The Battle of Williamsburg, Virginia

FrazierC

First Sergeant
Joined
Sep 20, 2012
I'm sitting in a Quality Inn on the Williamsburg Battlefield. Literally, on the battlefield. There is one old roadside marker to show where the battle took place. 4,000 casualties in a contest that lasted all day. Of the 11 redoubts on the "Williamsburg Line", I have seen one intact. The rest were flattened to build CVS Pharmacies, a Wawa Gas Station, and a suburb of Colonial Williamsburg. I don't mean to complain, but the battle here was pretty significant and there's almost nothing to mark it. Someone who lives here didn't believe me when I told him a Civil War battle was fought here. Any thoughts on how important preservation is?
 
I'm sitting in a Quality Inn on the Williamsburg Battlefield. Literally, on the battlefield. There is one old roadside marker to show where the battle took place. 4,000 casualties in a contest that lasted all day. Of the 11 redoubts on the "Williamsburg Line", I have seen one intact. The rest were flattened to build CVS Pharmacies, a Wawa Gas Station, and a suburb of Colonial Williamsburg. I don't mean to complain, but the battle here was pretty significant and there's almost nothing to mark it. Someone who lives here didn't believe me when I told him a Civil War battle was fought here. Any thoughts on how important preservation is?

Unfortunately this isnt uncommon. There are plenty of battlefields all over the United States not just from the Civil War that have been flattened in order to make room for your local grocery store or a gas station. But one thing you need to take into account is the amount of histry in the Williamsburg area and the greater Hampton Roads area. I was stationed in Norfolk when I was in the Marines for 2.5 years and I still want to go back to explore more. Theres so much history it has to be hard to preserve everything. You have not only battlefields from the Civil War but also this was a critical area during early colonial times, the American Revolution, all the way up to the 1900s. I know it seems cruel and if I had it my way I'd preserve every piece of history (especially military history) that I could but into todays times its hard to raise the money to do much more than get a plaque or a battlefield marker put up.
 
A few other battlefields that come to mind as encroached upon are, Seven Pines/Fair Oaks, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Franklin.
 
I concur that it's sad not to see more of the battlefield area in Williamburg preserved, but as NFB22 says, there is so much history around Williamsburg that they can't preserve it all if they are to remain a viable city. There are actually a number of sites preserved around town but you need to hunt them down. I went on an excellent battle site tour given by my SUVCW (Sons of Union Veterans...) Camp commander. We saw the following sites as listed on the Civil War Traveler website plus a couple others:

Redoubt 12, New Quarter Park, York County – Part of Magruder's Williamsburg (3rd) Defensive Line and site of late-afternoon action during the Battle of Williamsburg. Redoubt 12 and nearby Redoubts 11 and 14 helped form the York River end of the line.

Fort Magruder, Penniman Road, Williamsburg – The center of the Williamsburg Line guarding the juncture of two roads leading from the lower Peninsula to Richmond. It was the scene of fierce fighting during the May 5, 1862, Battle of Williamsburg. Approximately one third of earthworks remain.

Battle of Williamsburg, Williamsburg – This was the hottest spot during the May 5, 1862, battle that challenged the Confederate rear guard as that army withdrew from its Peninsula lines toward Richmond. This site, known as the "Bloody Ravine" was the focus of the seesaw fighting that resulted in a draw. The Confederates continued their withdrawal that evening. Trails sign in front of the Park Inn, on Route 60, 7135 Pocahontas Trail

Quarterpath Road and the Williamsburg Line, WilliamsburgConfederate troops used earthworks here to repel Union assaults against the Confederate right during the May 5, 1862, Battle of Williamsburg. J.E.B. Stuart used this historic road trace while acting as a rear guard for the retreating Confederate army before the Battle of Williamsburg.

Wren Building, College of William and Mary campus, WilliamsburgBuilt in 1695. Confederate troops under Brig. Gen. Jubal Early camped here prior to the May 5, 1862, Battle of Williamsburg. The Wren Building was used as a hospital after the battle and was burned by Union troops in September 1862. (No Civil War Trails marker.)

Problem is that you need to seek these sites out; without a good map marking these sites, you're not going to find them. However, they're worth the time and effort. Here's a site that shows some of the Williamsburg markers: http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=10529
 
I'm afraid the civil war does tend to get treated as an afterthought in the Williamsburg area. When I was at William and Mary from 68-72 we did still have classes in the Wren Building which were regularly interrupted by tourists (official term "visitors") opening doors and looking for history or something. (Look, Martha, students; why aren't they in costume.) At least this was well prior to the opening of Busch Gardens so there was still an atmosphere of relaxed exploration of the past around the entire area. It would have been very easy to completely miss the fact of civil war engagements in the area if one wasn't paying close attention. In fairness though, it is understandable that priority there is given to the early settlement and history with the Jamestown colony, John Smith, John Rolfe, Pocohontas, Patrick Henry, Yorktown, etc. If I recall correctly, there is some information mixed in with the Yorktown revolution markers about civil war maneuvers, but that may be a faulty memory. In recent years so much new information has been uncovered about the original Jamestown settlement and the early James River plantations and the native populations that it just sort of occupies the field and there is little additional attention left for something as recent as the mid-nineteenth century.
 
Excellent posts. Colonial Williamsburg and the area is one of our favorite places to go. We have been many times. There is so much history but as said you have to look for some of it.
 
Thanks for all the replies! I did visit Fort Magruder the day after I made the thread. Only about a quarter of the earthwork remains, and I drove past it once without even noticing it.
 
The Battle of Williamsburg, also known as the Battle of Fort Magruder, took place on May 5, 1862, in York County, James City County, and Williamsburg, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the first pitched battle of the Peninsula Campaign, in which nearly 41,000 Federals and 32,000 Confederates were engaged, fighting an inconclusive battle that ended with the Confederates continuing their withdrawal.
Following up the Confederate retreat from Yorktown, the Union division of Brig. Gen. Joseph Hooker encountered the Confederate rearguard near Williamsburg. Hooker assaulted Fort Magruder, an earthen fortification alongside the Williamsburg Road, but was repulsed. Confederate counterattacks, directed by Maj. Gen. James Longstreet, threatened to overwhelm the Union left flank, until Brig. Gen. Philip Kearny's division arrived to stabilize the Federal position. Brig. Gen. Winfield S. Hancock's brigade then moved to threaten the Confederate left flank, occupying two abandoned redoubts. The Confederates counterattacked unsuccessfully. Hancock's localized success was not exploited. The Confederate army continued its withdrawal during the night in the direction of Richmond, Virginia. [Wikipedia]
Battle_of_Williamsburg.png
 
I grew up 45 minutes west of Williamsburg and have been there more times then I could even dream to count. The emphasis is on the colonial history of the town. I agree the civil war battle gets zero mention.
 
I am in Newport News, fifteen minutes from Williamsburg and I just had to put this here, in case. If you want to see what hasn't been demolished in all this area relating to the peninsula campaign I advise a spirit of adventure. I have re discovered so much fun stuff now that I have a two year old that loves to hike. There are few standing earthworks and places to visit, but these remaining are amidst great hiking trails and rich early American history. Find the most obscure sites on the map ( mills, creeks, bluffs, small skirmish sites) and try your best to get to them, you will really be amazed. BUT YOU GOTTA WALK THROUGH SOME WOODS TO GET THERE. Come visit us sometime.

Wow...I should run for mayor :smile:
 
That drove me nuts when I lived in VA. Fredericksburg was pretty sad. Manassas was pretty eat up as well. I'm all for progress, but get real. This is our history. Drive your Kia another 5 miles to get to Walmart for your powdered donuts. Don't pave over hallowed ground just to make starbucks convenient for everybody!
 
There are a very few pristine battlefields, and they are all out in East Jesus somewhere. Two come to mind: Perryville and Shiloh. Perryville is not under federal control but the state of Kentucky has done a marvelous job of preserving it -- and it has most, if not all, of it preserved.

When I was last in Perryville, there were two places to eat ... Marathon and Standard (not bad, actually), but the closest place to stay, Danville, was 20 miles.

And Shiloh. The closest place to eat just north of the battlefield. The Catfish Hotel. Overrated. I make better hushpuppies and fried catfish better than theirs. Closest place to stay is in Savannah. 9 miles.

Next closest is Selmer. Third is Corinth. Both have admirable facilities.
 
That drove me nuts when I lived in VA. Fredericksburg was pretty sad. Manassas was pretty eat up as well. I'm all for progress, but get real. This is our history. Drive your Kia another 5 miles to get to Walmart for your powdered donuts. Don't pave over hallowed ground just to make starbucks convenient for everybody!

As our great, late, good friend Larry said, after the war, no one was interested in preserving sites where the CS lost.
 
From McClellan's Own Story, page 353 from a private telegram sent the day after the battle. Winfield Scott Hancock became marked for higher commands and the moniker 'Hancock the Superb' stuck.

"Williamsburg, May 6, 1862, 11 p.m.—The battle of Williamsburg has proved a brilliant victory. None of your friends injured, though our loss considerable. That of the enemy severe. The Quaker army is doing very well. Hancock was superb yesterday."
 
I'm afraid the civil war does tend to get treated as an afterthought in the Williamsburg area. When I was at William and Mary from 68-72 we did still have classes in the Wren Building which were regularly interrupted by tourists (official term "visitors") opening doors and looking for history or something. (Look, Martha, students; why aren't they in costume.) At least this was well prior to the opening of Busch Gardens so there was still an atmosphere of relaxed exploration of the past around the entire area. It would have been very easy to completely miss the fact of civil war engagements in the area if one wasn't paying close attention. In fairness though, it is understandable that priority there is given to the early settlement and history with the Jamestown colony, John Smith, John Rolfe, Pocohontas, Patrick Henry, Yorktown, etc. If I recall correctly, there is some information mixed in with the Yorktown revolution markers about civil war maneuvers, but that may be a faulty memory. In recent years so much new information has been uncovered about the original Jamestown settlement and the early James River plantations and the native populations that it just sort of occupies the field and there is little additional attention left for something as recent as the mid-nineteenth century.



I have the same recollection about York town. I was on a tour of the battlefield and the ranger told us we were actually on the site of more than one battle-and he explained where the CW fighting took place. In "Red, White and Blue Badge-regimental history of Pa 93rd" the events are described on pages 130-132.

"The Brigade was given the second post of honor in the Division, which assisted in guarding the left flank of the advance upon Yorktown." It goes on to describe the earthen works built by the 93rd and then the skirmishes that followed.
 
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