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Siege of Yorktown (1862)

1862 in Virginia1862 in the American Civil WarApril 1862 eventsBattles of the Eastern Theater of the American Civil WarInconclusive battles of the American Civil War
May 1862 eventsMilitary operations of the American Civil War in VirginiaPeninsula campaignSieges of the American Civil WarYork County in the American Civil War
Battle of Yorktown, Pursuit sketch
Battle of Yorktown, Pursuit sketch

The Battle of Yorktown or siege of Yorktown was fought from April 5 to May 4, 1862, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. Marching from Fort Monroe, Union Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac encountered Maj. Gen. John B. Magruder's small Confederate force at Yorktown behind the Warwick Line. McClellan suspended his march up the Peninsula toward Richmond and settled in for siege operations. On April 5, the IV Corps of Brig. Gen. Erasmus D. Keyes made initial contact with Confederate defensive works at Lee's Mill, an area McClellan expected to move through without resistance. Magruder's ostentatious movement of troops back and forth convinced the Union that his works were strongly held. As the two armies fought an artillery duel, reconnaissance indicated to Keyes the strength and breadth of the Confederate fortifications, and he advised McClellan against assaulting them. McClellan ordered the construction of siege fortifications and brought his heavy siege guns to the front. In the meantime, Gen. Joseph E. Johnston brought reinforcements for Magruder. On April 16, Union forces probed a point in the Confederate line at Dam No. 1. The Union failed to exploit the initial success of this attack, however. This lost opportunity held up McClellan for two additional weeks while he tried to convince the U.S. Navy to bypass the Confederates' big guns at Yorktown and Gloucester Point, ascend the York River to West Point and outflank the Warwick Line. McClellan planned a massive bombardment for dawn on May 5, but the Confederate army slipped away during the night of May 3 toward Williamsburg. The battle took place near the site of the 1781 siege of Yorktown.

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Siege of Yorktown (1862)
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N 37.184 ° E -76.534 °
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Constitution Way

Constitution Way
23608
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Battle of Yorktown, Pursuit sketch
Battle of Yorktown, Pursuit sketch
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Lee's Mill Earthworks
Lee's Mill Earthworks

Lee's Mill Earthworks is a historic archaeological site located at Newport News, Virginia. The earthworks formed part of the fortifications along the James River, which included fortifications at Fort Crafford, as well as, Dam No.1, and Wynne's Mill in Newport News Park. On April 5, 1862, advance units of Union Brigadier General Erasmus D. Keyes' IV Corps, under the command of Union Brigadier General William Farrar Smith, encountered Confederate units commanded by Brigadier General Lafayette McLaws at Lee's Mill. Heavy rains and massive earthen fortifications defending the river crossing stopped the Union troops from proceeding to Richmond. Confederate Major General John B. Magruder's extensive defensives beginning at Lee's Mill and extending to Yorktown along the Warwick River caused the Union Army of the Potomac Commander Major General George B. McClellan to initiate a month-long siege of the Warwick-Yorktown Line which lasted until May 3, 1862 and contributed to the eventual failure of McClellan's campaign.Lee's Mill has recently been preserved and is being transformed into a passive park with trails interpreting the fortifications. The earthen fortifications remain visible in many locations, including Newport News Park and the Lee's Mill subdivision. An active effort will be made to delineate, preserve and interpret these earthworks for the future.It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

Richneck Plantation

Richneck Plantation was located on the Virginia Peninsula on the northern shore of the James River between Hampton Roads and Jamestown in the English colony of Virginia. The Richneck manor house's foundation was discovered during construction of the George J. McIntosh elementary school (named for a modern Newport News educator), and became an archeological dig, then listed on the National Register of Historic Places.The earliest proprietor of Richneck Plantation was Robert Rich, second Earl of Warwick and a prominent member of the Virginia Company. The Warwick River, Warwick River Shire, and Warwick County were all named for him. Warwick Towne was the first county seat, succeeded by this plantation under Miles Cary, discussed below. In 1628, Zachariah Cripps patented this area, and later sold the land to Miles Cary Sr., who lived nearby at Windmill Point. After he died repelling Dutch invaders in 1667, it was inherited by his son Miles Cary (1655-1709), who after he came of age, constructed a manor house and lived there with his wife, Mary Milner, and family. Richneck became one of the most important plantations of the Cary family, one of the First Families of Virginia, with many members who served in legislative and government offices. It was successively inherited by Col. Wilson Cary (1703-1772) and his son Col. Wilson Miles Cary (1734-1817), both of whom successively served as legislators, as well as naval officers for the Lower James River before the American Revolutionary War. Wilson Miles Cary signed the Association of 1774 and sided with the patriots during the American Revolutionary War. They also farmed using enslaved labor. The Richneck plantation house burned in 1865, at the end of the American Civil War, and visited by a descendant, Wilson Miles Cary in 1868.Richneck Road remains in the Denbigh area of the modern independent city of Newport News, Virginia.