|
| Add Photo — Add Link — Add Commentary — Correct this page — Print | | Near Chester in Chesterfield County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic) |
Dutch Gap Canal
Butler's Bypass
— Bermuda Hundred Campaign —
|
| | | | 
By Bernard Fisher, February 9, 2009 | |
| | | 1. Dutch Gap Canal Civil War Trails Marker | | |
Inscription. With the opposing armies locked in a protracted struggle around Petersburg and Bermuda Hundred, the James and Appomattox Rivers assumed added importance.
In August 1864, Union Gen. Benjamin Butler began excavations at Dutch Gap. When completed, his canal would bypass nearly five miles of the James River. Several powerful Confederate artillery batteries menaced that stretch of water. The Dutch Gap Canal would neutralize them.
Although the project neared completion in late 1864, Butler’s engineers never succeeded in opening the canal for warships. The Dutch Gap shortcut only came into use after the Civil War. It is now the primary James River channel.
Erected by Virginia Civil War Trails.
Marker series. This marker is included in the Virginia Civil War Trails marker series.
Location. 37° 22.605′ N, 77° 21.616′ W. Marker is near Chester, Virginia, in Chesterfield County. Marker can be reached from Henricus Park Road 1.3 miles east of Coxendale Road (County Route 615). Click for map. The marker is located in Henricus Historical Park. It is situated on a bluff overlooking the James River. There is a short 300 yard walking trail from the parking lot to the bluff. Marker is at or near this postal address: 251 Henricus Park Road, Chester VA 23836, United States of America. | | | | 
By Bernard Fisher, February 9, 2009 | |
| | | 2. James River Defenses near Dutch Gap | | |
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 1 mile of this marker, as the crow flies. The Lightkeeper’s House (within shouting distance of this marker); The Church of Henricopolis (within shouting distance of this marker); Henricopolis (within shouting distance of this marker); Henricus Historical Park (within shouting distance of this marker); Changes Over Time (about 300 feet away, in a direct line); Guarding the River (approx. 1 miles away); Inside Fort Brady (approx. 1 miles away); Powder Magazine (approx. 1 miles away). Click for a list of all markers in Chester.
More about this marker. In the center is a photo of “Union soldiers at work on the canal in 1864.”
On the right is a map detailing the river defenses at Dutch Gap. The smaller inset map shows the position of Dutch Gap relative to the modern interstate highways, I-95 and I-295. The map carries the caption, “The two loops of the James River appear tantalizingly close together on a map, but building the canal to unite them proved too difficult a task for General Butler’s army.”
Also see . . .
1. Henricus Historical Park. (Submitted on February 11, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Mechanicsville, Virginia.)
2. Civil War Traveler. Chesterfield County (Submitted on February 12, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Mechanicsville, Virginia.)
|
| | | | 
By Bernard Fisher, February 9, 2009 | |
| | | 3. Location of Dutch Gap Canal | | |
| | | | | 
By Bernard Fisher, February 9, 2009 | |
| | | 4. Dutch Gap Canal CWT Marker looking upriver | | |
| | | | | 
By Bernard Fisher, February 9, 2009 | |
| | | 5. Dutch Gap Canal CWT Marker looking downriver towards the Varina-Enon bridge. | | |
| | | | | 
By Bernard Fisher, February 9, 2009 | |
| | | 6. Butler's Dutch Gap Canal | | |
| | | | | 
By Bernard Fisher, February 9, 2009 | |
| | | 7. Dutch Gap Canal Panorama | | |
| | | | | 
By Alexander Gardner, March 1865 | |
| | | 8. Dutch Gap, James River, Virginia, March 1865 (Plate 87) | | In 1866,Alexander Gardner, a photographer who had been in Matthew Brady's employ, published his Photographic Sketchbook of the War, the first published collection of Civil War photographs, of which this plate was one.
Gardner's accompanying text makes clear the achievement that the canal represented and the difficult conditions under which it was built:
"...The work of excavation commenced on the 9th of August, 1864. The rebels opened their formidable batteries on the laborers, on the 13th, and with few intervals maintained a fire from mortars and rifled guns until the conclusion of the enterprise. The regiments employed on the work were the 116th and 169th New York volunteers, and the 4th, 6th, 10th, 36th, 38th, and 100th United States colored regiments....The labors of these troops averaged one hundred and twenty men for a period of ten hours each day, working eighteen days in August, twenty-five days in September, and twenty-six in October. From the first of November until the time of completion, the average consisted of one hundred and thirty men, working eleven and a half hours each day...." | | |
|
| Credits. This page originally submitted on February 11, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Mechanicsville, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,034 times since then. Last updated on February 15, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Mechanicsville, Virginia. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Submitted on February 11, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Mechanicsville, Virginia. 8. Submitted on February 13, 2009. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page. | | Add Photo — Add Link — Add Commentary — Correct this page — Print |
|
Subscribe
— Privacy Policy
— Terms of Use
— About Us
— Contact Us
HMdb.org