VISITING BATTLE SITES

Just imagine: Not much remains of Seven Pines battlefield

A historical marker at the Seven Pines (Va.) National Cemetery.

In May of 2012, I attended a sesquicentennial program for the anniversary of the Battle of Seven Pines (Fair Oaks) held by the Park Service at the Sandston (VA) library in Henrico County. Sandston is located just off of Route 60 to the east of Richmond. The library sits on the approximate site of Casey’s Redoubt where the 85th Pennsylvania was posted early in the battle.

Part of the program included a bus tour. Sadly, there was little to see regarding the battle experience. There are road markers and a well-kept Seven Pines National Cemetery, but little else. A visitor has to put his/her imagination into overdrive to get a feel for what took place on that spring day in 1862.

85th Pennsylvania Corporal Joseph Wilgus'
grave at Seven Pines (Va.) National Cemetery.

Probably the most iconic battlefield landmark at the time were the Twin Houses, preserved in photos and sketches. The houses no longer stand.

The muddy field crossed by the Confederates that day when the attack began has given way to the Richmond International Airport. Along Route 60 near the airport is a marker noting the location of Casey’s picket line that included Company D of the 85th Pennsylvania.

 The two-acre national cemetery was established just after the Civil War for the re-interment of Union soldiers who had died several years earlier. For this reason, almost 90% of the remains rest in unmarked graves. One of the 150 or so fallen soldiers with a marked headstone is Corporal Joseph Wilgus of Company B of the 85th Pennsylvania. The 50-year old Wilgus died 13 days after the battle. Presumably he was not originally buried on the battlefield like so many others, and his remains were one of the few to later be identified.

Historian Doug Crenshaw has an excellent post that summarizes the battle and discusses the lack of preservation for this seminal battle.

Goldboro Expedition in North Carolina

The Author by the modern Kinston Bridge

The 85th Pennsylvania fought at Kinston in December of 1862 during the Goldsboro Expedition. This was an important time for the 85th Pennsylvania, still stinging from George McClellan’s unfair condemnation for their performance at Seven Pines (VA) six months earlier.

The 85th PA first advanced to the right at Southwest Creek, then
on the left the next day towards the Kinston Bridge

A good place to begin one’s visit is the Kinston Visitor and Information Center, which includes a map of the battle and artifacts from the fight. In 1862, their first fight was at South West Creek south of the town.

In this map from a roadside marker on Richlands Road. At the bottom of the map along the creek, the 9th New Jersey advanced to the left while two companies of the 85th Pennsylvania advanced to the right. Together they overcame a Confederate position that was forced back towards Kinston. In the top of the map, the 85th Pennsylvania advanced on the extreme left through a swamp towards Jones Bridge in Kinston.

Foster’s Union troops captured the partially-burned bridge, and headed towards Goldsboro the next day. The Kinston Bridge no longer stands, replaced by a nearby modern bridge. To the left is the author near the modern Kinston Bridge. The Jones Bridge that was the focus of the battle had been located behind the author in 1862.