I visited the peninsula this past weekend and essentially toured every battlefield of note between Hampton Roads and Richmond, restricted to those which were part of the 1862 peninsular campaign. Here are some of my notes about the condition and accessibility of the respective battlefields:
Hampton Roads: Not really a battlefield, per se, but there are enough interpretive signs to give you a good impression of how the battle went. There are two "overlooks" which respectively concern the Virginia's initial foray against the blockading squadron and the resulting battle with the Monitor. In addition, there are also several area museums which offer supplemental information concerning the battle, particularly the Mariner's Museum in Newport News, which houses the remnants of the Monitor and is one of the best museums I have ever visited.
Yorktown: Most of the interpretive material concerns the Revolutionary War siege and surrender. Information concerning the 1862 movements and engagements are mostly concentrated at Dam No. 1, which was where the heaviest fighting occurred. Extant earthworks can still be found in the area and Yorktown's are still in excellent condition, even if the ACW isn't the central focus.
Williamsburg: There are several sites of interest but they are scattered throughout the area and some are hidden away or difficult to find. The battlefield itself is fragmented but not completely destroyed (see a couple of later entries) so some understanding of the movements can still be gathered.
Eltham's Landing: A recent effort has been made to add interpretation to the battlefield, which still looks about the same as it did nearly 160 years ago. These additions enabled me to gain a quick and easy understanding of this relatively obscure site.
Drewry's Bluff: The earthworks surrounding the fort are still in good condition and the view of the river makes it easy to understand the importance of the site. There are plenty of interpretive signs in and surrounding the fort. The only complaint (and a minor one at that) is that the site is heavily forested compared to the area's more barren landscape of 1861-1865, but this is understandable considering the NP service does not own all the surrounding land.
Hanover Courthouse: The battlefield, despite being little changed since 1862, mostly falls on private lands, so there really isn't much to see here. Compared to Eltham's Landing, the interpretation was minimal.
Seven Pines: Really a shame that this battlefield is essentially obliterated. Along with Nashville and Hood's battles for Atlanta, Seven Pines shares the worst preservation to importance ratio. After the war, all of these battlefields were quickly engulfed by their neighboring metropolises so preservation efforts were essentially killed in the womb. There are a few signs concerning the action here but the area is almost completely developed, reducing the effectiveness of the information they contain.
Oak Grove: A small engagement by any measure, this battlefield was swallowed up by Richmond's airport. One small marker and a cannon commemorate it but the airport has installed "no parking" signs in the vicinity, rendering them virtually inaccessible.
Beaver Dam Creek: Besides a small patch preserved by the NPS, this battlefield has mostly been lost to development. The preserved area around Ellerson's Mill is still worth visiting, however.
Gaines' Mill: The largest battle of the campaign, the Gaines' Mill battlefield has also retained the most integrity, with the exception of Malvern Hill. The existing interpretation is adequate and the area of preservation is mainly focused on the Watt House area, where the heaviest fighting occurred. However, the battlefield as a whole is huge, and the attacks stretched all the way to Old Cold Harbor. Much of this land is still in private hands but more property has been purchased for preservation, specifically the area including the approach and staging of the climactic Confederate attack. Hopefully more preservation opportunities become available in the future.
Garnett's & Golding's Farm: Lost to development. Not really much to see here.
Savage's Station: Imagine my surprise when I returned nine years after my last visit to find the area covered by solar panels! This area still has a couple of CWT signs but the landscape is obviously significantly altered. Most of the fighting occurred at the intersection of 64 and 295 so it was disappointing to see that the small part of the battlefield that had been preserved had been nearly obliterated.
Glendale/White Oak Swamp: Herculean preservation efforts have been made in recent years to save this battlefield. Although the battlefield's appearance still bears a high resemblance to that of 1862, most of the land is in private hands and interpretation is limited to a few markers in inconvenient areas. I also missed the new area off of Long Bridge Road (it may be closed off?) which had been purchased and preserved by the Civil War Trust at some point in the past few years. The area is still worth visiting but it will probably be helpful to have a basic understanding before doing so.
Malvern Hill: A real gem. The battlefield itself is about as good as you can ask for in the 21st century and interpretation and walking trails are plentiful. Highly recommended. Not a lot of shade, so if you can't deal with the sun or heat, make plans to come in a more agreeable season, although I don't mind as it adds a greater understanding of what attackers and defenders had to deal with. Side note: my ankles got decimated by chigger bites when I last visited about nine years ago but I think that was just bad luck and not anything specifically related to Malvern Hill's environment as I came out fine this go-round.
Hampton Roads: Not really a battlefield, per se, but there are enough interpretive signs to give you a good impression of how the battle went. There are two "overlooks" which respectively concern the Virginia's initial foray against the blockading squadron and the resulting battle with the Monitor. In addition, there are also several area museums which offer supplemental information concerning the battle, particularly the Mariner's Museum in Newport News, which houses the remnants of the Monitor and is one of the best museums I have ever visited.
Yorktown: Most of the interpretive material concerns the Revolutionary War siege and surrender. Information concerning the 1862 movements and engagements are mostly concentrated at Dam No. 1, which was where the heaviest fighting occurred. Extant earthworks can still be found in the area and Yorktown's are still in excellent condition, even if the ACW isn't the central focus.
Williamsburg: There are several sites of interest but they are scattered throughout the area and some are hidden away or difficult to find. The battlefield itself is fragmented but not completely destroyed (see a couple of later entries) so some understanding of the movements can still be gathered.
Eltham's Landing: A recent effort has been made to add interpretation to the battlefield, which still looks about the same as it did nearly 160 years ago. These additions enabled me to gain a quick and easy understanding of this relatively obscure site.
Drewry's Bluff: The earthworks surrounding the fort are still in good condition and the view of the river makes it easy to understand the importance of the site. There are plenty of interpretive signs in and surrounding the fort. The only complaint (and a minor one at that) is that the site is heavily forested compared to the area's more barren landscape of 1861-1865, but this is understandable considering the NP service does not own all the surrounding land.
Hanover Courthouse: The battlefield, despite being little changed since 1862, mostly falls on private lands, so there really isn't much to see here. Compared to Eltham's Landing, the interpretation was minimal.
Seven Pines: Really a shame that this battlefield is essentially obliterated. Along with Nashville and Hood's battles for Atlanta, Seven Pines shares the worst preservation to importance ratio. After the war, all of these battlefields were quickly engulfed by their neighboring metropolises so preservation efforts were essentially killed in the womb. There are a few signs concerning the action here but the area is almost completely developed, reducing the effectiveness of the information they contain.
Oak Grove: A small engagement by any measure, this battlefield was swallowed up by Richmond's airport. One small marker and a cannon commemorate it but the airport has installed "no parking" signs in the vicinity, rendering them virtually inaccessible.
Beaver Dam Creek: Besides a small patch preserved by the NPS, this battlefield has mostly been lost to development. The preserved area around Ellerson's Mill is still worth visiting, however.
Gaines' Mill: The largest battle of the campaign, the Gaines' Mill battlefield has also retained the most integrity, with the exception of Malvern Hill. The existing interpretation is adequate and the area of preservation is mainly focused on the Watt House area, where the heaviest fighting occurred. However, the battlefield as a whole is huge, and the attacks stretched all the way to Old Cold Harbor. Much of this land is still in private hands but more property has been purchased for preservation, specifically the area including the approach and staging of the climactic Confederate attack. Hopefully more preservation opportunities become available in the future.
Garnett's & Golding's Farm: Lost to development. Not really much to see here.
Savage's Station: Imagine my surprise when I returned nine years after my last visit to find the area covered by solar panels! This area still has a couple of CWT signs but the landscape is obviously significantly altered. Most of the fighting occurred at the intersection of 64 and 295 so it was disappointing to see that the small part of the battlefield that had been preserved had been nearly obliterated.
Glendale/White Oak Swamp: Herculean preservation efforts have been made in recent years to save this battlefield. Although the battlefield's appearance still bears a high resemblance to that of 1862, most of the land is in private hands and interpretation is limited to a few markers in inconvenient areas. I also missed the new area off of Long Bridge Road (it may be closed off?) which had been purchased and preserved by the Civil War Trust at some point in the past few years. The area is still worth visiting but it will probably be helpful to have a basic understanding before doing so.
Malvern Hill: A real gem. The battlefield itself is about as good as you can ask for in the 21st century and interpretation and walking trails are plentiful. Highly recommended. Not a lot of shade, so if you can't deal with the sun or heat, make plans to come in a more agreeable season, although I don't mind as it adds a greater understanding of what attackers and defenders had to deal with. Side note: my ankles got decimated by chigger bites when I last visited about nine years ago but I think that was just bad luck and not anything specifically related to Malvern Hill's environment as I came out fine this go-round.