The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-01-14
EEFACE BATTERY
TO WIDEN AVENUE
Wartime Relic VIII BE Cut
Through to'Make Way for
New Street.
SAME IN GOOD CONDITION
Diagram of Notable Line of
FOrtifications That Guarded
Confederate Capital.

The widening OF Franklin Street on
Monument Avenue. westward from ALI
son Street. 10 q width Of lf0 feet from
that point TO the Boulevard. has neces-
STATED the cutting through OF portion
OF Battery No. 10 or the old wartime
fertilization Of Richmond. when IL was
the beleaguered capital Of the Confed-
eracy.
The matter Of preserving these old
Notifications has been urged from TINT
TO time by various persons. but no definite
action in this direction has yet been taken.
There are others Of the series 81 forts
which surrounded tho city that have not
yst disappeared before the growth Of to
city, and II is not yet too late 70 preserve
them IN something ike their original
form Accompanying the picture n the
old defenses now being lcveied Tor rub
ber-tired vehicles and whizzing autOm0-
biles. IS a diagram Of the defenees q the
city showing what formidable obstacles
stood In the pathway n the Army of the
Potomac This diagram is made from
map drawn in 1857 by United states
army officers for the use 81 the Federal
government. and the specific copy % the
map Is n the possession Of City Engineer
Cutshaw in his office. Through his cour-
tesy a diagram was made from So.
Strongly Defended.
As VII be seen from the diagram of the
plan Of fortifications Richmond vas
strongly defended The plan of forticca-
tion was made under the direction %
General ". n. Stevens. g. 8 A. one
OF the eminent engineers o. the Confed-
eracy and hts work has been commended
by experts one 81 the most brilliant
pT1eces ~ military engineering on this
q. as
deiineatlon % che work ~ General stevens.
Thie city was defended from invaders
by thrre lines Of defenses or fortified
lions The inner line consisted ~ IA series
Of forts or batteries AS they were known.
seventeen in number. and encircilnc this
city and Hanchester. Az distance ~
three quarters 20 one mile was the inter-
mediate line. which consisted 90 continue
GUS breastworks encirclinE the entire city
from p point on the hlu above tho New
Purnp-House to a point below Peyton's
creek. on the cast % the city above and
commanding the river Tine. The third or
outer line was An irregular one. consist
ing ~ separated earthworks. as distin-
guished from continuous ones. and boz
ginning AT point on The river and cove
ering the We~tham Road and encirciing
the western approaches 20 the city. From
"a point near Tho Chesapeake and Ohio
Railroad. north ~ the city. ard near the
Mechanicsvlue Turnpike p double l.nr -
fortificatious was maintained. an thence
scattered earthworirs extended fo and
Commanded the Nine Mile Road. From
point beyond New Bridge Church there
We're heavy Qualifications extending across
the Nine Nile Road. the York River Ran-
road. the Williamsburg Turnpike. TIE
Charles City Road. the Darhytovn Road.
the Newmarket Road and Osborne Turn
pike There Were other earthworks cast
q Gaines's NH and New Cold Harbor
The line NJ forts. or inner Tine. was the
most formidable. being fortified Vith
heavy guns. including number 81 oigh-
teen-inch Columbian and smaller guns
firing shells Nearly an these seventeen
forts or batteries were constructed in the
form o. flve-pointed stars. Beginning west
% the city. on the river. was Battery No
D. and about six furlongs % the norm
was No. i. defending me Wcstfiarn Flank
Road and about the same distance from
No H. and further 70 the north NJ IT, or
west Of the city. was No u. which %
now being razed 20 widen Franklin street.
Battery 80 e located now on the
grounds % the Hartshcrn College. north
west ~ the city and Is in an excellent
state u preservation. The next ~ these
forts was AZ a point on the Lakeside
car line. now known as Battery switch,
north 81 BARTON Heights No was To-
Gated on Chestnut Hill. ana No. COM
mauded che Nechanicsvile Pipe. No.
was further 20 the eastward or north
eastward No was on a bin overlook
ing GuHe's Creek. and No Z WAS iust
north ~ Rockets. No. ? commanded
Oehome's Pike. ard No. ! IS not clearly
defined There were three other small
hatterics-A between Nos. and 3. and
G and y between Nos. and a. No IS
was on the Chesterfield side OF the river,
/ overlooking and commanding Belle Isle,
where many Federal prisoners were STA
toned 40 Il was further westward, on
the Chesterfield side of the river. while
Nos -. l6 and i encirclod Manchester.
thus making almost continuous Inc OF
forts around the two cities ana protect
ing them from attack from any direction.
THE guns located IN these forts were OF
such calibre and range as 20 withstand
any attack until the troops stationed IN
the CITY and the Home Guard could man
/ the defenses in the intermediate line OF
breastworks which surrounded the CITY
in an unbroken line The outer line was
in the nature OF an outpost or picket
post but with sufficient force to repel
any slight attack.
Sheridan Repealed.
r. was AT a point on the Brook Turn-
nike inst beyond Iaburnum. that Sheri-
dam was repealed in his daring attack
ON the CITY. It was I'm the effort 20 drive
hack sheridan that General J. +. p.
stuart was killed at Yellow Tavern. Al
the time Of Sheridan's advance President
pavis himself went out on Che Brook
Road with m/1v citizen soldiers and
there remained four or five hours. an
ticipating further advance Of tho Fed
erals
The Fitzpatrick DahlgrCn raid was even
more dangerously near being successful.
| Colonel Dahlgren with % small force.
! reached q point on or near the Westham
/ Road near Battery II. while General
/ Kilpa trick. with a larger force. approach
ed from the northward by the Brook
Road. Fitzpatrick was to fire rockets as
a signal TO Dahlgren TO join him. Hs
succeeded In penetrating tho outer line,
/ but became engaged near the intermedi-
ate line with the Confederate forces. and
was driven back before giving Dahlgren
/ his signal. Fitzpatrick retired to the
northward. the direction whence ne came,