The Seven Days’ Battles- Chickahominy Bluff

The Chickahominy Bluff Station of the Richmond National Battlefield Park interprets the earthwork defenses of Richmond, some of which are present here, and Lee’s overall and initial plan of attack for the Seven Days’ Battles. During the war there were no trees present in the area so Lee would have a clear view of the battlefield. He actually watched the battle unfold across the street from the park where the house at 2304 Springdale Road now sits (shown below). The house is not an original wartime structure.

The plan is nicely illustrated by the map shown below, which appears on one of the markers located here.

Brigadier General Lawrence O’Bryan Branch, part of A.P. Hill’s division, was sent north of the city to Half-Sink. Once he detected Jackson’s advance the rest of A.P. Hill’s division who had swung west would cross the Chickahominy River at the Meadow Bridges and move east toward Mechanicsville. After he drove the Federals east, D.H. Hill and Longstreet’s divisions would cross the Mechanicsville Bridge. By this time Jackson would be in Porter’s rear and together they would destroy Porter’s Corps. The plan was complicated and would require coordination between multiple different divisions of Lee’s army. Jackson and his men’s role in the plan was key but they had just completed a rapid and grueling trip from the Shenandoah Valley and would be operating in a region that they were completely unfamiliar with.