Big bethel was the first land battle of the Civil War fought in Virgina, and the first significant land battle fought anywhere. Big Bethel also included the first or second solder killed fighting for the South; depending on which source you read. There is no tour or brochure available for this site, a local paper wrote an article which was on line when I went there but now appears to have been taken down.
A list of the Commanders who filed reports after the battle.
Union
Maj. Gen. B. F. Butler, U. S. Army - Headquarters Fort Monroe
Gen. E. W. Pierce, Massachusetts Militia
Col. John E. Bendix, Seventh New York Infantry
Col. Frederick Townsend, Third New York Infantry
Capt. Judson Kilpatrick, Fifth New York Infantry
Casualties Maj. Theodore Winthrop - Union (A budding writer who was lionized in the press after the battle as a hero and a tragic loss to literature.)
Lt. Greble - Union (First graduate of West Point to die.)
Plus 16 other Union troops (I could not find their names.)
Fifty Three wounded and Five misssing
Confederate
Col. J. B. Magruder, C. S. Army – Headquarters Bethel Church
Col. D. H. Hill, First North Carolina Infantry
Maj. E. B. Montague, commanding Virginia Battalion
Maj. George W. Randolph, commanding Howitzer Battalion
Capt. W. H. Werth, commanding Chatham Grays
Lieut. Col. William D. Stuart, Third [Fifteenth] Virginia Infantry
Casualties
Henry Lawson Wyatt - Confederate (Thought to be the first Confederate solder to be killed for the cause. Not true.)
Seven Wounded
The Battle of Big Bethel
The Battle of Big Bethel was planned as a nighttime surprise attack upon an entrenched Confederate camp located around the Big Bethel Baptist Church at Brick Kiln Creek. The Union forces were dispatched in two columns, one from Camp Hamilton and the other from Newport News. They arrived at the battlefield separately and had not taken the time before hand to talk things over and establish things like passwords, plans and the like. To further complicate matters, some of the Union troops wore gray uniforms.
The Phoebus contingent moved up while the Newport News column came in on . When the two Union columns met at Newmarket Bridge they opened fire on one another, killing two and wounding eight. The Confederate pickets who were dug in at what is now Big Bethel Park heard the commotion and retreated back to their main works, now under water, and for the Union all hope of surprise was lost.
The battle opened with a series of uncoordinated and conflicting attacks upon the Confederate works that were initially successful but floundered when the attackers saw men in gray on their right, thought they were flanked, and retreated; but actually, the men in gray were Union troops sent out to protect the flank of the attack. They were just dressed in gray which the men in the main part of the attack didn't know. The battle finished with a useless artillery duel that was ended when the only Confederate canon broke. By this point the Union General, E. W. Pierce, was tired and wanted to go home for lunch so the Union packed up and left. The battle has been variously described as a great Confederate victory or a farce.
The most important effect of the Battle of Big Bethel was the encouragement it gave to the south early on and the pattern it set for the north of mistakes and misunderstandings between commanders that would be repeated over and over again throughout the remained of the war. While the battle is now not well known, at the time it was big news in all of the major papers on both sides of the conflict. In the north, there were calls for an investigation but nothing much came of it. In the south a great victory was trumpeted and it was claimed that the battle clearly demonstrated the superiority of the Confederate Soldier.
Battle Sign
There are not many monuments or signs that a battle took place in Big Bethel. One is this sign at the entrance South could win the war, the Union press decried the loss as proof that the Union officers were incompetent to Big Bethel Park. At the time of the battle Big Bethel was big news. The Confederate press trumpeted the victory as proof that the South could win, while in the north the Union press decried the quality of the Union officers.
Monument to Henry Lawson Wyatt
Big Bethel Park
If you've had time to study DH Hills map, Hargrett Library Rare Map Collection – The American Civil War, you may have noticed how Semple Farm Rd (Back river Rd in 1800) and Saunder join Big Bethel Rd.What you can't see today however is the path Big Bethel Rdtook over the creek. In creating the Big Bethel reservoir, engineers would have used the higher ground to contain the water. Hence "old mill dam" was used again and greatly enlarged creating the upper and lower reservoir as see today. The "road to Hampton" old Big Bethel Rdand bridge I believe are submerged in lower reservoir. Modern Big Bethel Rd took a detour west then north over dam.
Acting on the assumption that the modern dam and "old mill dam" are now one in same, I began my search. Just inside the gates of Big Bethel Park, adjacent monument to Wyatt and at edge of reservoir I found (what I believe to be) canon entrenchment; the forward confederate position shown on both maps match in size and location well. I also believe I've found the rear of the rebel camp, located in plain sight at the north end of Big Bethel cemetery.
Tom Walz
Site of the Big Bethel Baptist Church
The Church originally was sited out there in the lake. The Confederates built their camp around the Church and most of the fighting took place within a half a mile of it, so much of the battlefield is underwater. Big bethel reservoir was created to provide water for Fort Monroe and is still a part of the fort, however the fort no longer uses the reservoir for its water supply.
Confederate Victory Monument
The monument is inside the cemetery grounds and is behind a hideous fence, so it is not possible to read what it actually says. There is no place to park near the cemetery, so I parked at the Park and walked over the bridge but I don't think that is exactly legal.
Old Big Bethel Baptist Church Cemetery
Confederate Camp now Air Force Housing
The original Confederate position stretched across the road and out onto this housing tract. Winthrop was killed somewhere out in those houses. He jumped up on a log and called to his men to rally, they might yet win the day, but was struck down immediately and his troops fled. Tom Walz speculates that Winthrop was killed on what is now the school yard.
Union Advanced down Big Bethel Road
The Confederates had set up works from which to fight behind and at the first sign of trouble retreated behind the works. This explains why their casualties were so light. Not to mention that the Union was pretty busy fighting itself.
Harbor Baptist Church Property
The Union advance and their subsquent retreat occured over the Church site. The story of Big Bethel is the same story that came to be repeated over and over, a Union commander, seeing troops on his right flank, thinks he is out flanked, when in fact they are Union troops, dressed in gray sent to protect his flank. So he orders a withdrawal that collapses the entire Union position. Otherwise, they might have won.
Site of the Union Stand
The Union rallied here at the intersection. They still had some guns, they also still enjoyed a numerical advantage; but Pierce was tired and ordered everyone back to Fort Monroe.
Fall of Lt. Greble
Lt. Greble was the first West Point graduate killed in the Civil War. The top of his head was taken off by a shell as his guns were limbering up to go home. The spot he fell is thought by some to be in the middle of the street between the 7/11 and the mini mall. After the battle Lt. Greble was proclaimed a hero in all the northern papers. He is now remembered by the street, which is not named after him.