Richmond Region Presents 60 Days of Civil War Battle Anniversary Events

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

150 Years Ago. On this Date. In this Place. At this Time.

Richmond, VA (April 5) – One hundred and fifty years ago this spring, the battles that took place around Richmond shaped the course of the Civil War. In May and June of 1862, more than 200,000 Americans waged war against one another on central Virginia’s farm fields, river bluffs and country roads as the massive Union Army – more than 100,000 strong – fought to capture the Confederate capital. After tens of thousands of casualties on both sides, the Union Army had failed to take Richmond. Robert E. Lee, now in command of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, had taken the initiative. And a new war aim was gaining momentum in the North: Emancipation.

“The spring 1862 battles around Richmond impacted the way the war would be fought for the next three years,” said David Ruth, superintendent of Richmond National Battlefield Park. “And the battles here affected not only the enormous armies themselves, but also the residents of Richmond and central Virginia who were forever changed—from farm families that lost everything to African-Americans seeking freedom with the Union Army. The Sesquicentennial is an opportunity to offer our visitors new and unique programs to explore all of these stories.”

Beginning May 9 and continuing through July 11, the Richmond Region will commemorate the 150th anniversary of this tumultuous period of the Civil War with 60 days of special events: “On this date. In this place. At this time.”During this time, battlefields and historic sites will offer visitors unparalleled opportunities to walk in the footsteps of history, experience Richmond’s story from multiple viewpoints and discover what made these battles so significant.

• Exceptional places: Visitors will explore battlefield landscapes at Gaines’ Mill, Glendale, and Malvern Hill that are not regularly open to the public, and witness unique presentations that blend living history and National Park Service (NPS) Ranger-led storytelling on the dates, in the places, and at the times where and when the historic events took place. 
• Untold stories: Programs at Historic Tredegar, Gaines’ Mill and Glendale will explore stories of self-emancipation of thousands of African-Americans during the Peninsula Campaign, and the free African-American community at Gravel Hill that was caught in the middle of one of the Civil War’s largest battles.
• Interactive children’s activities: Weapons demonstrations and exhibits about Civil War ballooning and telegraphy, as well as scavenger hunts, invite children to explore science and technology through activities that will engage and fascinate audiences of all ages.

“Few areas of the United States were affected by the Civil War like the Richmond Region. The 1862 anniversary events taking place May through July offer visitors the chance to take part in some of America’s most authentic and compelling historical experiences,” said Jack Berry, president of the Richmond Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau. “This provides us with tremendous economic development opportunities. Approximately 10 percent of the Richmond Region’s 6 million annual visitors experience a Civil War site as part of their trip, and research shows that the typical Civil War visitor stays longer in Virginia and spends more money per day than the average visitor.”

A full schedule of events, as well as information about Civil War and Emancipation 150th hotel packages may be found at www.OnToRichmond.com/1862. Below is a sampling of what’s in store in the Richmond Region May 9-July 11.

Battle of Drewry’s Bluff Anniversary Programs: May 9-May 15
The commemoration kicks off on Wednesday, May 9 with a series of events that explore the Battle of Drewry’s Bluff, the U.S. Navy’s first, and last, attempt to take the Confederate capital by water. The battle also resulted in the first Medal of Honor awarded to a U.S. Marine, Cpl. John Mackie who stepped into the breach and manned a naval gun after most of its crew had been killed or injured. The U.S. Marine Corps Historical Company will host exhibits The Marines of the Civil War and Their Relevance and Impact on Today's Corps and Brother against Brother: the Marines at the Battle of Drewry's Bluff.

May 9 marks the opening of the Civil War 150 HistoryMobile at the Chesterfield County Public Library, an interactive 18-wheeler “museum on wheels” housed in a 78’ expandable tractor-trailer. It draws together stories from all over Virginia and uses state-of-the-art technology and immersive exhibit spaces to present individual stories of the Civil War from the perspectives of those who experienced it—young and old, enslaved and free, soldiers and civilians. The HistoryMobile will be on site May 9-12.

On May 9, Chesterfield County Public Library’s Central branch will host multiple activities such as games played in the 1800s; Getting Dressed in a Hurry: 19th Century Ladies’ Clothing and Dressing; the firing of a Civil War-era Napoleon cannon; music from the Press Gang; an interactive scavenger hunt; and a Traveling Trunk demonstration.

On May 11, the library will host a Drewry’s Bluff Panel Discussion with Civil War historians discussing the battle from different perspectives, including the political and home front reactions. From May 9-12, the library will invite visitors todigitally scan historic documents, such as letters and diaries, so that they are accessible for future research.

At the Drewry’s Bluff unit of Richmond National Battlefield Park, multiple artillery demonstrations will take place on Saturday, May 12 and Sunday, May 13, helping visitors understand key elements of the battle. The exhibit Civil War Texting will demonstrate the use of telegraphy during the Civil War. The U.S. Marine Corps Quantico Marine band will host a concert on the site on Saturday afternoon. Visitors will also have the opportunity to participate in presentations from Chip Mann, the great-grandson of Sgt. Samuel Mann - one of the fort’s Confederate defender’s in 1862, and historian John Coski from the Museum of the Confederacy talking about the naval defenses of Richmond.

School groups from throughout the area are invited Monday, May 14 to Drewry’s Bluff Education Day and Student/Teacher Open House Day. NPS and the U.S. Marine Corps Historical Company will host education stations, includingMarines Then and Now, where participants will meet Marines and learn about the battle, Civil War engineering, and about the role of Marines today.

On May 15, the anniversary of the battle of Drewry’s Bluff, NPS Ranger-led tours will explore the engagement in the places and at the times where it happened.

Peninsula Campaign Programs: May 19-June 17
The U.S. Navy’s failure at Drewry’s Bluff ensured that all future attempts to take the Confederate capital were conducted overland. By late May 1862, Gen. George B. McClellan’s Union army – 120,000 soldiers – was just miles from the city. The next six weeks would turn out to be crucial.

Events in May and June such as bus tours of the Seven Pines/Fair Oaks battlefield and a tour of the Battle of Hanover Court House will explore the jockeying of the two armies. On Sunday, June 3, NPS and Henrico County will hostSeven Pines and the Peninsula Campaign: Photography Begins to Tell the Tale of the Civil War. On Sunday June 17, NPS and the Virginia State Capitol will present a tour beginning in the Capitol Building called Life in the Confederate Capital City in the Summer of 1862.

Seven Days Campaign Programs June 19-July 11
The climax of the Peninsula Campaign came at the end of June with a series of battles between McClellan and Confederate General Robert E. Lee, who was appointed commander of the Army of Northern Virginia on June 1. These engagements, which came to be known as the Seven Days Battles, were among the largest of the war and saved the Confederate capital of Richmond for the next two years.

On Tuesday, June 19, the Virginia Historical Society will host The Civil War at a Crossroads: The Seven Days with University of Richmond President and Civil War scholar Dr. Ed Ayers. On Saturday, June 23, NPS and the American Civil War Center will present Voices from the Storm, Richmond 1862, a special outdoor multimedia program at Historic Tredegar on the banks of the James River created from the images and voices of the people who lived 150 years ago. These important reminiscences illuminate the struggles, hopes and transformations during the summer of 1862. Bus tours on Sunday, June 24 and Friday, June 29, will explore the full Seven Days campaign.

Living History Weekend at Gaines’s Mill Battlefield Saturday, June 23 and Sunday, June 24, will include exhibits, demonstrations of life and activities in camp and on the battlefield as well as infantry, artillery and cavalry demonstrations. The day also will feature Reconnaissance from Above: Balloons in the Civil War, a demonstration of the use of balloons during th
[Back to Press Releases Main]