Bowling Green in Caroline County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Caroline County Courthouse
Union Troops Filled the Roads to Richmond
| | Lee Vs. Grant - The 1864 Campaign | |
On May 21, 1864, Gen. Winfield S. Hancocks Second Corps passed through Bowling Green. Union soldiers broke into stores, looted homes and freed prisoners from the jail. Documents from the ransacked courthouse littered the streets.
A few bold souls ventured outside to hurl epithets at their tormentors. Are you going to Richmond? cried one woman. Youll all lay your bones in the ground before you get sight of it!
To help restore order, a young Union captain named Chapman posted guards. Invited for a hot meal by the owner of the nearby Star Hotel, Capt. Chapman would remember Bowling Green with fondness. In 1906, he wrote to Caroline County Clerk Ned Coghill that it was so kind to take an enemy in and feed him.
War is terrible anyway, Coghill replied, but war between brothers is the worst of all. Thank God we are at peace! I was also a soldier in that war, and surrendered with General Lee at Appomattox. I have a warm spot in my heart for the old soldiers of both sides.
(captions)
Ned Coghill, 30th Virginia (Caroline Grays). After the war Coghill served as Caroline County Clerk for more than 30 years.
Union soldiers passing the Caroline County Courthouse en route to Richmond depicted in a Sidney King painting. In the midst of the confusion, runaway slave and Confederate officer's body servant Nathaniel Evans hid inside the courthouse and forged the last of many passes, enabling him to escape to Fredericksburg and freedom.
Erected by Virginia
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is May 21, 1864.
Location. 38° 3.04′ N, 77° 20.827′ W. Marker is in Bowling Green, Virginia, in Caroline County. It is at the intersection of North Main Street (Virginia Route 2) and Courthouse Lane (Local Route 1204), on the right when traveling north on North Main Street. This marker was relocated 100 ft south following the removal of the Confederate Monument on the Courthouse lawn (m=116125). Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 117 N Main St, Bowling Green VA 22427, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Piedmont and in Central Virginia. 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
May 26, 2007
2. Caroline County Courthouse Marker
This is a previous iteration of the marker. While the inscription is identical, there are slight differences in formatting.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Star Hotel (here, next to this marker); Loving v Virginia (here, next to this marker); 1864 Union Occupation of Bowling Green (here, next to this marker); Caroline County World War I Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Campaign of 1781 (within shouting distance of this marker); Caroline Veterans Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Caroline County, Virginia (within shouting distance of this marker); Town of Bowling Green (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bowling Green.
Also see . . . Caroline County Courthouse. National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form (Submitted on October 25, 2008.)
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, November 5, 2023
3. Caroline County Courthouse Markers
May 26, 2007
4. Historic Caroline County Courthouse
This photo shows the former markers in context.
Photographed by Paul Jordan, August 1, 2010
5. Caroline County Courthouse Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on May 16, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 25, 2008. This page has been viewed 2,230 times since then and 81 times this year. Last updated on October 12, 2022. Photos: 1. submitted on May 8, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 2. submitted on October 25, 2008. 3. submitted on November 5, 2023, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. 4. submitted on October 25, 2008. 5. submitted on August 12, 2010, by Paul Jordan of Burlington, N. C., U. S. A.. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
