North Newport News , Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
“Every Kind of Obstruction was Skillfully Used”
1862 Peninsula Campaign
The Union engineers detailed the abandoned Confederate artillery and surveyed their fortifications. Brigadier General John G. Barnard (the Chief Engineer of the Army of the Potomac) reported, “every kind of obstruction which the country offered, such as abatis, marsh, inundation was skillfully used. The line is certainly one of the most extensive known in modern times.” Thereby, the Confederacy gained valuable time for preparing Richmond’s defenses. Today, the Warwick-Yorktown line remains one of the best preserved Civil War earthen fortifications in the country.
Erected by Virginia Civil War Trails.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Notable Events • Notable Places • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical date for this entry is May 5, 1862.
Location. 37° 11.22′ N, 76° 32.271′ W. Marker is in Newport News, Virginia. It is in North Newport News. Marker can be reached from Constitution Way, on the left when traveling east. Marker is located in Newport News Park, on the Twin Forts Walking Trail, on the north side of Lee Hall Reservoir. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Newport News VA 23603, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. “The Bullets Would Whistle Around my Head” (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); One-Gun Battery (about 700 feet away); “Their Conduct was Worthy of Veterans” (about 800 feet away); “Just Like Sap – Boiling, in the Stream” (approx. 0.2 miles away); Third Regiment Vermont Volunteer Infantry (approx. 0.3 miles away); Battle of Lee’s Mill (Dam Number 1) (approx. 0.3 miles away); Battle of Dam No. 1 (approx. 0.3 miles away); Ten Pound Parrott Rifle and Limber (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Newport News.
More about this marker. Two war-time photographs appear in the center of the marker. They are of Union Battery No. 1, Courtesy of the U.S. Army Military History Institute, and Dam No. 1, Courtesy of the Vermont Historical Society.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Markers on the Twin Forts Walking Trail in Newport News Park.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 8, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 1,604 times since then and 23 times this year. Last updated on June 15, 2022, by James Dean of Chesterfield, Virginia. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 8, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.