Chickahominy River The Chickahominy is an river in the eastern portion of the U . S . state of Virginia . The river which serves as the eastern border of Charles City County rises about northwest of Richmond and flows southeast and south to the James River . The river was named after the Chickahominy Indian tribe who lived near the river when it was claimed by English colonists in 1607 and whose descendants live in Charles City , VA today . During the American Civil War ( 1861 - 1865 ) , the upper reaches became a major obstacle to Union General George B . McClellan ' s Peninsula Campaign , a failed attempt in 1862 to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond . Docile , narrow , and relatively easily crossed during dry weather , after periods of rain , it grows across a flood plain with swamps as much as a mile across . The Chickahominy was in flood stage and divided the Union Army during crucial periods , despite continuous efforts to build and maintain bridges by the United States Army Corps of Engineers . Other battles were fought nearby again in 1864 . In modern times , the lower Chickahominy River has become a major source of drinking water for the lower portion of the Virginia Peninsula and a popular recreational area for boating and sport fishing , featuring Walker ' s Dam and Chickahominy Lake . It serves as a border for the Chickahominy Wildlife Management Area . Geologic definition . The Chickahominy River is a Coastal Plain tributary to the James River with headwaters northwest of Richmond . For its first the Chickahominy flows over igneous and metamorphic bedrock of the Piedmont , but soon becomes a Coastal Plain stream near Mechanicsville . The low - gradient Chickahominy sluggishly flows through broad swampy lowlands for from Henrico County to eastern New Kent County . southeast of Providence Forge the Chickahominy River becomes an estuary and makes a turn towards to the south . When sea level was higher during warmer ( non - glacial ) periods in the Pleistocene the Chickahominy was a much broader river . The ancient riverbanks and meander loops are still recognizable . As sea level rose after the last glacial interval ( during the last 20 , 000 years ) the Chickahominy has also risen causing old flood plains and valleys to be backfilled as marshes . History . In 1607 , Captain John Smith , one of the Jamestown settlers , sailed up the Chickahominy in the hope that it would prove to be a passage to the Pacific . There , he was captured by warriors of the Chickahominy tribe and taken to meet Chief Powhatan , an event that led to his legendary rescue by Powhatan ' s daughter , Matoaka ( Pocahontas ) . In the 19th century , the Chickahominy was bordered in many places by swampy forests , which during heavy rains and spring thaw were covered with water as to be almost impassable . At such times , the river ' s normally narrow path could grow to be as much as a mile wide . This small river became a major obstacle and natural force to be dealt with during the American Civil War ( 1861 – 1865 ) . 1862 : Peninsula Campaign . In the spring and summer of 1862 , during the Peninsula Campaign , General George B . McClellan pushed a Union force up the Virginia Peninsula from Fort Monroe at the mouth of Hampton Roads in an attempt to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond . After McClellan ' s troops had taken Yorktown on the York River , his army followed the retreating Confederates , and gained another victory over them on May 5 , 1862 , at Williamsburg , the old colonial capital , which was located on high ground between the York and James Rivers about ten miles ( 16 km ) below the mouth of the Chickahominy . The Confederates then retreated northwest and crossed the Chickahominy near the point where New Kent , Henrico , and Hanover counties border each other , in modern times known as Bottoms Bridge . A portion of the Union army followed them , while other portions remained east of the river . Not long after the Union forces were astride the apparently docile Chickahominy River , a period of heavy rains came on and the river and swamps were so flooded that they became almost completely impassable . The Union army was thus cut in two ; for though the two halves were only a short distance apart , their only means of reaching each other was by a bridge many miles away . General Joseph E . Johnston , who commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia , resolved to attack the two ( of five ) corps that were south of the river and destroy them before the rest of the army could come to their aid . The attack was made in two places , at the railroad station of Fair Oaks and ( about a mile away ) at the crossroads of Seven Pines . ( The battle is often referred to as the Battle of Seven Pines in the North , Fair Oaks in the South . ) At first the Union troops were driven back and almost beaten , but meanwhile the soldiers on the other side of the Chickahominy had succeeded in building a bridge , and several thousand men hurried over to help , driving the Confederates back . General Johnston was severely wounded ( May 31 ) . The next day the attack was renewed at Fair Oaks , but the Confederates were again defeated and they retreated in disorder to Richmond . It is surmised that if General McClellan had followed them into Richmond , he would have probably taken the city . Instead , he advanced slowly and cautiously , thinking the Confederate forces there were much larger . The slow advance gave the Confederates time to build forts and to receive reinforcements . In a few weeks , the Confederates had nearly as many men as the Federals , and their army was now commanded by General Robert E . Lee . General McClellan up to this time had received his provisions and supplies by the way of the York River , and his base ( that is , the place where his provisions were landed ) was at White House on the Pamunkey River . He also heavily depended upon the recently completed Richmond and York River Railroad to supply his forces . General Lee ' s army now recrossed the Chickahominy southwest of Mechanicsville , trying to get between the Union army and White House and so leave the Union army without provisions . Instead of trying to prevent this , General McClellan resolved to change his base to Harrison ' s Landing or City Point on the James River , about east of Richmond . To do this , he had to unite his army on the west side of the Chickahominy and march toward City Point . The Confederates had already attacked the Union Army at Mechanicsville on the east side of the river , but after the bloody battle they were driven back ( June 26 ) . A still more bloody battle was fought on the next day at the Battle of Gaines ' Mill , from Mechanicsville near a crossroads called Cold Harbor . There General McClellan had left a rear - guard under General Fitz John Porter , while the rest of the army crossed the river . But the rear - guard was attacked so fiercely that many thousands recrossed the river to help it , and even then it was hardly saved from a terrible defeat . At night the rear - guard crossed the river , and the whole army was united on the west side ( the side nearest to Richmond ) . They might easily have taken most of the city , for General Lee and most of his army were still on the east side of the Chickahominy , and farther away from Richmond than McClellan was . But McClellan still supposed that a large army was defending the city , and they began to retreat towards City Point , fighting as they went . At Savage ' s Station , east of Fair Oaks , they had a large hospital and many military stores . The stores were burned and a train of cars loaded with bombshells was set on fire ; at the same time the engine was started , and as the train rushed off the shells exploded , until the cars reached a broken bridge , where they plunged into the river . Soon after the Confederates attacked the Federals at the station and drove them away , capturing the hospital with 2 , 500 wounded soldiers ( June 29 ) . On the next day they made another fierce attack at Frayser ' s Farm , where a bloody battle was fought without much advantage being gained on either side . Finally ( July 1 ) almost the whole Confederate army attacked the Union army at Malvern Hill , but they were beaten back with terrible slaughter and the Union army reached Harrison ' s Landing in safety . The battles fought by Lee against McClellan from June 25 to July 1 , 1862 , are often called the Seven Days Battles . The Union loss during this time was 15 , 200 ; the Confederate loss , 19 , 400 . 1864 : Overland Campaign . On June 3 , 1864 , a second battle was fought at Cold Harbor , between Union army under General Ulysses S . Grant and the Confederates under General Lee . The Confederates had much the smaller army , but they were in strong entrenchments , where the Union army attacked them . After one of the bloodiest battles of the war , the Unionists were driven back , leaving the ground covered with dead and wounded . Walker ' s Dam . About upstream from the confluence with the James River is Walker ' s Dam . Its construction resulted in the creation of the Chickahominy Lake . Walker ' s Dam was built in 1943 during World War II by the U . S . War Department to ensure an adequate water supply for the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company and other military operations on the lower peninsula . It is now owned by Newport News Waterworks , a regional water utility that serves more than 400 , 000 customers in Hampton , Newport News , Poquoson , and parts of York and James City counties . The Chickahominy River is the utility ' s primary water source . Crossing of Rt . 5 near mouth . Near the mouth of the river and its confluence with the James River , State Route 5 crosses the river on the Judith Stewart Dresser Bridge , a fixed - span bridge between Charles City County and James City County built in 2009 . It replaced a swing - span movable bridge that was built in 1939 . The new $ 33 . 6 million fixed - span began construction in 2007 and opened on January 24 , 2009 . Located just west of the previous structure , it rises to a height of and includes a separate pathway for the Virginia Capital Trail project . The clearance for recreational boats used to be when the bridge was in the closed position . Vehicles on the highway were also limited by a 13 ' 11 " clearance restriction . The bridge was built on wood pilings and became increasingly troublesome mechanically and expensive to maintain as it aged . Fishing . Fishing is a popular sport along the Chickahominy , both above and below Walker ' s Dam . Among the most populated are blue catfish , largemouth bass , river herring , striped bass , shad , bowfin and yellow perch . Rowing . The Rowing Club of the College of William and Mary in nearby Williamsburg and James City County practices on the river .