Near Mechanicsville in Hanover County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Killing Fields
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, August 19, 2010
1. Killing Fields Marker
John L. Piper, 12th New Hampshire Infantry
At first light on June 3, 1864, over half of the Army of the Potomac rushed forward across a wide front. Theirs was a high stakes gamble. The risk: a frontal attack against well-fortified Confederate defenders. The reward: the prospect of driving Robert E. Lees army into the Chickahominy River. On the Confederate and your right, a brief Union breakthrough produced hand-to-hand fighting. In the center, the attackers barely left the cover of their trees. On the left, brave Federal soldiers charged across open ground, only to fall by the hundreds. The Confederate line stood unbroken and remained intact until June 12, when the Union army slipped away. Cold Harbor produced numbing casualty figures: 13,000 for the Federals and approximately 5,000 for the Confederates during the two weeks of combat.
Erected 2010 by Richmond National Battlefield Park.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical month for this entry is June 1859.
Location. 37° 35.129′ N, 77° 17.218′
this page online
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 walking distance of this marker: Cold Harbor (a few steps from this marker); Read's Battalion (within shouting distance of this marker); We Must Hold This Line (within shouting distance of this marker); Walk in the Footsteps of History (within shouting distance of this marker); Battle of Cold Harbor (within shouting distance of this marker); The Ultimate Sacrifice (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Nowhere To Go (approx. 0.2 miles away); Those People Stand No Chance (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mechanicsville.
Other markers no longer nearby. Cold Harbor Battlefield (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Reads Battalion CSA Artillery (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Also see . . .
1. Richmond National Battlefield Park. (Submitted on August 20, 2010, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.)
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, December 27, 2025
2. Killing Fields Marker
And, said fields.
2. Cold Harbor. Civil War Preservation Trust (Submitted on August 20, 2010, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.)
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, August 19, 2010
3. Killing Fields Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on April 20, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 19, 2010, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,354 times since then and 17 times this year. Last updated on January 1, 2022, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. Photos: 1. submitted on August 19, 2010, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. 2. submitted on April 16, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. 3. submitted on August 19, 2010, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.
