of Cold HarborThe Battle of Cold Harbor was fought from May 31 to June 12, 1864 . It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign during the American Civil War, and is remembered as one of American history's bloodiest, most lopsided battles...
, in Hanover County
Sites relating to the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign of 1864-65 include:
- New Market HeightsBattle of Chaffin's FarmThe Battle of Chaffin's Farm and New Market Heights, also known as Laurel Hill and combats at Forts Harrison, Johnson, and Gilmer, was fought September 29–30, 1864, as part of the Siege of Petersburg in the American Civil War.-Background:...
, site of 14 Medals of HonorMedal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
for United States Colored TroopsUnited States Colored TroopsThe United States Colored Troops were regiments of the United States Army during the American Civil War that were composed of African American soldiers. First recruited in 1863, by the end of the Civil War, the men of the 175 regiments of the USCT constituted approximately one-tenth of the Union...
, in Henrico County - Fort HarrisonFort HarrisonFort Harrison was an important component of the Confederate defenses of Richmond during the American Civil War. Named after Lieutenant William Harrison, a Confederate engineer, it was the largest in the series of fortifications that extended from New Market Road to the James River that also...
, in Henrico County - Parker's Battery, a fortification along the Howlett Line in Chesterfield County.
See also
- Petersburg National BattlefieldPetersburg National BattlefieldPetersburg National Battlefield is a National Park Service unit preserving sites related to the American Civil War Siege of Petersburg. The Battlefield is centered around Petersburg, Virginia, and also includes outlying components in Hopewell, Prince George County, and Dinwiddie County...
, covering southern portions of the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign. - Richmond National CemeteryRichmond National CemeteryRichmond National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located three miles east of the city of Richmond in Henrico County, Virginia. It encompasses , and as of the end of 2005, had 9,322 internments. It is currently closed to new interments...
, located at the site of the Battle of Seven PinesBattle of Seven PinesThe Battle of Seven Pines, also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks or Fair Oaks Station, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of an offensive up the Virginia Peninsula by Union Maj. Gen.... - Seven Pines National Cemetery, located at the site of the Battle of Seven PinesBattle of Seven PinesThe Battle of Seven Pines, also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks or Fair Oaks Station, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of an offensive up the Virginia Peninsula by Union Maj. Gen....
- Glendale National CemeteryGlendale National CemeteryGlendale National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the city of Richmond, in Henrico County, Virginia. It encompasses , and as of the end of 2005 had 2,064 interments. It is closed to new interments.- History :...
, located at the site of the Battle of GlendaleBattle of GlendaleThe Battle of Glendale, also known as the Battle of Frayser's Farm, Frazier's Farm, Nelson's Farm, Charles City Crossroads, New Market Road, or Riddell's Shop, took place on June 30, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, on the sixth day of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War.The... - Fort Harrison National CemeteryFort Harrison National CemeteryFort Harrison National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located seven miles south of the city of Richmond, in Henrico County, Virginia. It encompasses only , and as of the end of 2005, had 1,570 interments....
External links
- Official NPS website: Richmond National Battlefield Park
- Richmond, Virginia, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary
- http://www.virginia.org/site/description.asp?attrID=10892