I was wondering if I could make contact with Chick Bowery or any of you other fellows that are familiar with the portion of the battlefield near White’s a Tavern, where the 5th PA Cavalry and 7th SC Cavalry fought on October 7, 1864. I live in Tulsa, OK but I’m an aircraft dealer and I fly over the country quite a bit picking up planes. I and a couple of my family members would like to stop in and visit sometime and see what history is detailed on the battle and where it all occurred.

My great great grandfather, Robert Howard was a member of the 5th PA Cavalry, Co. F, and he was wounded in this battle on Oct 7, 1864 and lost a leg but survived.

I would even try my best to help in the preservation efforts if possible. Would love to meet and shake the hands of you gentlemen that are wanting to preserve these sacred grounds.

I can be reached at 918-260-7728 or via email at Dan@HowardAircraft.com

PS: I have a hand drawn map of the battlefield between New Market Road and Charles City Road. I think it was in Chuck Bowery’s articles.

Many thanks in advance!

Dan W. Howard
Tulsa, OK

I salute you for your efforts, but Mr. Brockenbrough’s response was polite, professional, and well-argued. Your response back to Mr. Brockenbrough seemed argumentative and accusatory. I defer to our esteemed webmaster on protocol, but I would suggest keeping the debate academic and civil.

Todd Berkoff

Now, for comparison sake, I would like people to find the Beaver Dam Creek Unit of Richmond National Battlefield Park on Google Earth. Look for the intersection of Route 360 and Route 156 in Mechanicsville, then follow Route 156 a little to the east. What you will find is a park choked by housing developments. Compare that to the area I am trying to save. If you have visited the park, then you know how small it is. You can fit the walkable area at Beaver Dam Creek inside the entire potential preservable area of the Darbytown Road Battlefield 300 times over and that is not an exaggeration. Does that prevent the National Park Service from operating a Battlefield Park unit there?

If you have been to Cold Harbor, does the section of the extended trail requiring you to cross a home owner’s driveway, or the section of the extended trail near the first audio station, which essentially dumps you into someone’s front yard, make that battlefield any less worthy of a visit or preserving? There are housing developments bordering the protected land at Glendale. How about the Fort Harrison Unit of Richmond National Battlefield Park? If Mr. Brockenbrough would like to make the argument that residential developments render a battlefield unfit for protection, I cannot think of a better example. There are houses in front of, behind, beside, within, and around the sections of the park like Forts Gilmer, Gregg, Hoke, Johnson and Brady. Sometimes when I visit Fort Gilmer, I wave at the home owner whose house practically sits on the earthworks.

If Mr. Brockenbrough wants to complain that the Pocahontas Parkway is an intrusion on the Darbytown Road Battlefield, then he is free to do so. But aren’t there other battlefields where the exact same complaint can be made? The land the Civil War Trust is saving at Gaines’ Mill has I-295 as a neighbor and you can see the land from the interstate.

Do not even get me started on the airport. In the past six months, I have heard planes flying over Malvern Hill more often than the Darbytown Road Battlefield and I live on it!

The fact of the matter is, finding a perfect battlefield given development over the last 150 years is rare. That does not mean we all throw our hands up in the air and take our toys home. It means we do what previous generations did not, protect what remains.

In all honesty, I do not know what Mr. Brockenbrough and his organization has against the Darbytown Road Battlefield. I will admit that when I approached his group, I did not have a lot of information, and some of the information I had at the time was incorrect. I wish that had not been the case. However, as any student of the Richmond/Petersburg Campaign will tell you, aside from Fort Stedman and the Crater, information on the 20+ battles in that campaign can be hard to find. Since his group visited, I have found a mountain of evidence which has allowed me to, not only correct my information, but substantially add to it. When I last communicated with Mr. Brockenbrough, he wanted me believe that what occurred on my Grandfather’s farm was nothing more than troop movement. Luckily, living and having grown up on the property, I know better than that and investigated further. I found two books, Richard Sommers’ “Richmond Redeemed” and Louis Manarin’s “Henrico County: Field of Honor” as well as Lt. Robert M. Hall’s own report on the battle indicating that what occurred on the farm was far more than troop movement, it was a battle.

Despite how it may appear, I do not have anything against Mr. Brockenbrough and if the RBA came to me tomorrow saying they would like to help, then I would welcome them with open arms as allies to the bigger fight. All I am trying to do is what is right and what so many of us believe should be done.

Chuck

Ben Brockenbrough
Chairman, Properties Committee

Thank you for posting my articles, I greatly appreciate your generosity. Time is definitely running out on those few properties and the Battlefield itself.

Todd,

I contacted the Richmond Battlefield Association (RBA) a year ago. They walked around the farm with me, but unfortunately at the time, neither they nor I had complete information on the battle except for the basics. The information they had indicated a battle taking place south of Darbytown Road, which is only true for the second half of the battle. Their group has very limited funds and declined involvement in favor of Cold Harbor and Gaines’ Mill. 

Since their visit, I have discovered a plethora of information, the strongest being Lt. Robert M. Hall’s Report, detailing the action north of Darbytown Road which I described in my article. 

While I am not opposed to approaching the RBA again, the group’s members have been clear as to where they want to dedicate their money. While I wish the group had been more willing to step in, I have to respect their decision. Sadly, there is no other group in Richmond (to my knowledge) dedicated to protecting battlefields. 

With Eric’s advice, I am going to look into establishing a Foundation for the Battlefield. However, the time involved in such an endeavor will not save the large parcels (the start of the battle) available now. I firmly believe that, currently, only the Civil War Trust can immediately step in and protect those parcels.

Remember what I said in the first article. Edward Porter Alexander said he never saw Robert E. Lee agitated or hostile at any other point during the war, except on the morning of the Battle of Darbytown and New Market Roads. This battle obviously meant something to Lee. 

The way it stands now, a huge swath of the Battlefield can be saved over time, starting with those available parcels. Saving the Darbytown Road Battlefield will give the story of the Civil War in Richmond an ending. Visitors could begin their Battlefield tour in Richmond with the Seven Days sites and then continue on to the Richmond/Petersburg sites ending their visit by walking virtually all of the Darbytown Road Battlefield, Lee’s last stand outside of Richmond.

Chuck

Has The Civil War Trust or Richmond Battlefields Association been contacted about the property? The CWT recently protected 227 acres of the cavalry action area of the First Deep Bottom Campaign of July 1864. I would think they would be interested in this property.

http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/first-deep-bottom.html

Todd Berkoff