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Sandston in Henrico County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Seven Pines

Bloody Stalemate

— 1862 Peninsula Campaign —

 
 
Seven Pines Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 18, 2023
1. Seven Pines Marker
Inscription.
In April 1862, Union forces under Gen. George B. McClellan began a major campaign to capture Richmond, marching west from Fort Monroe up the Peninsula between the York and James Rivers toward the Confederate capital. Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's army, half their number, opposed them. Slowly but inevitably, the Federal juggernaut overcame three Southern defensive lines and was soon captured in Richmond's eastern suburbs. New commander Robert E. Lee, however, led a Confederate offensive that drove the Union army away during the Seven Days' Battles at the end of June.

Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston ordered his army to make attacks on May 31, 1862 that were designed to push the Union army away from Richmond. The heaviest action took place here along Williamsburg Road as one Confederate thrust struck an isolated wing of the Federal Fourth Corps.

Two brigades of Confederate Gen. D.H. Hill's division under Gen. Robert E. Rodes and Gen. Gabriel J. Rains charged toward you. Union Gen. Silas Casey's earthwork, defended by two of his brigades under Gen. Henry W. Wessells and Gen. Innis N. Palmer, blocked the way. Close-quarters fighting raged here, until Hill's men broke through and pushed eastward toward the Seven Pines intersection at the present-day national cemetery. Casey wrote that Hill's
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attack unleashed "the most terrible fire of musketry … that I have ever witnessed."

Late in the day, Johnston fell wounded north of here, and the next day Gen. Robert E. Lee took command of the army. The clash at Seven Pines was the largest battle fought in Virginia during the first 14 months of the war. More than 70,000 men fought here and the armies suffered at least 10,000 casualties.
 
Erected by Virginia Civil War Trails.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1862.
 
Location. 37° 31.347′ N, 77° 18.74′ W. Marker is in Sandston, Virginia, in Henrico County. Marker is on East Williamsburg Road (Route 60) west of Rodes Avenue, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 23 E Williamsburg Rd, Sandston VA 23150, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Battlefield of Seven Pines (a few steps from this marker); Site of the First Public Library in Henrico County (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Battlefield of Seven Pines (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); McClellan’s First Line (approx. 0.2 miles
Seven Pines Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 18, 2023
2. Seven Pines Marker
away); a different marker also named Battlefield of Seven Pines (approx. 0.2 miles away); Sandston (approx. ¼ mile away); a different marker also named Battlefield of Seven Pines (approx. 0.4 miles away); McClellan’s Picket Line (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sandston.
 
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. This marker has replaced the linked marker.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on February 18, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 18, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 185 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on February 18, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.

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Mar. 19, 2024