Union cavalry under Col. Ulric Dahlgren approached Richmond from the west on 1 March 1864 in a raid designed by Brig. Gen. H. Judson Kilpatrick to free Federal prisoners of war. Repulsed five miles from Capitol Square, Dahlgren's column rode to King and Queen County in search of Kilpatrick. On the night of 2 March, after resting briefly nearby, Dahlgren moved east toward this intersection, where Confederate soldiers and home guards opened fire, killing Dahlgren. Papers found on his body described plans—the origins of which are uncertain—to burn Richmond and assassinate Confederate Pres. Jefferson Davis and his cabinet.

Photo: Devry Becker Jones

King and Queen Court House, Virginia · USA