Near Doswell in Hanover County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
The Ox Ford Road
May 23, 1864 11:00am - 8:00pm
— Gray Trail —
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, July 18, 2009
1. The Ox Ford Road Marker
Inscription.
The Ox Ford Road. May 23, 1864 11:00am - 8:00pm. At 11:00 a.m. six cannon of Major John Lane’s Georgia artillery battalion, followed closely by Brigadier General Edward A. Perry’s weakened 270-man Florida infantry brigade, moved down this road to cover the vital crossing of Ox Ford. As the Union army threatened to cross the North Anna, eleven cannon of Lieutenant Colonel David G. McIntosh’s artillery battalion, supported by Brigadier General Ambrose “Rans” Wright’s Georgia infantry brigade, raced along the Ox Ford Road to reinforce Lane and went into battery overlooking Ox Ford. By 8:00 p.m. these units, all of Brigadier General William H. Mahone’s Division, had taken positions on the bluffs overlooking the river. Their field of fire covered both the Telegraph Road bridge [Chesterfield bridge] and Ox Ford., In the exchange of cannon fire that evening Lieutenant Robert S. Pearce, commanding Clutter’s battery of McIntosh’s battalion, received a mortal wound., Union success at Jericho Mill and against Henagan’s redoubt on the Telegraph Road that same evening forced General Robert E. Lee to fall back to a new line anchored on the North Anna River at Ox Ford. After working through the night of May 23 and early morning of May 24, the Army of Northern Virginia, which Lee had positioned in an “inverted V” capable of splitting Grant’s army into three parts, again lay ready for the inevitable Union advance., General Lee rode these lines along the Ox Ford Road and proclaimed of his opponent, General Ulysses S. Grant, “If I can get one more pull at him, I will defeat him.”, (sidebar) , The interpretative work in this park has been made possible through the cooperative efforts of the American Battlefield Protection Program [NPS], State of Virginia, Hanover County Parks and Recreation department, and the members of the Blue and Gray Education Society. J. Michael Miller was the historical consultant. Mr. James W. Davis of Flushing, New York, generously replaced the ten original 1998 prints with reprints in 2004., (captions) , Brigadier General William H. Mahone , Telegraph Road Bridge following Federal capture
At 11:00 a.m. six cannon of Major John Lane’s Georgia artillery battalion, followed closely by Brigadier General Edward A. Perry’s weakened 270-man Florida infantry brigade, moved down this road to cover the vital crossing of Ox Ford. As the Union army threatened to cross the North Anna, eleven cannon of Lieutenant Colonel David G. McIntosh’s artillery battalion, supported by Brigadier General Ambrose “Rans” Wright’s Georgia infantry brigade, raced along the Ox Ford Road to reinforce Lane and went into battery overlooking Ox Ford. By 8:00 p.m. these units, all of Brigadier General William H. Mahone’s Division, had taken positions on the bluffs overlooking the river. Their field of fire covered both the Telegraph Road bridge [Chesterfield bridge] and Ox Ford.
In the exchange of cannon fire that evening Lieutenant Robert S. Pearce, commanding Clutter’s battery of McIntosh’s battalion, received a mortal wound.
Union success at Jericho Mill and against Henagan’s redoubt on the Telegraph Road that same evening forced General Robert E. Lee to fall back to a new line anchored on the North Anna River at Ox Ford. After working through the night of May 23 and early morning of May 24, the Army of Northern Virginia, which Lee had positioned in an “inverted V” capable of splitting Grant’s army into three parts, again lay ready
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for the inevitable Union advance.
General Lee rode these lines along the Ox Ford Road and proclaimed of his opponent, General Ulysses S. Grant, “If I can get one more pull at him, I will defeat him.”
(sidebar)
The interpretative work in this park has been made possible through the cooperative efforts of the American Battlefield Protection Program [NPS], State of Virginia, Hanover County Parks and Recreation department, and the members of the Blue and Gray Education Society. J. Michael Miller was the historical consultant. Mr. James W. Davis of Flushing, New York, generously replaced the ten original 1998 prints with reprints in 2004.
(captions)
Brigadier General William H. Mahone
Telegraph Road Bridge following Federal capture
Erected 1998 by Blue & Gray Education Society, Hanover County Parks and Recreation Department. (Marker Number Stop 1.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Roads & Vehicles • War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is May 23, 1864.
Location. 37° 53.035′ N, 77° 29.973′ W. Marker is near Doswell, Virginia, in Hanover County. Marker can be reached from Verndon Road (Virginia Route 684) 0.2 miles west of New Market Mill Road (Virginia Route 685), on the right when traveling
Photographed By Blue & Gray Education Society
2. The Ox Ford Road Marker
west. Located along the "Gray Trail" in North Anna Battlefield Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 11576 Verdon Rd, Doswell VA 23047, United States of America. Touch for directions.
7. North Anna Battlefield Park Entrance (Verdon Rd)
The General Crushed Stone Company
8. North Anna Battlefield Park "Gray" Trail.
Photographed By Mathew Brady, circa 1865
9. Gen. William Mahone, C.S.A
National Archives Identifier 529228
Photographed By T.H. O'Sullivan, circa May 1864
10. Chesterfield Bridge, North Anna River, Va.
Library of Congress [LC-USZ62-68631]
Credits. This page was last revised on August 14, 2021. It was originally submitted on July 19, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,214 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos:1. submitted on July 19, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. 2. submitted on February 25, 2020. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. submitted on July 19, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. 9. submitted on February 25, 2020. 10. submitted on July 19, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.