The Battle of Yorktown
Dam No. 1
April 16, 1862
Union forces charged across Dam No.1 to storm Confederate positions on the other side of the Warwick River during the battle of Yorktown in the American Civil War. The attack gained the Confederate position but was not supported and the attack was driven back.
The Park Entrance and Tourism Center
After passing the Park Sign take an immediate left into Tourism Center parking lot before proceeding into the park. There is a lot of free information and also maps available here.
The Discovery Center (Parking)
Turn at the cannon in to the Discovery Center parking lot.
Park at the Discovery Center, they have a pamphlet available for the flora and fauna.
The Dam (Bridge)
The walk starts across the street at the bridge over the Warwick. You begin on the Union side of the river. The bridge is a little north of the original dam, but close to it. The dam is underwater so the reservoir is higher now than it was during the battle. I imagine that it looker more like the area up stream to the north of the bridge.
The view across the bridge toward the Confederate position.
Confederate Works
These first two pictures are of a one gun Confederate battery covering the bridge.
The rest of the pictures in this set are of the Confederate trenches. When you first cross the bridge you are in the 2nd Louisiana Infantry position.
There are two paths that you can take once you cross the bridge. Left takes you around a loop that brings you back to the bridge, and right takes you north to another bridge back across the swamp and into preserved Union works. I took the latter, it's a longer hike but it follows the Confederate position for quite awhile.
The Confederate view of the Union side of the river. Of course most of the trees were cut down during the month long siege.
Still and all the trenches are well preserved and easy to follow.
Union Works
Trench or road? It runs perpendicular to the river just north of the Discovery Center.
Two views of the Union siege lines.
The Swamp Between Them
This is the swampy area north of the bridge. The water is lower up here and I imagine it is more like the area that the Union had to cross.
There are a lot of turtles in the water.
There are turtles everywhere!