Clearing the Way

On May 5, 1864, the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 22nd regiments of United States Colored Troops seized this point in advance of Union Gen. Benjamin Butler's force sailing up the James River. As they landed here, they quickly captured a signal station that was trying to warn Petersburg of the Union fleet, while another brigade of United States Colored Troops had already secured points downstream. Butler had been sent by Gen. U.S. Grant to at least sever the railroad between Petersburg and Richmond. Although Butler failed, his brigades of United States Colored Troops succeeded in securing Grant's crossing of the James River in mid-June 1864 to establish his headquarters and supply base here. These troops were critical in keeping the James River, the Union's lifeline, open for the rest of the war, and they were also the first of thousands of African-American troops to serve at the Siege of Petersburg, the largest concentration of black soldiers in the Civil War.

Hopewell, Virginia · United States