North Newport News , Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Peninsula Campaign Warwick River

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 11, 2008

1. Peninsula Campaign Warwick River Marker

Inscription. Following the 10 June 1861 Battle of Big Bethel, Maj. Gen. John B. Magruder, commander of the Confederate Army of the Peninsula, organized the construction of three defensive lines of fortifications across the peninsula. The main line extended 12 miles from Yorktown to the Warwick River and downstream to Lee’s Mill, then westward to Skiffes Creek, which flowed into the James River at the Mulberry Island Point battery. When Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan began his Peninsula Campaign to capture Richmond, the Warwick River fortifications blocked the progress of Army of the Potomac on 5 April 1862. McClellan ordered a siege that lasted from 5 April to 4 May 1962.

Erected 2001 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number W-62.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: 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 April 5, 1862.

Location. 37° 10.925′ N, 76° 32.222′ W. Marker is in Newport News, Virginia. It is in North Newport News. It is at the intersection of Clubhouse Way and Dam #1 Bridge, on the right when traveling east on Clubhouse Way. Marker is located in Newport News Park, in the north end of the parking

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lot at the Discovery Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 901 Clubhouse Way, Newport News VA 23608, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Virginia’s Peninsula,

in Hampton Roads,

in Coastal Virginia,

and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Tidewater.

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: Ten Pound Parrott Rifle and Limber (within shouting distance of this marker); Battle of Dam No. 1 (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Battle of Lee’s Mill (Dam Number 1) (about 300 feet away); Third Regiment Vermont Volunteer Infantry (about 300 feet away); Mott’s Battery (approx. 0.2 miles away); The "Great Flood" of '99 (approx. 0.2 miles away); Berdan’s Sharpshooters (approx. 0.2 miles away); Custer’s Covered Way (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Newport News.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. A set of Civil War Trails markers on this subject are on the Two Forts & Discovery Walking Trails in Newport News Park.

Additional commentary.
1. Old Marker
This marker replaced a previous W-62 with the same title, placed 4 miles southeast of Denbigh on Route 337. The old marker read, A short distance west of this road is Warwick River, on the west side of which, extending to Yorktown, John B. Magruder built fortifications in January and February, 1862.

Marker in in Newport News Park image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 11, 2008

2. Marker in in Newport News Park

— Submitted August 14, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.

Warwick River Fortifications image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 11, 2008

3. Warwick River Fortifications

These earthworks were part of the first defensive line built by the Confederates to span the the peninsula early in the Civil War. They are located in Newport News Park, near the marker.

Site of Battle of Dam No. 1 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 11, 2008

4. Site of Battle of Dam No. 1

This bridge over the Lee Hall Reservoir was the site of the only major offensive made by McClellan during the Peninsula Campaign of 1862. It is located just west of the marker.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 2, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 13, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 2,356 times since then and 45 times this year. Last updated on July 2, 2025, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 13, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.