Near Mechanicsville in Hanover County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Federal Artillery Battery
Cold Harbor Battlefield Park Walking Trail
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, February 15, 2009
1. Federal Artillery Battery Marker
Under the cover of night, Union artillerists left their horses at the foot of the hill behind you and dragged six rifled cannon up the slope by hand. The guns were then placed side by side inside this redoubt, with earthen mounds known as traverses, separating them for protection. The ammunition chests were carried behind the guns and placed in trenches dug for their protection. One artilleryman recalled that spare ammunition was wrapped in raincoats and placed near the guns.
This hill afforded Federal gunners a commanding view of the fields stretching past the Garthright House to the Confederate lines, 500 yards to the west. As part of the bombardment preceding the Union assault of June 3, this battery hurled shot and shell at Lees trenches. Most of Grants ordnance either fell short or flew harmlessly over the Confederate works.
Erected by Hanover County Parks and Recreation; National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is June 3, 1862.
Location. 37° 35.107′ N, 77° 16.651′ W. Marker is near Mechanicsville, Virginia, in Hanover County. It can be reached from Cold Harbor Road (State Highway 156) 0.2 miles east of Boatswain
this page online
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: The Bloody Eighth (a few steps from this marker); Scars of Conflict (within shouting distance of this marker); A Well Preserved Union Artillery Position (within shouting distance of this marker); The Battle of Gaines Mill - 1862 (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Deadly Work of Sharpshooters (about 400 feet away); A Dreadful Harvest (about 500 feet away); Digging In (about 500 feet away); Misery In The Trenches (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mechanicsville.
More about this marker. In the center is a sketch of a "Union battery in action at Cold Harbor."
Also see . . .
1. Hanover County Parks and Recreation. Cold Harbor Battlefield Park (Submitted on February 17, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.)
2. Richmond National Battlefield Park. Cold Harbor (Submitted on February 17, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.)
3. CWSAC Battle Summary. Cold Harbor (Submitted on February 17, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.)
4. Cold Harbor Battlefield Park Walking Trail
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, February 15, 2009
2. Federal Artillery Battery Marker
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, December 27, 2025
3. Federal Artillery Battery
This is an interior view of the battery, looking up the parapet (interior crest) of the earthwork parallel to the park path (which runs behind the camera in a similar bottom to top direction). The marker is out of view to the right. This view shows how well-defined the battery is on approach.
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, December 27, 2025
4. Federal Artillery Battery & Marker
Photo taken from within the battery's protective perimeter. The walls of the fortification run from center left to just left of the marker, then bend at an agnel to run diagonally across the frame and out of sight to the right. The trace of a gun embrasure (a cut in the parapet to allow the gun to fire through it) is visible as the shallow dent in the parapet just above the marker.
courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior
5. Federal Artillery Battery
LiDAR image of the battery, with the marker's location indicated by the white circle. The battery is not very well defined compared to other earthworks in the Cold Harbor area. This image is from the USGS' 3D Elevation Program (3DEP). The route of the park's walking trail is slightly visible circling the earthworks to the south (just below the dark shadow of the best preserved exterior ditch segment) and up into the battery interior, almost like the interior leg of the letter "G" before heading back east, where it deviates north (back to the parking lot) and southeast (to another interpretive marker near what are likely rifle pits).
Credits. This page was last revised on April 13, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 17, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,209 times since then and 20 times this year. Last updated on April 12, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 17, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. 3, 4, 5. submitted on April 12, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
