Glendale Battlefield, Henrico County, Va.
Help Save 29 Critical Acres of Hallowed Ground in Virginia
The Opportunity
There are 29 critical acres of battlefield land in Virginia, at Glendale, and at Gaines’ Mill/Cold Harbor that we have the opportunity to save in perpetuity.
The cost to purchase these tracts is more than $1.1 million. But, thanks to anticipated help from federal and Virginia state grants, every dollar you give will be matched more than five times in value! To be more precise, each $1 you give will be worth $5.40!
Will you help us raise $209,500 to save these hallowed grounds forever?
The History
Glendale
The Battle of Glendale was a result of relentless pressure by Lee and his army, and McClellan’s decision to hand the initiative to the Confederates.
McClellan abandoned his plan to capture Richmond and withdrew south, only to be engaged by Confederate divisions in an attempt to cut them off from reaching the safety of the Union Navy. On June 30th, General James Longstreet, along with A.P. Hill, broke through Union defenses, nearly rolling them up in the process. Timely Union counterattacks saved the Federal line from a total collapse and allowed them to continue their retreat along the Willis Church Road to take up positions on Malvern Hill.
This very tract plays a key role in the Battle of Glendale. On the afternoon of the 30th, Brigades from Longstreet’s division advanced from west to east across the tract in an assault against General Philip Kearny’s Union division. The attack was turned back by the Federals, and several subsequent assaults as well. All were repulsed and the Confederates suffered heavy casualties.
The historical integrity of the land is largely intact and appears much like it would have at the time of the battle.
Today, we can protect it with your help, and continue our efforts to tell the complete story of the Battle of Glendale. Because this land runs along an important roadway and is considered prime for residential development, the pressure on the landowner to sell is significant. The urgency is real!
Gaines’ Mill/Cold Harbor
At Gaines’ Mill/Cold Harbor, we face another real and present danger. These nearly 17 acres span critical territory from both battles and have long been sought by historians and preservationists to tell the complete story of the Seven Days Battles and Overland Campaign.
Gaines’ Mill was General Robert E. Lee’s first victory as commander of the Army of Northern Virginia. Here, Lee’s 57,000 men attacked and mauled General Fitz John Porter’s isolated V Corps, inflicting nearly 7,000 casualties and forcing Porter and his survivors across the Chickahominy River.
This tract is also important to the story of Cold Harbor. Part of General Grant’s Overland Campaign, Cold Harbor was fought just 10 miles northeast of Richmond from May 31-June 12, 1864, between Grant’s massive Union army of 108,000 and Lee’s entrenched 62,000 Confederates. Repeated Union assaults against prepared Confederate defenses would see the Confederates emerge victorious while inflicting more than 12,000 casualties on Grant’s army.
Grant himself would reflect on Cold Harbor: “I have always regretted that the last assault at Cold Harbor was ever made ... No advantage was gained to compensate for the heavy loss we sustained.”
This must-have property contains excellent II Corps entrenchments on its southern edge, plus lunettes farther to the north. The lunettes likely represent mortar positions; the 4th New York Heavy Artillery operated those weapons from positions just behind Union General Joshua T. Owen’s brigade.
We must add this important land to the already saved 280 acres that patriots like yourself have worked so hard to protect!
Continue the charge to protect hallowed ground in Virginia
The battlefields we’re working to save today, Glendale and Gaines’ Mill/Cold Harbor, were scenes of some of the bloodiest fighting of the entire war, often with inconclusive outcomes. Taken together, these three sites bore witness to over 40,300 total casualties.
If we don’t secure this land, new houses and other structures can be built on the property and the earthworks bulldozed. Securing this land today is critical to the protection of these historic resources. Don’t let it slip by!
Please make a gift today to preserve these critical acres in Virginia forever.
We cannot lose this irreplaceable history!
Explore This Opportunity
Glendale | June 30, 1862
Gaines' Mill | June 27, 1862
