Great Bridge in Chesapeake, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Battle of Great Bridge Monument
Photographed by Cynthia L. Clark, January 25, 2018
1. Battle of Great Bridge Monument (front)
(front)
marks the Battlefield of
Great Bridge
Dec 9 1775
was moved to this location
December 9, 1964
on the 189th anniversary of
the Battle of Great Bridge.
The site of
the battle was approximately
a mile northeast of here.
Erected 1900 by Daughters of the American Revolution, Norfolk Virginia.
Topics and series. This monument and memorial is listed in this topic list: War, US Revolutionary. In addition, it is included in the Daughters of the American Revolution series list. A significant historical date for this entry is December 9, 1775.
Location. 36° 43.229′ N, 76° 14.407′ W. Monument is in Chesapeake, Virginia. It is in Great Bridge. It is on South Battlefield Boulevard (Virginia Route 168) 0.1 miles north of Albemarle Drive, on the right when traveling south. Between 2019-23 the monument was reocated from the Courthouse Complex (GPS 36.71611, -76.24848) 0.5 miles northeast to its current location in "Battlefield Park South". Touch for map. Monument is in this post office area: Chesapeake VA 23322, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this memorial monument is in Virginia’s Hampton Roads, specifically 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: A different marker also named Battle of Great Bridge (within shouting distance of this marker);
this page online
Another marker is no longer nearby. Battle of Great Bridge (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
More about this monument. Discolored perhaps by age, the inscribed plaques on this 117-year old monument refuse to be photogenic when a camera lens is feet, rather than inches, away from them. Recently taken photos as well as the one copied from Chesapeake: A Pictorial History attest to this.
The first of two monuments erected in Great Bridge by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), this one originally stood on Route 168, then was moved to the Courthouse Complex, and is now back
Photographed by Cynthia L. Clark, January 25, 2018
2. Battle of Great Bridge Monument (rear)
In 1964 this Battle of Great Bridge Monument was moved to Chesapeake municipal complex near what was then known as the Civic Center. The new location, per a newly added plaque, placed the battle site at approximately a mile northeast of the monument. It is likely that the monument was moved again just slightly within the complex since then. A comparison of the copied photo with the recently taken ones shows a change in the monuments base and buildings in the background of it.
An interesting point about the area of land upon which the monument stands is that from 1637 until 1963, it was Norfolk County, not Chesapeake. A roadside marker (Nansemond County/Norfolk County, Z-235) erected in 1931 by the Conservation and Development Commission of Virginia, acknowledges that the Battle of Great Bridge occurred in Norfolk County. And Great Bridge, in 1775, was a village there.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Also see . . . Daughters of the American Revolution. (Submitted on February 3, 2018, by Cynthia L. Clark of Suffolk, Virginia.)
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, August 7, 2025
3. Battle of Great Bridge Monument (relocated)
Back alongside Route 168, in what is now being called "Battlefield Park South." The monument was moved to this location from the Courthouse Complex between 2019-2023.
Photographed by Cynthia L. Clark, January 25, 2018
4. The Battle of Great Bridge Monument (front).
Photographed by Cynthia L. Clark, January 25, 2018
5. The Battle of Great Bridge Monument (rear).
Courtesy of Chesapeake: A Pictorial History.
6. Copied photo of the Battle of Great Bridge.
This photo was copied from page 180 of the book, Chesapeake: A Pictorial History (1999) by Charles B. Cross, Jr. and Eleanor Cross. The caption reads: “In 1900 the Great Bridge Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution erected this monument on Route 168 to commemorate the Battle of Great Bridge. After the formation of the city of Chesapeake, the monument was moved to the Civic Center in 1964 where a site had been suitably landscaped for it. Photograph by the authors.”
Photographed by Cynthia L. Clark, January 25, 2018
7. An angular view of the monument.
Chesapeakes City Hall Building is pictured in the background.
Photographed by Cynthia L. Clark, January 25, 2018
8. Detail of the lower plaque on the monuments rear.
The inscription reads: “Great Bridge Chapter DAR Norfolk, Virginia.”
Photographed by Cynthia L. Clark, January 25, 2018
9. Detail of the DAR Seal on the monuments rear.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 17, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 31, 2018, by Cynthia L. Clark of Suffolk, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,280 times since then and 76 times this year. Last updated on August 16, 2025, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 31, 2018, by Cynthia L. Clark of Suffolk, Virginia. 3. submitted on August 16, 2025, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on January 31, 2018, by Cynthia L. Clark of Suffolk, Virginia. 8, 9. submitted on February 3, 2018, by Cynthia L. Clark of Suffolk, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
