Williamsburg in the Civil War
Gateway to Richmond
Williamsburg, once the capital of Virginia, declined after the American Revolution. By 1861, although many colonial structures still lined the streets, the Governor’s Palace and former capitol building lay in ruins. The College of William and Mary had lost prestige. Roads were unpaved and rutted, while the population and commerce had dwindled.
When the Civil War erupted, however, Williamsburg became strategically significant. Situated 12 miles west of Yorktown on a peninsula formed by the York and James rivers, Williamsburg is located on a four-mile-wide plain with ravines, marshes, millponds, and streams – to the east and west. The topography narrowed the land approach to Williamsburg from Hampton and Yorktown. Two highways, the Yorktown-Hampton and Great Warwick (Hampton) Roads, converged a few miles east of Williamsburg and then passed through the town toward Richmond, the Confederate capital, 50 miles northwest. Fort Monroe, the only masonry fort in Virginia in Union hands throughout the war, stands 24 miles southeast on Old Point Comfort near Hampton.
Because the Confederates were determined to block any Federal advance from Fort Monroe, Williamsburg became a key to their defensive system. The array of fortifications known as the Williamsburg Line was the scene of the May 5, 1862, Battle of Williamsburg. The town escaped damage then, but later, on September 5, Pennsylvania cavalrymen burned the Wren Building after a Confederate raid. The Federals occupied Williamsburg for the rest of the war.
Although Williamsburg is famous for its colonial heritage, parts of the 1862 battlefield remain intact, such as the two redoubts found here in Redoubt Park. The city of Williamsburg, Riverside Health Systems, and the Virginia War Museum Foundation cooperated to preserve them.
Marker is on Quarterpath Road, on the left when traveling south.
Courtesy hmdb.org
