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

Keep Your Head Down

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, March 9, 2009

1. Keep Your Head Down Marker

Inscription. This shallow, winding depression is all that remains of a “zigzag” constructed by Union troops in June 1864. In trench warfare, soldiers dug ditches, called zigzags or covered-ways, to provide protection from sharpshooters as they moved from one line of entrenchments to another. Soldiers at Cold Harbor crawled through covered-ways carrying heavy loads of rations or ammunition, prompting one infantryman to remark that he felt “like some unholy cross between a pack mule and a snake.”

Erected by National Park Service.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical month for this entry is June 1864.

Location. 37° 35.289′ N, 77° 17.018′ W. Marker is near Mechanicsville, Virginia, in Hanover County. It can be reached from the intersection of Anderson-Wright Drive and Cold Harbor Road (Virginia Route 156). This marker is located along the walking trail in the Cold Harbor Battlefield Unit of the Richmond National Battlefield Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5515 Anderson-Wright Drive, Mechanicsville VA 23111, United States

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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,

specifically in the Upper South,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. 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: Battle of Cold Harbor (a few steps from this marker); Keep Digging (within shouting distance of this marker); A Captured Trench (within shouting distance of this marker); We Have Broken Through (within shouting distance of this marker); Hot Work at Cold Harbor (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Stand Guard And Stay Awake (about 500 feet away); a different marker also named Battle of Cold Harbor (about 600 feet away); A Deadly Delay (about 600 feet away).

Zig-Zag Trench Trace image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, December 27, 2025

2. Zig-Zag Trench Trace

Just left of the marker, heavily eroded along the path.

Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mechanicsville.

Also see . . .
1. Richmond National Battlefield Park. Cold Harbor (Submitted on March 8, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.)

2. CWSAC Battle Summary. Cold Harbor (Submitted on March 8, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.)

3. Cold Harbor Battlefield Virtual Tour by Markers. This is one of the many markers along the walking trail, extended loop trail, and auto tour route in the Cold Harbor Battlefield Unit of the Richmond National Battlefield Park. (Submitted on March 9, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.)

Cold Harbor Walking Trail image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, March 9, 2009

3. Cold Harbor Walking Trail

Cold Harbor Battlefield image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, March 9, 2009

4. Cold Harbor Battlefield

Credits. This page was last revised on April 20, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 8, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,270 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on March 8, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. 2. submitted on April 16, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. 3, 4. submitted on March 8, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.