Henrico in Henrico County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Surprise Attack
| | Richmond National Battlefield Park | |
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, July 10, 2010
1. Surprise Attack Marker
You are standing where hand-to-hand fighting erupted as Union troops stormed into Fort Harrison on September 29, 1864. On top of the fort's parapet, Gen. Hiram Burnham clutched his chest after receiving a mortal wound. General George J. Stannard's division lost about 750 men killed and wounded in the attack on Fort Harrison. Butler's army lost an addition 2,200 men in the day's fighting at other nearby forts, and at New Market Heights. Confederate losses for September 29 are estimated at 500, including nearly all 200 defenders at Fort Harrison.
"Some half dozen heads behind glistening gun barrels appeared on a traverse some twenty feet away, and gave us a volley, dropping several men...myself among them." Richard C. Taylor, Confederate artillerist(caption) This 1960s painting depicts the fighting here and shows Union general Hiram Burnham receiving his death wound.
Erected 2010 by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is September 29, 1864.
Location. 37° 25.608′ N, 77° 22.343′ W.
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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: Grant Under Fire (within shouting distance of this marker); "The Big Guns Spoke" (within shouting distance of this marker); A Unique Photograph (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Counterattack (about 300 feet away); Confederate Counterattack (about 300 feet away); The Killing Fields
2. Federal Attack on Fort Harrison
Other markers no longer nearby. Surprise Attack (has been replaced with this marker); Braving the Fire (was about 300 feet away but has been reported to have been replaced with another marker now near it).
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. Old Marker At This Location also titled "Surprise Attack".
Also see . . .
1. Richmond National Battlefield Park. (Submitted on July 11, 2010.)
2. Fort Harrison. Richmond Battlefields Association (Submitted on November 5, 2021.)
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, July 10, 2010
3. Fort Harrison Interior
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, July 10, 2010
4. Fort Harrison Trail
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, July 10, 2010
5. Fort Harrison Gun Position
Credits. This page was last revised on September 25, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 11, 2010, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,180 times since then and 15 times this year. Last updated on September 24, 2024, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on July 11, 2010, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.
