In September 2016, the American Battlefield Trust purchased a 3.5-acre, undeveloped parcel of core Williamsburg Battlefield land at the historic Y-intersection of Penniman Road and Oak Drive in York County, VA. The WBA proudly participated in the purchase by contributing funds it secured through a land-acquisition grant with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.
Map Courtesy of the Civil War Trust, www.civilwar.org
historic crossroads
The roads forming the Y-intersection at the northwest end of the Smith Tract were 200 years old by the Civil War. They appear in property records and on maps in the 1600s when tobacco was king and plantations were rising along the James River. Gen. George Wash-ington led his army south from Will-iamsburg in 1781 and veered left at this intersection on the road to Yorktown and defeat of the British Army. By 1861, the intersecting roads were known as the Yorktown and Hampton Roads, and all west-bound traffic on the Peninsula converged here before enter-ing Williamsburg and proceeding towards Richmond, the new Con-federate capital.
May 5, 1862
Confederates used impressed slaves to build a defensive line southeast of Williamsburg. Anchoring the center of the line was Ft. Magruder, just 200 yards north of the intersection. On May 5, Union troops slogged up Hampton Road in the rain and were stopped at the southwest corner of the Smith Tract by the fort’s artillery. They deployed their own cannons, but in-fantry were forced off the road towards the west. A Confederate attack pushed the Union soldiers back across the road and Smith Tract, resulting in the capture of the Union artillery. Fresh Union troops soon arrived. Pressed from both roads, the Confederates withdrew and relinquished the prized cannons.
“The Battle of Williamsburg happened because of that intersection. That was the way to Richmond.”
after the battle
After the Union army occupied Will-iamsburg on May 6, Ft. Magruder and the Smith Tract became a large camp for soldiers and runaway slaves. By March 1864, the 6th USCT infantry and perhaps a company of USCT cavalry occupied the area. Newly freed slaves settled around the Smith Tract and fort after the war. The present day neighborhood of York Terrace still has some residents who can trace their roots to these freed slaves.
future plans
A conservation easement managed by the Va Dept. of Historic Resources has been placed on the Smith Tract. The WBA will act as a local steward of the lot, which represents the first real opportunity to interpret core Williams-burg Battlefield land. Our short-term plan involves cleaning up the property. Should the Trust transfer the property to us in the future, we would improve public access to the site and add interpretive signage and landscaping.