Richmond National Battlefield Park

Richmond National Battlefield Park in Virginia is a collection of 13 historic sites around Richmond, representing some of the fiercest fighting in the American Civil War, including the Seven Days’ Battles.

History of Richmond National Battlefield Park

Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy, owing to it being a major manufacturing centre – the Tredegar Iron Works alone supplied around half of the artillery used by the Confederate States Army. This meant that between 1861 and 1865, Richmond and its surroundings were at the centre of a bloody tug of war between the Union and Confederate armies.

Richmond National Battlefield Park spans 1900 acres of Civil War sites, including famous battle sites such as Cold Harbor, Drewry’s Bluff, and Gaines Mill, as well as the Chimborazo Medical Museum, which commemorates the work done at Chimborazo Hospital.  This was one of the largest hospitals of its time, treating over 76,000 Confederates during the war, and later became a refuge for freed slaves.

Richmond National Battlefield Park Today

With such an array of Civil War sites, it is worth starting your visit to Richmond National Battlefield Park at the Civil War Visitor Centre at the Tredegar Iron Works. Not only is this the place to find park ranger guided tours of the battlefields, but the centre also includes an expansive military exhibit.

The Chimborazo Hospital is now a museum with a focus on Civil War-era battlefield medicine, accompanied by surgical and medical displays. It is surrounded by a park which contains several monuments, including a smaller version of the Statue of Liberty and one commemorating the relationship of Powhatan and John Smith.

Getting to Richmond National Battlefield Park

From the centre of Virginia, Richmond National Battlefield Park is reachable by car in an hour and a half via the US-60 E road. From the centre of Richmond, the site is reachable in 5 minutes by car via N 8th St and S 5th St. There are also a number of public transport options available, including buses which stop at the 8th + Byrd stop, after which the site is an 11 minute walk.