Near Mechanicsville in Hanover County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
A Well Preserved Union Artillery Position
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, December 27, 2025
1. A Well Preserved Union Artillery Position Marker
The county replaced the original NPS marker with a larger, two-legged panel containing identical text in the same location.
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. It 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.
Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Piedmont, in Central Virginia, and in the Richmond Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. 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
this page online
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
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, February 15, 2009
3. A Well Preserved Union Artillery Position Marker
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, December 27, 2025
4. A Well Preserved Union Artillery Position Marker
The county-format marker, with the battery hiding in the small trees just beyond.
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, December 27, 2025
5. A Well Preserved Union Artillery Position
The scarp (exterior slope) of the earthen battery is visible running diagonally from left until it angles down to ground level at its intersection with the path at distant right. The path goes around behind this section of rampart and allows the visitor interior access to the parapet and gun positions.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 13, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 17, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,361 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on April 12, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. 2, 3. submitted on February 17, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. 4, 5. submitted on April 12, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
