Williamsburg Road W2
During the Civil War, Union and Confederate armies engaged in battles along major transportation corridors. Union Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan’s defensive earthworks blocked Williamsburg Road east of her, for example, during the 1862 Peninsula Campaign. On 31 May, Maj. Gen. D. H. Hill’s division marched past here to attack the Federal position. Later that day, part of Maj. Gen. James Longstreet’s division joined Hill. During the Seven Days’ Battles under Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, Brig. Gen. John B. Magruder’s three divisions moved east on this road on 29 June to attack McClellan’s rear guard at Savage’s Station.

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Edge Hill S47
To the north stood William Turnbull’s house, Edge Hill, headquarters of Gen. Robert E. Lee from 23 Nov. 1864 to 2 Apr. 1865 during the siege of Petersburg. Here, after dawn on 2 Apr., Lee learned of the Union attack that soon shattered his lines and spoke for the last time with Lt. Gen. A. P. Hill. Nearby, he received word of Hill’s death a short time later. When the Federals approached, Lee moved his headquarters to Cottage Farm within the inner Confederate line, and that night he evacuated the Army of Northern Virginia from the city. Union artillery soon destroyed the Turnbull house. The present residence was one of the detached buildings.

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General Lee's Headquarters QA7
Three blocks north and a half block west is the Beasley House where General Robert E. Lee had his second headquarters in 1864 during the siege of Petersburg. He moved thence to Edge Hill to be in closer touch with his right wing.

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Battery Dantzler K201
A half-mile northeast stands Battery Dantzler, named for COl. Olin Miller Dantzler, 22d South Carolina Infantry (killed ina ction nearby on 2 June 1864), and constructed in May-June 1864 to block the Union navy’s approach to Richmond. The battery anchored the northern end of the Howlett Line, as series of Confederate earthworks cut across the Bermuda Hundred peninsula from Swift Creek on the south to the James River on the north. Battery Dantzler’s artillery included two 7-inch Brooke rifles, two 8-inch smooth-bore Columbiads, and two coastal mortars. The battery operated until 2 April 1865, when it was abondoned and its naval garrison marched with Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia westward to Appomattox Court House.

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Battle of Savage's Station W12
On 25 June 1862 began the Seven Days’ Battles as Gen. Robert E. Lee engaged Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan’s Army of the Potomac, prompting McClellan to withdraw to the James River. Just north of here at 9:00 A.M. on 29 June, Brig. Gen. John B. Magruder’s division attacked Brig. Gen. Edwin V. Sumner’’s corps, which formed the Union rear guard near Savage’s Station on the Richmond & York River Railroad. Sumner gained the safety of the depot and held his ground until the fighting ended in a draw about 9:00 P.M. The Federals retreated south to Malvern Hill in the night, abandoning some 2,500 wounded at the depot.

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Seven Days' Battles - Allen's Farm PA140
On 26 June 1862, Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan abandoned his plan to besiege Richmon and began his retreat to the James River. Gen. Robert E. Lee pursued, determined to destroy the Army of the Potomac. Just north of here at Allen’s Farm, at 9:00 A.M. on 29 June, Maj. Gen. John B. Magruders’ division attacked Brig. Gen Edwin V. Sumner’s corps, which formed the Union rear. The fighting continued for two hours until Sumner retired east to the Federal supply depot at Savage’s Station on the Richmond & York River Railroad. Another Confederate attack that afternoon ended in a stalemate, and the Union withdrawal continued. Location: Route 60. Henrico County.

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McClellan's First Line W5
Union Brig. Gen. Silas Casey held both sides of the road here on 31 May 1862, in Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan’s first defensive line at Seven Pines. Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston ordered at dawn attack, but his lieutenants acted slowly. Maj. Gen. D.H. Hill waited with his division about a mile west of here for the sound of gunfire to the south that was his signal to move. Exasperated by the delay, he assaulted on his own at 1 P.M. and smashed through Casey’s position to McClellan’s second line, but a lack of support combined with the arrival of fresh Union troops halted the attack. That evening, Johnston fell wounded and Gen. Robert E. Lee replaced him the next day.

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McClellan's First Line W5A
Union Brig. Gen. Silas Casey held both sides of the road here on 31 May 1862, in Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan's first defensive line at Seven Pines. Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston ordered at dawn attack, but his lieutenants acted slowly. Maj. Gen. D.H. Hill waited with his division about a mile west of here for the sound of gunfire to the south that was his signal to move. Exasperated by the delay, he assaulted on his own at 1 P.M. and smashed through Casey's position to McClellan's second line, but a lack of support combined with the arrival of fresh Union troops halted the attack. That evening, Johnston fell wounded and Gen. Robert E. Lee replaced him the next day.

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Confederate Reconnaissance Mission S19
On 2 June 1864, Confederate Gen. P. G. T. Beauregard sent Maj. Gen. Bushrod Johnson’s troops forward nearby Federal pickets to reconnoiter their strength. The Confederate troops initially captured the nothern portion of the Federal picket line, but by afternoon Union troops had regained a part of their position. The death of Confederate regimental commander Col. O. M. Dantzler and the arrival of Federal reinforcements prevented the Confederates from taking the southern section of the line. Beauregard determined that it would not be prudent to send Brig. Gen. Matt Ransom’s brigade to assist Gen. Robert E. Lee, for fear of losing the rail line. Late the next day Beauregard relented at the order of Lee.

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Lee's Headquarters S38
To the east, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee briefly made his headquarters at Clay’s house on 17 June 1864. There he received full details of the Union army’s attack on Petersburg that began the evening of 15 June 1864. Lee learned that Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had committed most of the Union Army of the Potomac to assault the Petersburg fortifications commanded by Confederate Gen. P. G. T. Beauregard. After receiving the reports of the Federal assualt on Petersburg, Lee realized that Petersburg stood in immediate danger. He left his nearby headquarters early the next morning and went with most of his army to reinforce the garrison at Petersburg.

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