A Visit to New Market Heights
ECW is pleased to welcome Shelly Liebler. Shelly is a photographer based in the Williamsport, Virginia, area.
The American Battlefield Trust and Civil War Trails have teamed up to interpret this acquisition in Varina, Virginia: the New Market Heights Battlefield, some of which has already been lost to development, including the construction of I-295.
As the war raged on in September of 1864, the Union army continued to push the Confederate line closer and closer to Richmond. This battle resulted in just that. Most notably, the USCT regiments that led this attack were recognized for their efforts. Sixteen soldiers and two white USCT officers would be awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions.
The serenity of the location is a contrast to the fervor of that September day. This piece of the New Market Heights Battlefield is located on Kingsland Road, off of Route 5 and not far from Malvern Hill and Fort Harrison. The site still includes buildings from a previous occupation.
For more information, visit the Battle of New Market Heights Memorial and Education Association.
In Gloucester City there’s a plaque to Private Daniel Gardner of the 36th U.S. Colored Troops, a resident of Gloucester, and a recipient of one of those Medals of Honor for New Market Heights /Chaffin’s Farm . The monument is adjacent to one of the older Old Soldier monuments, erected by the widows and orphans of Confederate soldiers. I find this juxtaposition incredibly moving, and meaningful.
Thank you for sharing this with ECW readers, and for including a link to the Battle of New Market Heights Memorial and Education Association.