The Complete Civil War Road Trip Guide by Michael Weeks

Author:Michael Weeks
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Countryman Press
Published: 2016-04-26T16:00:00+00:00

A long view of the James River from the Confederate artillery position at Drewry’s Bluff.

PROCTOR’S CREEK—On May 16, 1864, Major General Benjamin Butler ordered an attack against the Confederate position at Fort Stevens south of Drewry’s Bluff. Intending to surprise the Federals, Confederate Major General P. G. T. Beauregard, in charge of the Richmond defenses, personally took command and launched his own attack, early in the morning and under cover of fog. After several hours of fierce but confused fighting, Butler withdrew back to Bermuda Hundred, where he remained bottled up until Grant’s army arrived. The fight at Proctor’s Creek would be the largest battle of the Bermuda Hundred Campaign.

Fort Stevens is a hidden gem, a set of well-preserved earthworks in the middle of a quiet neighborhood that has only infrequent visitors. On the day of the battle, though, it sat right in the middle of the Confederate line. The interpretation here is good, and you are free to walk the earthworks. Picnic facilities are also available. Fort Stevens, 8900 Pams Ave., Richmond, VA, 23237. GPS: 37.403938, -77.429283. Open daily.

CHESTER STATION—On May 10, 1864, Major General Benjamin Butler’s troops were still tearing up the railroad track of the Richmond & Petersburg Railroad when they were attacked by Confederates. After receiving reinforcements, the Federals were easily able to drive the Confederates off. However, when the fighting was over, the Union troops withdrew into their lines at Bermuda Hundred, and the Confederates were able to reopen the supply line between Richmond and Petersburg.

A Virginia Civil War Trails sign discussing the battle of Chester Station has been placed in the parking lot of a YMCA in Chester. The adjacent cemetery was also the scene of fighting during the battle. Virginia Civil War Trails—Battle of Chester Station, 3011 W. Hundred Rd., Chester, VA, 23831. GPS: 37.356472, -77.421738. Sign accessible daily.

WARE BOTTOM CHURCH—It is hard to discuss the Bermuda Hundred campaign without describing the Union army as being “bottled up”; the battle of Ware Bottom Church is where the Confederates put the cap on the bottle. The region called Bermuda Hundred is a peninsula with the James River to the north and the Appomattox River to the south. On May 20, 1864, Major General Benjamin Butler had his Union army at Bermuda Hundred after being driven back at the battle of Proctor’s Creek. The Federals were in an entrenched position across Bermuda Hundred when they were attacked by Confederate forces. Although the Union army was ultimately able to repulse the attacks, the Confederates withdrew to the “neck” of the bottle and constructed a very strong defensive line (known as the Howlett Line) from the James to the Appomattox, thus “bottling up” Butler’s army.

Ware Bottom Battlefield Park, part of the Chesterfield Historical Society’s significant effort to preserve and interpret the Bermuda Hundred campaign, contains an interpretive trail where you can not only view the core of the battlefield but also see impressive portions of the Howlett Line. The core part of the field where the Confederates

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