North Newport News , Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Mott’s Battery
1862 Peninsula Campaign
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 11, 2008
1. Mott’s Battery Marker
Inscription.
Mott’s Battery. 1862 Peninsula Campaign. On April 4, 1862, Major General George B. McClellan launched his offensive on the Virginia Peninsula against the Confederate capital at Richmond. Major General John B. Magruder’s 13,000 troops halted the Union advance along the Warwick-Yorktown line on April 5, 1862. With aggressive troop maneuvers and artillery duels, Magruder deceived McClellan into believing he faced impregnable fortifications defended by over 100,000 troops. “Our reconnaissance of yesterday,” reported McClellan, “shows the strength of the enemy’s positions. The Warwick River grows worse the more you look at it.” For the next month, McClellan concentrated 121,500 troops, 103 siege guns, and 44 artillery batteries against the Confederate defenders., This earthwork, part of McClellan’s extensive siege works, marked the second position of Captain Thaddeus Mott’s 3rd New York Battery during the April 16, 1862 Battle of Dam No. 1. Mott’s battery, containing two 12-pound Napoleon smoothbores and four 10-pound Parrott rifles, supported the strike against the Confederate one-gun battery at Dam No. 1. During the engagement, Mott’s battery suffered ten casualties, and Confederate counter-battery fire disabled one of the Parrot rifles.
On April 4, 1862, Major General George B. McClellan launched his offensive on the Virginia Peninsula against the Confederate capital at Richmond. Major General John B. Magruder’s 13,000 troops halted the Union advance along the Warwick-Yorktown line on April 5, 1862. With aggressive troop maneuvers and artillery duels, Magruder deceived McClellan into believing he faced impregnable fortifications defended by over 100,000 troops. “Our reconnaissance of yesterday,” reported McClellan, “shows the strength of the enemy’s positions. The Warwick River grows worse the more you look at it.” For the next month, McClellan concentrated 121,500 troops, 103 siege guns, and 44 artillery batteries against the Confederate defenders.
This earthwork, part of McClellan’s extensive siege works, marked the second position of Captain Thaddeus Mott’s 3rd New York Battery during the April 16, 1862 Battle of Dam No. 1. Mott’s battery, containing two 12-pound Napoleon smoothbores and four 10-pound Parrott rifles, supported the strike against the Confederate one-gun battery at Dam No. 1. During the engagement, Mott’s battery suffered ten casualties, and Confederate counter-battery fire disabled one of the Parrot rifles.
Location. 37° 10.917′ N, 76° 32.146′ W. Marker is in Newport News, Virginia. It is in North Newport News. Marker can be reached from Constitution Way, on the right when traveling east. Marker is located in Newport News Park, on the Two Forts Walking Trail on the south 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.
Union fortifications can be seen in this photo behind the marker.
sectionhead>More about this marker. The upper right of the marker features a map of Confederate Defenses on the Peninsula, Courtesy of the Virginia War Museum. The upper left contains photographs of Maj. Gen. George B.. McClellan and Maj. Gen. John B. Magruder, Courtesy of the Library of Congress and the Virginia War Museum.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Markers on the Two Forts Walking Trail in Newport News Park.
Also see . . . 1. Yorktown. CWSAC Battle Summaries. (Submitted on September 8, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)
These well-preserved earthworks, where Captain Thaddeus Mott’s 3rd New York Battery was located during the April 16, 1862 Battle of Dam No. 1, are located near the marker (visible in the left of the photo).
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 1,667 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 8, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.
