A Pitiless Rain: The Bloody Ravine
During the Peninsula Campaign of the Civil War, General George B. McClellan inched his way up the Virginia Peninsula from Fortress Monroe towards the confederate capital of Richmond. All the while, General John B. Magruder's incredible showmanship, which created an illusion of a much larger military force, slowed McClellan's every move, causing him to second guess his capacity to engage.
On May 5, 1862, Union forces under Generals Samuel Heintzelmen and Joseph Hooker met the Williamsburg Line (a collection of 14 redoubts stretching across the Virginia Peninsula from College Creek to Queens Creek aimed at slowing the Union avance) as they pushed towards the confederate capital.
The most savage combat on May 5th centered in this deeply wooded area several hundred yards west of Route 60. This track of ravine is about 80 yards wide at ground level and sixty yards wide at the bottom. It is more than twenty feet deep with surrounding terrain being hilly, rolling, and studded with giant trees. The ravine, in its entirety, is about one-half mile long, located between Tutters Neck Pond and Route 60.
May 5, 1862 was anything but a pleasant spring day. It was cold, rainy, and unforgiving. Union forces were facing obstacle after obstacle as their supply trains continually got slogged down in the endless mud. This advancing Union army met firmly implanted confederates in a daylong brutally inconclusive battle. This battle turned particularly fierce at what became known as the "Bloody Ravine," where, in the pouring rain, Union soldiers from New York and New Jersey fought Virginians under A. P. Hill and George E. Pickett. Remarking of the treachery experienced in the Bloody Ravine, Lt Col John Coyne of the 70th NY, observed that the dead were "lying in the pitiless rain" and were insensible to the horrible sights and sounds of the battle raging around them.
Please tread lightly upon this hollowed ground. Indeed, as should be expected, when it comes to the "Ghosts of Williamsburg," this site's spirits have numerous tales to tell. Soften your gaze, slow your walk, breathe deeply, and listen intently with your heart. Perhaps you, too, will bear witness, in spirit, to the horrible suffering endured on May 5, 1862. Terrain can be very much elivated depending upon your choices. You are encouraged to walk east on Route 60 from parking (...but to each their own).
A gigantic "thank you" to the various entities whose efforts and coordination allowed for the presevation of this significant piece of land: American Battlefield Trust, City of Williamsburg, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Riverside Health System, and the Commonwealth of Virginia. For much more information regarding preservation efforts, visit the Williamsburg Battlefield Association's website.
Congratulation to Jofro62 & LindaWaWa on the New Year's Day FTF!!!