Civil War

Gallery

North Anna

See our collection of photos from North Anna, the third battle of Union commander Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign of 1864 against Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia.

(22 photos in gallery)

2014 Target Property

Douglas Ullman, Jr. / Civil War Trust

The Civil War Trust's 2014 target property includes the Fontaine Farm, where forces clashed on May 23, 1864, leading to 1,100 casualties on the first day of the battle for North Anna.

Preserving the North Anna River

Douglas Ullman, Jr.

If the Civil War Trust is able to save the land at Jericho Mill, we will also be able to preserve over two miles of the North Anna River frontage.

Fifth Corps Crossing

Douglas Ullman, Jr.

During the afternoon of May 23, 1864, Maj. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren led the Union Fifth Corps across the North Anna River here, and marched onto the plains at the Fontaine Farm. By the end of the day, Robert E. Lee's North Anna line had been breached.

Wartime Road

Douglas Ullman, Jr.

The 2014 target property also has an original wartime road - still traversable - Union soldiers would have used to climb the bluffs near the river.

Engineers at Jericho Mill

Library of Congress

Federal engineers work to build a road the embankment from their pontoon bridge at Jericho Mill. The remnants of this road can still be seen today.

The Road Today

Emma Quarnstrom

Members of the Civil War Trust staff attempt to recreate the historic photo of Union engineers on the Trust's target property at North Anna.

The Federals Emerge

Douglas Ullman, Jr.

After crossing the river, Warren's Fifth Corps climbed the river bluffs and emerged onto this plain at the Fontaine Farm. Confederate Lt. Gen. A.P. Hill engaged them here, attempting to throw the Federals back across the river but was unsuccessful.

Wilcox's Attack

Douglas Ullman, Jr.

Though A.P. Hill thought the Union crossing to be a feint, he dispatched Gen. Cadmus Wilcox's division. The Federals were unprepared, responding to the Confederate attack with any nearby weapon, including coffee pots and bayonets with half-cooked meals on them.

Lunettes

Douglas Ullman, Jr.

The pristine land at Jericho Mill still boasts the hastily constructed artillery lunettes, clearly visible in the wooded bluffs of North Anna.

Massaponax Church

Douglas Ullman, Jr.

Massaponax Church was the site where Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant held his war council with Gen. George Meade in late May 1864, to plan their advance across the North Anna River.

Grant and Meade at Massaponax Church

Library of Congress

Timothy O'Sullivan took a series of photographs of the council of war from the second story of Massaponax Church. Here, Gen. Ulysses S. Grant leans over the pew to examine a map in Gen. George Meade's lap.

Guinea Station

Douglas Ullman, Jr.

The first casualty of the fight for the North Anna River occurred here at Guinea Station, when Union and Confederate cavalry clashed early in the morning on May 21, 1864.

Confusion at Mt. Carmel Church

Baylor University

This 1861 map showing two critical inaccuracies "Jericho Bridge" and "Ford Chesterfield" stymied Union forces at Mt. Carmel Church. Escaped slaves eventually showed them how to cross the North Anna.

Lee's "Inverted V"

Library of Congress

A map detailing the Confederate "inverted V." With the tip of the "V" anchored on the bluffs at Ox Ford, the left arm on the Little River, and the right on a bend of the North Anna River, the position was almost impregnable.

A Visible Trench Line

Douglas Ullman, Jr.

The point of Gen. Robert E. Lee's "inverted V" trench line is still visible at North Anna today. The "V" was a remarkable defensive position for the Confederates, sitting high above the river on the bluffs.

Battle at Ox Ford

Douglas Ullman, Jr.

On May 24, Union Gen. James H. Ledlie foolishly sent his brigade forward against the well-entrenched Confederate line in hopes of clearing Ox Ford for the Federal crossing.

Crossing the North Anna

Douglas Ullman, Jr.

During the crossing of the river between May 24-27, Union soldiers in Gen. Winfield Hancock's Corps and a division of the Ninth Corps crossed here, furthering the Union advance toward Richmond.

Henagan's Redoubt

Library of Congress

Federals overwhelmed the Confederate defenses which had been built to protect the Chesterfield Bridge across the North Anna. Here, men from Gen. Winfield Hancock's Second Corps rest after taking the redoubt.

A Modern View

Douglas Ullman, Jr.

The view now at Henagan's Redoubt near the North Anna is a much calmer one than it would have been on the afternoon of May 23, 1864.

Jericho Mill

Douglas Ullman, Jr.

View of the North Anna battlefield today

Mattaponi River Bridge

Library of Congress

Confederate forces stationed at Milford Station were there to protect the nearby Mattaponi River Bridge from Union forces. Bridges were critical for the Federal advance - and critical defense points for the Confederates.