Colonial Heights, VA

Fort Clifton

In 1864, the Confederate army built a line of defenses on the property to protect Petersburg and Richmond. Brigadier General Colton described the eight-mile semi-circle defenses as being only slightly noticeable. The first battle at the fort was on May 1864. Major General Pickett ordered General Johnson to make an entrenchment. By the next morning, May 8th, Johnson’s artillery and infantry crossed Swift Creek and began fortifying their position. The fort was barely completed when battle broke out. According to General Johnson’s report, on May 9th, five gunboats advanced and fired on Fort Clifton. Landside fighting accompanied the naval confrontation. According to Confederate Colonel Fulkerson, Union troops appeared on the bluff opposite of the fort. Confederate troops returned fire and drove Union troops back. There were two casualties from the battle. In June 1864, Fort Clifton was attacked again. Commander Amos Foster of the U.S. Steamer, Commodore Perry, opened fire on Fort Clifton. Shots fired by the Confederates fell short. After three hours of shelling, the Confederates retreated. An explosion of a Parrott gun aboard the steamer killed several men who are buried at Point of Rocks. On June 16, Union General Butler reported that Union gunboats were firing on Fort Clifton. By 4:30 p.m. Union artillery Captain Osbourne communicated to his superiors that there had been no responsive fire from Fort Clifton for two hours. At 7 p.m. General Graham sent two boats within 150 feet of the fort that were fired upon. After the war ended, William Crow lost the farm in an 1869 chancery suit. The Clifton tract was purchased by the Donnan’s in 1871 and re-sold in quick succession several times.

Violet Bank

In 1864, during the Civil War, Violet Bank became the headquarters for Confederate General Robert E. Lee from June to September of 1864 during the siege of Petersburg. On July 30, 1864, General Lee was at his headquarters at Violet Bank Farm on the north shore of the Appomattox River overlooking Petersburg. There, he received word that Union troops had detonated over 8,000 pounds of gunpowder beneath Confederate defensive lines in what became known as the Battle of the Crater.