Richmond National Battlefield Park

EVENT UPDATE: Due to anticipated inclement weather please note, tonight's "Lectures on the Lawn" presentation will take place at its alternate location, Enon United Methodist Church, 6156 Studley Road, and not at Rural Plains. We hope to see you there!

Summer is in full swing! Come visit the roads, trails and scenic sights of Richmond National Battlefield Park. At fourteen locations across Richmond, Henrico, Hanover and Chesterfield, learn about Civil War history and enjoy the warmth of the summer season. Learn more about all the places we preserve: https://www.nps.gov/rich/planyourvisit/placestogo.htm

[Image: Cannon at Malvern Hill, NPS photo by Don Ward]

Thursday continues our “Lectures on the Lawn” series of outdoor talks at the Shelton House (at the Totopotomoy Creek Battlefield). This week, join Katherine Ridgway for “Revolutionary

Relics: Unearthing the Stories in Richmond’s Lee Monument Cornerstone.” In 2021, conservators found two boxes—one a copper cornerstone box and another a lead box, hidden for 134 years within the cornerstone of the Robert E. Lee monument in Richmond. Katherine Ridgway of the Virginia Department of Historical Resources will talk about the removal of the monument, the opening of the two boxes and the Commonwealth’s work to preserve the artifacts. She will also reveal the stories both found in the boxes…and the stories left out. The lectures begin at 6:30 p.m. on the lawn in front of the Shelton House, located at 7273 Studley Road in Rural Plains. Lectures are free and open to the public. Picnic suppers are encouraged! (Rain location: Enon United Methodist Church, 6156 Studley Road)

INTERNATIONAL BATH DAY.

It’s International Bath Day.. During the battle of White Oak Swamp on June 30, 1862, U.S. General William F. “Baldy” Smith thought he could take a break for a quiet bath.

The federal troops were moving from Savage's Station, going south towards Malvern Hill and the James River. The weather was warm and humid. Smith commanded a division of infantry in the Sixth Corps. They had crossed White Oak Swamp and deployed on the south bank, with Stonewall Jackson’s troops pursuing them. Just after noon, Smith took advantage of a lull to take a bath at the Britton Farm. Soon, Confederate shells began raining down. He quickly dressed in what he described as “dignified haste.” If you take a bath today, we hope you enjoy it more than General Smith.



[Images: 1865 Map of White Oak Swamp, from National Archives; General William F. Smith, Library of Congress]

EVENT UPDATE: Please note, tonight's "Lectures on the Lawn" presentation will take place at its alternate location, Enon United Methodist Church, 6156 Studley Road, and not at Rural Plains. We hope to see you there!

DAILY RANGER TALKS at COLD HARBOR

Richmond National Battlefield offers daily, 15-minute battlefield orientation talks, led by a park ranger at the Cold Harbor visitor center at 10am, 11am, and 1pm.

Battlefield introduction talks begin at the Cold Harbor Battlefield Visitor Center, 5515 Anderson-Wright Drive, Mechanicsville VA 23111.

[Image: Tour at Cold Harbor, NPS photo]

Thursday continues our “Lectures on the Lawn” series of outdoor talks at the Shelton House (at the Totopotomoy Creek Battlefield). This week, join Stephen Wilson for “St. John’s Church, Patrick Henry, and Liberty or Death: A Closer Look.” Patrick Henry’s “Liberty or Death” speech in Richmond in 1775 was a turning point in the struggle for independence. That day, Henry stood out in a large assembly of charismatic leaders, many of who arrived with dramatically different agendas than he had. Stephen Wilson of the St. John’s Church Foundation provides an inside look at the men who gathered there, the paths that

led them there and why Henry’s pleas prevailed (barely) in the crucial vote for self-determination. The lectures begin at 6:30 p.m. on the lawn in front of the Shelton House, located at 7273 Studley Road in Rural Plains. Talks are free and open to the public. Picnic suppers are encouraged! (Rain location: Enon United Methodist Church, 6156 Studley Road.)

A Reminder of our tours and demonstrations at Cold Harbor Battlefield this weekend - June 6. It will be HOT this weekend, so be sure to dress appropriately for the weather, bring water, and drink it!
Artillery demonstrations are scheduled for 11 am and 1pm. The 2 pm ranger-guided walking tour will be one hour instead of two, to keep us all safe and comfortable in the hot weather.

Cold Harbor Battlefield Visitor Center,
5515 Anderson-Wright Drive, Mechanicsville.
We'll see you there!

Today begins our “Lectures on the Lawn” series of outdoor talks at the Shelton House (at the Totopotomoy Creek Battlefield). This week, join Jon Kukla for “How Sunk is Britain!” Virginia’s Turn to Independence, Spring 1776. In late 1775, Virginia’s defiance of Britain had not yet matured into a commitment to independence. That changed in early 1776, especially after Governor Dunmore’s artillery triggered the New Year’s Day Fire that destroyed Norfolk. (The Declaration of Independence refers obliquely to this incident with the statement that King George had “ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns…”). “How sunk is Britain!” declared one essay.

Kukla explores how many formerly loyal Virginians, under the leadership of Patrick Henry and others, embraced separation as members of the “United Colonies” by June 1776. Historian Jon Kukla is the widely acclaimed author of numerous books, including Patrick Henry, Champion of Liberty and Mr. Jefferson’s Women. The lectures begin at 6:30 p.m. on the lawn in front of the Shelton House, which is located at Rural Plains on 7273 Studley Road. The events are free and open to the public. Picnic suppers are encouraged!

(Rain location: Enon United Methodist Church, 6156 Studley Road.)