Richmond Battlefields

In 1862 McClellan’s Federals attacked Richmond, and in 1864 Grant did the same, while Joseph E. Johnston and then Robert E. Lee defended the Confederate capital. These two major assaults spread across a series of battles, skirmishes, and marches. Traces of Richmond’s outer defenses still remain, including forts, rifle-pits, and fields where thousands died. Each battle had its own deadly character, with troops lost in swamps, misunderstood orders, and last-minute bayonet charges. Both sides claimed victories despite heavy casualties. Richmond remained unconquered, but the Union Army was able to withdraw still healthy and numerous. Parker’s Battery Trail is a quarter-mile path through Confederate entrenchments and gun emplacements built during the last year of the war, with an average hiking time of 15 minutes.

Virginia · United States