The Trust Preserves Over 50 Acres of the Second Deep Bottom Battlefield

We at the American Battlefield Trust are incredibly excited to announce 50.5 acres of hallowed ground have been preserved on the Second Deep Bottom Battlefield, located just south of Richmond, Virginia. This land is located next to already preserved areas of the battlefield, and much of it remains virtually unchanged from its 1864 appearance.

This victory expands our ability to the story of Second Deep Bottom, allowing visitors to have a fuller understanding of the battle.

The Battle of Second Deep Bottom

In August of 1864, Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant called upon Maj. Gen. Winfield S. Hancock and his Second Corps to attack Gen. Robert E. Lee around Richmond. Union and Confederate troops clashed on August 14, just south of Richmond around Fussell’s Mill. Several days of fighting and sporadic skirmishing ensued. Eventually, both sides were worn out by the combat and extreme heat. After nearly a week of fighting and almost 4,400 casualties, Hancock abandoned the fight on the August 20 and withdrew back across the James River.

Nearly all of an attack from Col. George N. Macy, who was badly wounded on the first day of the battle, occurred on this land being preserved. Additionally, the 7th United States Colored Troops and the 9th United States Colored Troops marched through the land we have saved to assume a reserve position behind the main Union line on August 15. Protecting this land preserves this history, creates an opportunity to interpret the United States Colored Troops role in the battle and defends the larger historic landscape in the face of ongoing development around Richmond.

Saving this hallowed ground would not have been possible without support from the Virginia Battle Preservation Fund, the Virginia Land Conversation Foundation and the American Battlefield Protection Program. These crucial grants, paired with support from local partners and the generosity of Trust members, have ensured the hallowed ground at Second Deep Bottom will be cherished forever.

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