Doswell in Hanover County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
North Anna River Campaign
21-26 May 1864
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, April 21, 2007
1. North Anna River Campaign Marker
Erected 1990 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number EA-1.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Battlefield Trails - Civil War, the Former U.S. Presidents: #18 Ulysses S. Grant, and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series lists.
Location. 37° 52.782′ N, 77° 27.9′ W. Marker is in Doswell, Virginia, in Hanover County. It is on Washington Highway (U.S. 1) north of Verdon Road (Virginia Route 684), on the right when traveling south. The marker stands on Route 1, 2/3 mile south of the Hanover-Caroline County line. Touch for map.
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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 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Lafayette and Cornwallis (approx. 0.6 miles away); North Anna River (approx. 0.6 miles away); Caroline County/Hanover County (approx. 0.8 miles away); Lee And Grant (approx. 0.8 miles away); Long Creek Action (approx. one mile away); Artillery Duel (approx. 1½ miles away); One More River to Cross (approx. 1.6 miles away); The Inverted V (approx. 1.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, April 21, 2007
2. Confederate Earthworks
These earthworks, located in the North Anna Battlefield Park, were defended by Confederate troops during the North Anna River Campaign.
Other markers no longer nearby. Lee and Grant (was approx. 0.8 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Hanover Junction (was approx. 1.3 miles away but has been confirmed missing); a different marker also named Hanover Junction (was approx. 1.4 miles away but has been permanently removed).
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. The North Anna Campaign by Markers.
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, April 9, 2009
3. North Anna River Campaign Marker on US Rt 1 (facing north)
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, April 21, 2007
4. Hanover Junction
This railroad junction was the objective of the Federal assault of May 21 through 26, 1864.
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, April 9, 2009
5. Telegraph Road (wartime trace)
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, April 9, 2009
6. Fox House "Ellington" circa 1830.
"Ere long the enemy's artillery opened against the bridgeheads, and the Confederates answered. General Lee happened at the time to be in the yard of Ellington, the home of the Fox family, overlooking the river. The owner, W. E. Fox, came up and invited the General into the house. Lee thanked him and said that he would be there only a few minutes. Mr. Fox thereupon pressed him to take some refreshment. Again the General declined, but seeing that Mr. Fox's hospitality was offended, he added that if Mr. Fox had any buttermilk, he would be glad to have a glass. Mr. Fox insisted that the General take a seat on the porch, and hurried off to bring the milk and some stale bread, which was all he had. He brought the pitcher and the plate and set them before Lee. The General poured out the milk and was in the act of drinking it when a Federal battery, whose commander evidently had seen a uniform on the porch, fired a round shot. It passed within a few feet of the General and imbedded itself in the door-frame, where the marks may be seen to this day. To Mr. Fox's amazement, the General finished his milk as if nothing had happened, thanked his host and then rode quickly away, lest his presence provoke a bombardment of the house." Douglas Southall Freeman. R.E. Lee: A Biography. 1934
Credits. This page was last revised on November 11, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 30, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 2,576 times since then and 57 times this year. Last updated on November 9, 2025, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 30, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 3. submitted on April 11, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. 4. submitted on December 30, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 5, 6. submitted on April 11, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
