Near Colonial Heights in Chesterfield County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Union Army Railroad Raids

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, March 15, 2009

1. Union Army Railroad Raids Marker

Inscription. On 5 May 1864, leading elements of Union Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler's Army of the James disembarked off transports at Bermuda Hundred, located to the north of here. The next day this army began severing telegraph lines and nearby portions of the Richmond & Petersburg Railroad, a rail line that carried troops, supplies, and food to Richmond from other junctions. Over the next five days, Butler's troops focused on destroying portions of the railroad and fought a number of skirmishes with Confederate troops. The Confederate army countered the Federal attacks, protected the railroad, and eventually reestablished the rail line.

Erected 2002 by Department of Historic Resurces. (Marker Number S-20.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Railroads & Streetcars • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical date for this entry is May 5, 1864.

Location. 37° 17.835′ N, 77° 24.584′ W. Marker is near Colonial Heights, Virginia, in Chesterfield County. It is on Jefferson Davis Highway (U.S. 1) 0.4 miles north

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of Happy Hill Road, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Colonial Heights VA 23834, 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 markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Advance on Petersburg (here, next to this marker); Redwater Creek Engagement (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Swift Creek Battlefield: A Landscape of Change (approx. 0.8 miles away); Battle of Swift Creek (approx. 0.9 miles away); "Brave to Madness" (approx. one mile away); Electric Railway (approx. 1.3 miles away);

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, March 15, 2009

2. Union Army Railroad Raids Marker

The "Bottle" (approx. 1.8 miles away); Ellerslie (approx. 1.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Colonial Heights.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Union Army Checked (was approx. 0.9 miles away but has been permanently removed).

Credits. This page was last revised on July 6, 2021. It was originally submitted on March 17, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,265 times since then and 31 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 17, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.