Richmond National Battlefield Park

Richmond National Battlefield Park
IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape)
Union gun position at Malvern Hill
Location	Richmond, Hanover County, Henrico County, Chesterfield County, Virginia, USA
Nearest city	Richmond, Virginia
Coordinates	37°25′45″N 77°22′25″W
Area	7,307 acres (2,957 ha) 773.03 acres (312.83 ha) federal
Established	March 2, 1936
Visitors	68,438 (in 2005)
Governing body	National Park Service
Richmond National Battlefield Park
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
U.S. National Battlefield Park
Area:	771.4 acres (312.2 ha)
NRHP Reference#:	66000836
Added to NRHP:	October 15, 1966

Richmond National Battlefield Park commemorates more than 30 American Civil War sites around Richmond, Virginia, which served as the capital of the Confederate States of America for the majority of the war. The park is focused around the home front within the city, defensive fortifications surrounding the city, as well as a number military actions taken in an attempt to capture or defend the city, including the Seven Days Battles of 1862, battles of the Overland Campaign of 1864, and the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign of 1864-65. Its various sites are spread across Richmond, Hanover County, Henrico County, and Chesterfield County.

Administrative history

The national battlefield park was authorized on March 2, 1936. Today, over 68,000 people visit the park. As with all historical areas administered by the National Park Service,^{[citation needed]} it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.

Park units

The park consists of 13 units/sites:

Within the city of Richmond, and with significance covering the span of the war, are:

• Tredegar Iron Works, serving as the main visitors center and museum
• Chimborazo Hospital, which was the Confederacy's largest wartime hospital camp,

Sites of battles and significance during the 1862 Peninsula Campaign and Seven Days Battles:

• Chicakhominy Bluffs, one of the defensive works overlooking the Chickahominy River.
• Drewry's Bluff, a defensive battery in Chesterfield County overlooking the James River
• Beaver Dam Creek, in Hanover County
• Gaines' Mill, in Hanover County
• Glendale, in Henrico County
• Malvern Hill, in Henrico County

Sites of relating to the Overland Campaign of 1864 include:

• Totopotomoy Creek, in Hanover County
• Cold Harbor, in Hanover County

Sites relating to the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign of 1864-65 include:

• New Market Heights, site of 14 Medals of Honor for United States Colored Troops, in Henrico County
• Fort Harrison, in Henrico County
• Parker's Battery, a fortification along the Howlett Line in Chesterfield County.

See also

• Petersburg National Battlefield, covering southern portions of the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign.
• Richmond National Cemetery, located at the site of the Battle of Seven Pines
• Seven Pines National Cemetery, located at the site of the Battle of Seven Pines
• Glendale National Cemetery, located at the site of the Battle of Glendale
• Fort Harrison National Cemetery

References

• The National Parks: Index 2001-2003. Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior.

External links

• Official NPS website: Richmond National Battlefield Park
• Richmond, Virginia, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary
• http://www.virginia.org/site/description.asp?attrID=10892