Near Mechanicsville in Hanover County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

A Well Preserved Union Artillery Position

Photographed By Bernard Fisher, February 15, 2009

1. A Well Preserved Union Artillery Position Marker

Inscription. You are standing in front of a Union artillery battery, located on a commanding hill about 400 yards behind the front lines. From here Union officers watched for activity along the Confederate lines, and opened fire with a barrage of shells whenever they spotted a target. Southern cannoneers responded, but their projectiles either ripped into the ground in front of the Union guns, or passed harmlessly overhead.

Rarely during this two week battle were the guns silent. Constant shelling tested the nerves of the soldiers, prompting one to remark “you would have thought that the whole world had let loose its ‘dogs of war’.”

Erected by Hanover County Parks and Recreation, National Park Service.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil.

Location. 37° 35.111′ N, 77° 16.681′ W. Marker is near Mechanicsville, Virginia, in Hanover County. Marker can be reached from Cold Harbor Road (State Highway 156) 0.2 miles east of Boatswain Lane, on the right when traveling east. This marker is located along a one-mile trail in the 50-acre Cold Harbor Battlefield Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6005 Cold Harbor Road, Mechanicsville VA 23111, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within

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walking distance of this marker. Federal Artillery Battery (within shouting distance of this marker); The Bloody Eighth (within shouting distance of this marker); The Deadly Work of Sharpshooters (within shouting distance of this marker); Scars of Conflict (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Digging In (about 400 feet away); The Battle of Gaines’ Mill - 1862 (about 400 feet away); Misery In The Trenches (about 400 feet away); Preparation For Battle (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mechanicsville.

Also see . . .
1. Hanover County Parks and Recreation. Cold Harbor Battlefield Park (Submitted on February 17, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.)

2. Richmond National Battlefield Park. Cold Harbor (Submitted on February 17, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.)

3. CWSAC Battle Summary. Cold Harbor (Submitted on February 17, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.)

4. Cold Harbor Battlefield Park Walking Trail. This marker is one along the walking trail around a portion of the Cold Harbor Battlefield preserved by Hanover County Parks and Recreation. (Submitted on February 17, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.)

Photographed By Bernard Fisher, February 15, 2009

2. A Well Preserved Union Artillery Position Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on February 17, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,195 times since then and 8 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 17, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.