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Gaines' Mill

A New Era of Preservation: For over eighty years, preservation at Gaines' Mill remained at a standstill. That changed in early 2011 when the Richmond Battlefields Association purchased a pivotal parcel on the north bank of Boatswain Creek. This landmark acquisition was the first at Gaines' Mill since the 1920s, when Douglas Southall Freeman and the Richmond Battlefield Park Corporation secured the original 60 acres of the park.

The RBA’s initiative served as a vital catalyst; shortly after our purchase, the Civil War Trust (now the American Battlefield Trust) announced a major land deal adjacent to our property. In 2016, three of these critical acres were officially added to the Richmond National Battlefield Park's permanent holdings, ensuring this hallowed ground is protected in perpetuity.

The Turning Point
June 27, 1862

Isolated on the north bank of the Chickahominy River, Gen. Fitz John Porter’s Union V Corps faced the full weight of Robert E. Lee’s 60,000-man army. Seeking to drive the Federals into the river, Lee launched a series of assaults across Boatswain Creek. The land now preserved by the RBA witnessed the failure of successive assaults by the brigades of Archer, Anderson, and Field, all of which were broken up by the concentrated fire of John Martindale's Federals across the creek.

The breakthrough finally came at dusk. In a massive assault larger than Pickett’s Charge, Lee unleashed 32,000 fresh troops against the Union left. On this very ground, Gen. John Bell Hood led his famed Texas Brigade in a legendary charge. Crashing across the creek and surging over the Watt House plateau, the Confederates shattered the Union line. Only the onset of darkness saved Porter’s corps from total destruction, providing the cover necessary for the Union army to slip across the Chickahominy.

Gaines' Mill was the bloodiest of the Seven Days Battles, resulting in more than 15,000 casualties. This pivotal victory for Lee forced Union Gen. George B. McClellan to abandon his "On to Richmond" campaign. That night, the Federals began a long and costly retreat to the James River.

Above: The Watt House farm lane on the Gaines' Mill Battlefield.

At RBA's annual meeting, historian R.E.L. Krick led members on a tour of the newly acquired property that they helped save.

The RBA tour followed in the footsteps of Hood's famed Texas Brigade, as they charged down the slope and splashed across Boatswain Creek. Participants took advantage of the newly constructed "Brockenbrough's Bridge" (June 2011).

Gaines' Mill Battlefield Texas monument was erected on land saved by RBA (May 2012).

Richmond National Battlefield Park Superitendent Dave Ruth accepts transfer of land saved by RBA (Oct 2016).