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Welcome to
CIVIL WAR CENTRAL VIRGINIA
- TREDEGAR VISITOR CENTER — Begin your tour at the National Park Service's Richmond Civil War Visitor Center in the historic Tredegar Iron Works. Visitors of all ages will enjoy interactive maps of the battles, two floors of museum exhibits, evocative voices of soldiers and civilians, and a 20-minute film about Civil War Richmond. The haunting ruins of Tredegar serve as a backdrop for a walk through the site. After touring the center, take a leisurely stroll along Richmond's Canal Walk, which offers exhibits and canal boat excursions interpreting four centuries of history.
From the Tredegar Visitor Center, an 80-mile driving tour connects the battle sites of Beaver Dam Creek, Cold Harbor, Gaines' Mill, Glendale, Malvern Hill, Drewry's Bluff and Fort Harrison. The Chimborazo Medical Museum, located on Chimborazo Hill a short distance east of the Visitor Center, was the site of the largest hospital in the Confederacy.
www.nps.gov/rich
www.richmondriverfront.com
- CITY OF HOPEWELL — Hopewell is a great place to stop for Civil War history. In 1864-1865, General Grant directed the Siege of Petersburg from the front lawn of Appomattox Manor. During this 10-month period, City Point served as a supply center for 100,000 Union soldiers and was one of the busiest seaports in the world. Visit Grant's Headquarters, City Point Early History Museum, City Point Open Air Museum, Weston Manor and more.
www.ci.hopewell.va.us
- CHESTERFIELD COUNTY MUSEUM — During the Civil War, a column of Robert E. Lee's troops led by General Mahone retreated by this site westward. The museum has Confederate General A. P. Hill's battle sword.
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HENRICUS/DUTCH GAP — During the Civil War, the James River was protected by Confederate batteries, severely hampering the Union Army and its quest to capture Richmond. Union troops under the direction of General Benjamin Butler devised a plan to build a canal across the original site of Dutch Gap to allow the Union Navy to avoid the Confederate guns. Construction of the canal began in 1864. Approximately 15,000 cubic yards of soil were removed by hand from the gap. An explosion on Jan. 1, 1865, breached the dam. Shortly thereafter, heavy rains opened the Dutch Gap canal to small vessels, cutting the time and length of the trip along the James River.
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PAMPLIN HISTORICAL PARK — Pamplin Historical Park & The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier is Virginia's premier Civil War attraction. The 422-acre campus includes award-winning museums, a historic Civil
War battlefield, two antebellum homes, the headquarters of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, a slave-life interpretive site, living history demonstrations, guided
tours and onsite café and book and gift shop. Located near Petersburg.
www.pamplinpark.org
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PETERSBURG — You can't understand Lee vs Grant and Lee's Retreat without seeing Petersburg, a city that was subjected to the longest siege in North American history. From June 1864 until April 3, 1865 — nine and a half long months — numerous major battles were fought, fortifications were thrown up all around the city, and 800 buildings were struck by Union artillery fire. The moving story of a city besieged is told through museums and through walking and driving tours.
www.petersburg-va.org/tourism
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PETERSBURG NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD — The Union Army waged a
10-month campaign here in 1864-65 to seize Petersburg's railroad supply
systems. This 2,701-acre park contains a 16-stop driving tour that takes visitors through all four units of Petersburg National Battlefield: Grant's Headquarters at City Point (present day Hopewell), Virginia; the Eastern Front (where the battles of the Crater and Ft. Stedman occurred); the Western Front; and the Five Forks Battlefield, a battle that would lead eventually to the Confederates' retreat to Appomattox.
www.nps.gov/pete
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HISTORIC RICHMOND REGION VISITOR CENTER — Travelers to the Historic Richmond Region can make their trip easier to love with a stop in the new Visitor Center. In addition to friendly service from the knowledgeable staff, visitors will find a theater, information about attractions throughout the Region and a large gift shop. Walking and van tours depart from the Visitor Center daily. The Visitor Center is managed by the Richmond Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau.
www.richmondva.org
- VIRGINIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY — The Virginia Historical Society's headquarters, Battle Abbey, was constructed by the Confederate Memorial Association as a shrine to the Confederate dead. A series of Civil War murals, The Four Seasons of the Confederacy, and an exhibition of Confederate-made weapons are located in the mural gallery. Of special note is the Robert Knox Sneden collection, part of which is on permanent display. Sneden, a Union mapmaker captured by Confederate forces in 1863, produced a 5,000-page memoir and 1,000 watercolors chronicling his Civil War experience.
www.vahistorical.org
- Driving directions
- Complete list of Civil War sites in Central Virginia
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