Preserved Forever: Three Properties Across Virginia and Mississippi

As we mark the 161st anniversary of the Battle of Peebles’ Farm, the Trust is excited to announce nearly two more acres of that battlefield are saved forever, and well as crucial acreage at Corinth and Spotsylvania Court House. These properties, located on key parts of their respective battlefields, are in prime locations for interpretation, but threats of development are constantly looming. Now, thanks to the generosity of our members, future generations that visit this hallowed ground will be able to more fully experience the power of place.

Peebles’ Farm & The Breakthrough

On September 30, 1864, Col. John I. Curtin’s brigade advanced across this tract toward the R. H. Jones House, where they clashed with Confederate infantry under Gen. Henry Heth and cavalry under Gen. W. H. F. Lee. Confederate forces outflanked Union brigades, collapsing them into Curtin’s men in what he described as “a confused mass.” Though Union troops later rallied near the Peebles’ house, Confederates prevented them from seizing Boydton Plank Road and advancing toward the South Side Railroad. Union troops later rallied near the Peebles’ house, but the Confederates blocked their advance toward the Boydton Plank Road and the South Side Railroad. Even so, the Federals secured the ground they had gained and extended their siege lines southwestward from Peebles’ Farm.

On April 2, 1865, part of Gen. Joseph E. Hamblin’s brigade again crossed this parcel in the final push against Confederate defenders of Boydton Plank Road, supported by Battery H, 1st RI Light Artillery firing nearby.

Continued development has threatened to majorly limit and detract from the understanding of the battlefield, but this nearly two-acre tract, contiguous with land already saved by NPS, is now protected forever.

Siege of Corinth

More than two-and-a-half newly saved acres at Corinth directly played a role in the 1862 Siege of Corinth. Following the capture of Forts Henry and Donelson, along with Nashville, in early 1862, the Union high command in the west turned to its next objective: Corinth, Mississippi. There, the Confederacy’s only east-west rail line, the Memphis and Charleston intersected with the Mobile and Ohio that connected the Gulf Coast with the Southern interior. The town was a major piece of the Confederate logistical infrastructure.

On April 3, Confederate Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston marched out of Corinth to strike Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s Union army at Pittsburg Landing. The two-day engagement that resulted, the Battle of Shiloh, witnessed the death of Johnston and the Confederate withdrawal to Corinth. Johnston’s replacement, Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard constructed entrenchments and awaited the Union advance. The Federals, now under Gen. Henry Halleck moved from Pittsburg Landing to capture Corinth.

During the ensuing siege, Confederates from the Reserve Corps under Gen. John C. Breckinridge occupied the tract. Unwilling to sustain a prolonged operation, Beauregard decided to abandon Corinth and began to evacuate on May 29. 

The tract is directly adjacent to land already saved by the National Park Service, further expanding the boundary of hallowed ground saved forever.

Battle of Spotsylvania Court House

After the Wilderness stalemate, Grant moved toward Spotsylvania Court House using the Brock Road. On May 8, 1864, Union forces advanced over this tract after fighting at Todd’s Tavern. Confederate cavalry under Gen. Fitzhugh Lee delayed the Federals before falling back, and Union infantry assaults against Laurel Hill were repulsed throughout the day. That evening, Col. Henry Brown’s New Jersey brigade also failed to break Gen. Richard H. Anderson’s line.

The next morning, Union VI Corps commander Gen. John Sedgwick was killed nearby, a turning point of the battle. On May 12, attacks by Col. Jacob Sweitzer and Gen. Romeyn Ayres crossed the tract to pin Confederates at Laurel Hill while fighting raged at the Mule Shoe, but they, too, failed. Union forces occupied the area until May 14, when Grant shifted operations east of Spotsylvania.

The two acres saved is a critical acquisition as residential developments threaten this historic land.