Lee's Mill Earthworks in Newport News, Virginia, preserves part of the Confederate fortifications built along the James River as one section of a larger line that included Fort Crafford, Dam No. 1, and Wynne's Mill. During the Peninsula Campaign of 1862, Union advance units under William Farrar Smith met Lafayette McLaws's Confederate troops here on April 5. Heavy rain and the strong earthen defenses at the river crossing stopped the Union advance toward Richmond. As part of John B. Magruder's defensive system to Yorktown along the Warwick River, Lee's Mill helped force George B. McClellan's army into a month-long siege that contributed to the campaign's failure.