Battle of Lee’s Mill (Dam Number 1)
April 16, 1862
A stalwart defense of the Warwick River by units of the 15th North Carolina, 7th Georgia and 2nd Louisiana Infantry, C.S.A., commanded by General J.B. Magruder is commemorated here. The defensive line extending across the Virginia Peninsula was held under Federal fire during April 1862 by the numerically superior Army of the Potomac under General G.B. McClellan. At the Battle of Lee’s Mill (also called Battle of Dam No. 1) companies of the 3rd, 4th and 6th Vermont Infantry twice succeeded in crossing the river to breach the line at this point, but were repulsed, suffering new casualties. The line held until May 4th, 1862 when Confederate positions were evacuated in a general withdrawal towards Williamsburg. This resolute stand at Lee’s Mill slowed the Union advance by a full month, contributing to the ultimate failure of the Federal Peninsula Campaign to take Richmond. Twenty Confederates, including Colonel William McKinney Commander of the 15th North Carolina, gave their lives.
Bottom Plaque:
The Dam Number One
Battlefield Site
has been placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
Marker is on Constitution Way, on the left when traveling east.
Courtesy hmdb.org
