No battlefields near Richmond Va?

major bill

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
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Aug 25, 2012
We made much better time today than I expected. We are spending the night in Richmond and our friends in Philadelphia will no be available until tomorrow evening. So we will have 6-7 hours we will need to kill during the day tomorrow. My wife was kind enough to see what is between Richmond and Philadelphia. She reported many antique stores, but said she could not find any Civil War battlefields. I am a bit sceptical.
 
We made much better time today than I expected. We are spending the night in Richmond and our friends in Philadelphia will no be available until tomorrow evening. So we will have 6-7 hours we will need to kill during the day tomorrow. My wife was kind enough to see what is between Richmond and Philadelphia. She reported many antique stores, but said she could not find any Civil War battlefields. I am a bit sceptical.
Surely you don't think your wife would fib and not give a complete report :bounce:
 
My wife was kind enough to see what is between Richmond and Philadelphia. She reported many antique stores, but said she could not find any Civil War battlefields.
:rofl:

There are several east of Richmond: Malvern Hill, Cold Harbor, Gaines Mill, Totopotomoy Creek. I'm heading to the first three tomorrow (I'm currently in Richmond too).

In case you're interested: There are ranger led tours at Cold Harbor at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. I'm aiming for the 1 p.m. tour.

Of course, you could also always head to Tredegar to the American Civil War Museum or tour the White House of the Confederacy.

You could also always head to the North Anna Battlefield Park which is about an hours drive from the city center. It has two trails along A.P. Hill's line - the Grey Trail is 2 miles and takes approx. 90 minutes, the Blue Trail (killing field, Ledlie's defeat, up to Crittenden's trenches) branches off the Grey trail and is 2.6 miles (3.8 miles from the parking lot), suggested time 1 hour and 50 minutes. The earthworks are very well preserved.
 
I hate to search on
Surely you don't think your wife would fib and not give a complete report :bounce:

Well she just sent me across the street to the Walmart to buy two large plastic containers to put any breakable items she might purchase at antique shops tommarow. I would hate to think I am being bamboozled.

Well even Civil War generals got bad intelligence off and on.
 
Did she make that statement with a straight face?:O o: And, you have the Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico.
 
Well being retired I could spend a couple extra days in the Richmond area. But it would hit my vacation savings account a bit. If I do decide to go to Vicksburg with CWT in October I would need to replace the money.
 
@major bill I think Mrs. Major Bill is pulling your leg just a bit. :D My favorite Richmond area battlefields are Malvern Hill and Cold Harbor. Malvern Hill is southeast of downtown, so maybe not exactly on your way. But Cold Harbor and Gaines Mill are just 20 miles from the center of downtown. And Gaines Mill is right next to Cold Harbor, there near Mechanicsville, so while youre there, you may as well make it a twofer? If Mrs. major bill is more interested in historical homes, theres also the Garthright House at Cold Harbor. Course if you're heading north on I95, youre going to go right through Fredericksburg where you could make it a "fivefer" - Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Salem Church, Chancellorsville, and Fredericksburg. :bounce:
 
Giving some thought of seeing Fredericksburg. I have never been there. But Chancellorsburg or The Wilderness would work out as I been to them, but only for less than an hour each.
 
The Battle of Darbytown Road was just east of Richmond. It's said to have been the final Confederate assault of the war that was personally designed and executed by General Robert E. Lee. There's a monument out there to show it.

Union reinforcements overwhelmed the Confederate assault, but it was a veritable ballet on Lee's part. He had them running terrified for a while, anyway.
 
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