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

Union Rifle Pits

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, February 23, 2009

1. Union Rifle Pits Marker

Inscription. These well-preserved rifle pits probably mark the far end of the Union line. The 16th Michigan Infantry or 44th New York Infantry likely built them on the morning of the battle to guard the western flank of the army. Although some Federal soldiers dug-in, none entrenched on this battlefield to the extent they did two years later at Cold Harbor.

“I am of the opinion now…that had our lines been better posted and entrenched…we might have been saved from defeat….Two years later the Army of the Potomac could not have been forced to spend idle hours…without running temporary lines of defence everywhere.”
Lt. Col. A. J. Warner
10th Pennsylvania Reserves

Erected by National Park Service.

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

Location. 37° 34.38′ N, 77° 17.7′ W. Marker is near Mechanicsville, Virginia, in Hanover County. It can be reached from Watt House Road 0.7 miles south of Cold Harbor Road (Virginia Route 156), on the right when traveling south. This marker is located on the walking trail along Boatswain Creek in the Gaines' Mill Battlefield unit of the Richmond National Battlefield Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: 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.

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Morell’s Division, USA (within shouting distance of this marker); Watt Farm Road (within shouting distance of this marker); Intensity of Battle (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Wilcox’s Alabama Brigade, (about 300 feet away); Wilcox’s Brigade, CSA (about 300 feet away); Pickett’s Brigade, CSA (about 500 feet away); Mistaken Identity (about 500 feet away); Balloons Over the Battlefield (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mechanicsville.

Other markers no longer nearby. The Battle Ends (was about 500 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); The Cavalry Charge (was about 500 feet away but has been permanently removed).

Also see . . .
1. Battle of Gaines' Mill. National Park Service Richmond National Battlefield Park website entry (Submitted on February 23, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.)

2. Gaines’ Mill Confederate Attack Trail. National Park Service PDF (Submitted on July 7, 2024, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, February 23, 2009

2. Union Rifle Pits Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on July 7, 2024. It was originally submitted on February 23, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,280 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 23, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.