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Glendale (Frayser's Farm)

A Vital Partnership: In 2006 and again in 2007, the Richmond Battlefields Association partnered with the Civil War Preservation Trust to purchase key tracts of the Glendale battlefield. RBA dedicated $275,000 to the Glendale/Frayser's Farm preservation effort. This joint effort was the springboard leading to the preservation of virtually all remaining core battlefield. It is a shining example of the effectiveness of a local "on the ground" preservation group coupled with the powerful resources of a prominent national organization. Everybody wins!

We are engaged in a struggle to save America's Civil War legacy. Without the kind of commitment displayed by this year's recipients [RBA], many Civil War sites will be little more than a memory within a few years. - Jim Lighthizer, Civil War Trust

June 30, 1862

In late June, Union Gen. George B. McClellan's 100,000-man Army of the Potomac was in full flight, strung out along the roads in eastern Henrico County, seeking the protective cover of Union gunboats on the James River. Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, newly appointed commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, devised an ambitious plan to punish the Federals by converging his forces at the Glendale crossroads. Only the divisions of James Longstreet and A.P. Hill reached the objective, driving up the Longbridge Road in some of the war's most prolonged hand-to-hand combat. Confederates forces penetrated the Union defense near Willis Church, routing McCall's division and capturing its commander.

Union counterattacks by Hooker's and Kearny's divisions sealed the breach and saved the Federal line of retreat along the Willis Church Road. This intense battle left 7,000 men killed, wounded, or captured. Many historians consider the opportunity presented at Glendale as Lee's best chance, perhaps of the entire war, to destroy the Union army. The Federals continued south, reaching the safety of the James River and prepared to meet their pursuers on the slopes of Malvern Hill.

Never before in modern times has anyone preserved a major battlefield virtually from scratch.
- R.E.L. Krick, Historian, Richmond National Battlefield Park

An Exceptional Victory for Battlefield Preservation

Only a few short years ago, despite its historical significance, the Glendale battlefield remained vulnerable to development. A national effort, spearheaded by the Richmond Battlefields Association, and championed by the Civil War Trust, has saved the core of the Glendale battlefield from destruction. This unprecedented achievement, combined with recent preservation efforts at Malvern Hill, will enable future generations to one day explore this "crown jewel" of the Richmond National Battlefield Park.

*RBA in concert with CWPT

Above: RBA members tour the Glendale battlefield at our annual meeting (Jun 2004).

RBA was named "Preservation Organization of the Year" in 2007 by CWPT for its leadership role in preserving the Glendale Battlefield.

Historian William J. Miller leads RBA members on a tour of the Glendale battlefield.

RBA members visit the Whitlock Farm at Glendale, scene of the heaviest fighting.

In 2010 a Civil War Trails marker was erected on the Glendale battlefield to commemorate the charge of the 69th Pa. Inf. at the Whitlock farm.