Richmond National Battlefield Park

Richmond in the American Civil War

When Virginia left the Union in May 1861, it joined the Confederacy, and Richmond, a key industrial hub, became the Confederate capital. Over the next four years, the area around the city saw heavy fighting. Today, Richmond National Battlefield Park spans nearly 3,000 acres across Virginia’s coastal plain, between the James and Chickahominy Rivers. Much of the land remains as it was during the Civil War, featuring open meadows and mature forests that support a wide variety of wildlife.

Campaigns affecting Richmond: protected sites

The Richmond National Battlefield Park preserves the sites of two major Union campaigns to capture the Confederate capital. The first was General George B. McClellan’s attempt to approach Richmond from the east along the James River.

Peninsula Campaign (March 17 - May 31, 1862)

Confederate artillery slowed him, but he got within four miles of the city before General Joseph E. Johnston launched a surprise attack that stopped his advance. The Chickahominy Bluffs then became a natural barrier: the river was at spring flood level, a mile wide, splitting McClellan’s army into separated parts. At Drewry’s Bluff, a sharp bend on the James, a Confederate battery sat too high for Union Navy guns to reach, forcing the fleet to withdraw and delaying McClellan’s planned move on Richmond.

The Seven Days Battles (June 25 - July 1, 1862)

A rapid series of battles, sometimes grouped as part of the Peninsula Campaign, began when Robert E. Lee took command of the Confederate forces. McClellan soon retreated, but Lee failed to cut off the Union army. At Beaver Dam Creek, also called Mechanicsville, Stonewall Jackson arrived late, and the Confederates suffered heavy casualties, though the Union army fell back downstream to a safer position. A walking trail follows the lower creek.

At Gaines’ Mill, McClellan’s defenses seemed strong, but Lee launched his largest attack of the war with 57,000 men, forcing McClellan to retreat to the James River and abandon his campaign. Walking trails and interpretive signs mark the site. At Glendale, Lee saw a chance to cut McClellan off from the river, but Union counterattacks saved their escape route. Several Union generals were wounded, and General George A. McCall was captured.

A seasonal visitor center operates here. At Malvern Hill, the last of the Seven Days Battles, the Union won a tactical victory thanks to superior artillery, but McClellan was absent, scouting Harrison’s Landing, where his army soon retreated. A visitor center, walking tour, and driving tour are available.