North Newport News , Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Lebanon Church
In the Line of March
| — | 1862 Peninsula Campaign | — |
Historic Lebanon Church, located behind you at the intersection of two strategic highways, served both the Confederate and the Union armies during the Civil War. Soon after Confederate Col. John Bankhead Magruder began organizing the Peninsula’s defenses at Yorktown on May 21, 1861, elements of the 3rd Virginia Cavalry established a courier station here. Countless Confederate soldiers marched by here between April 5 and May 3, 1862, to fill Magruder’s trenches. Three lines of fortifications blocked Union Gen. George B. McClellan’s advance from Fort Monroe; the strongest line stretched 12 miles from Mulberry Island on the James River and followed the swampy Warwick River to within a mile of Yorktown. Capt. Richard H. Adams, Jr., of the 5th Alabama Infantry wrote, “We took up a line of march for Lebanon Church, a very disagreeable one too. Stayed about 2 hours [in the rain] march to Lee’s Farm, Gen. Magruder’s Headqtrs.” The Confederates abandoned their lines and marched by here in their retreat to Williamsburg. On May 4, the day before the Battle of Williamsburg, Union Gens. William F. Smith and Winfield Scott Hancock established their headquarters here. Federal troops occupied the area afterward, and the 5th Pennsylvania Cavalry used the church as a stable until 1863. The troopers burned the floors for firewood, removed bricks
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Followers of Thomas and Alexander Campbell, known as Campbellites, established the first Lebanon Church congregation in York County early in the 19th century. The members worshipped in an abandoned Episcopal church in nearby Kiskiack from 1825 to 1833. The next year, they moved to Warwick County and began constructing a log church that burned down before it was completed. The congregation then met in a small building here. By 1853, a new clapboard structure was completed; fire destroyed it in 1859. The members immediately built this brick church, but it soon suffered the ravages of war. Afterward, the congregation failed to secure federal funds for balcony repairs and other purposes, and the building was not repaired until early in the 1900s.
Erected by Virginia Civil War Trails.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Military • Notable Buildings • Religion & Religious Structures • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical date for this entry is April 5, 1834.
Location. 37° 12.766′ N, 76° 34.262′ W. Marker is in Newport News, Virginia. It is in North Newport News. It is
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 11, 2008
2. Lebanon Church Marker
This is a prior iteration of the marker. While the text is identical to the current version, there are slight differences in formatting.
Regionally, this marker is on Virginia’s Peninsula, in Hampton Roads, in Coastal Virginia, and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Tidewater. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Endview (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named Endview (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named Lebanon Church (a few steps from this marker); Aviation Field Yorktown (a few steps from this marker); Endview Plantation (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named Endview (about 700 feet away); The Dairy House (approx. 0.2 miles away); Virginia Indians (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Newport News.
Other markers no longer nearby. The Endview Landscape (was about 700 feet away but has been permanently removed); The Dairy Building (was approx. 0.2 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); The Endview Spring (was approx. 0.2 miles away but has been permanently removed).
More about this marker. Photographs of Col. John B. Magruder, Gen William F. Smith and Gen. Winfield S. Hancock appear on the top of the marker. The upper right of the marker features a map of “Magruder’s Yorktown defenses, showing Lebanon Church and Lee Hall.”
The
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 11, 2008
3. Markers on Yorktown Road
Two markers are found at this location on Yorktown Road. The Lebanon Church marker is to the left in the photo.
Also see . . .
1. The Peninsula Campaign. (Submitted on August 17, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)
2. Tidewater Virginia, The 1862 Peninsula Campaign. Civil War Traveler. (Submitted on August 17, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)
Photographed by Bradley Owen, October 17, 2021
4. Markers on Yorktown Road
Three markers are found at this location on Yorktown Road. The Lebanon Church marker is to the left in the photo.
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 11, 2008
5. Lebanon Church
A great number of Confederates passed this point in 1862 on their way to the main fortifications and later during their retreat up the peninsula.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 19, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 17, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 2,310 times since then and 84 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on June 19, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 2, 3. submitted on August 17, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 4. submitted on October 21, 2021, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. 5. submitted on August 17, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.
