Ideas included a golf course, hotel and conference center and a Mitsubishi manufacturing plant that used Lee Hall mansion as a bed and breakfast to host important guests.Īn attempt to build a mall was fought off by residents and some behind-the-scenes opposition from the owners of Patrick Henry Mall. There were ideas to develop on the largely untouched properties around the two historic sites, but nothing felt like a good fit or got the support needed to be seen through. Visitors will see modernity bordering the site, but not the dense, suburban housing that fills most of Denbigh or the strip malls that line much of the rest of Jefferson Avenue. Quarstein attributes the survival of Endview and Lee Hall to the fact that the very north of Newport News was overlooked for decades by developers. The country had to grow and deal with slavery, and the Civil War was a great test of the foundations established in the Historic Triangle. … And Yorktown was where freedom was won - but not a shared freedom,' Quarstein said. Williamsburg was a headquarters of revolutionary thought. 'Jamestown was the foundation of the rule of law and Protestantism in America, seeds of our nation. He'd like to see a historic quadrangle that incorporates the Civil War as the fourth leg in the story recounting the early steps in America's march to freedom. 'If you don't connect the sites, your story won't be as compelling,' Quarstein said. The Civil and Revolutionary wars often are treated independent of one another, making up differing units in the United States history standards of learning and filling different sections at the bookstore. Historic QuadrangleĪlong with the lack of connection between various sites, Quarstein argues there's also not been a connection of the Civil War to the larger story of America, particularly the existing colonial and Revolution resources that make the Peninsula a draw to many visitors. Union Forces held Fort Monroe throughout the war. The Monitor turret sits in The Mariners' Museum, just off the river. The first ever battle of ironclads would forever change naval warfare. The Battle of Hampton Roads in the James pit the Virginia against the USS Monitor and fought to a stalemate. The ironclad CSS Virginia defended the James River, and big guns at Gloucester Point waited for ships to enter the York River. Meanwhile, the Confederate side of 13,000 literally dug in and built a heavily-armed 12-mile defensive wall that cut across the Peninsula from the York to the James rivers. The Army of the Potomac, led by McClellan, ferried down to Fort Monroe for the campaign, a force of more than 121,000 soldiers. The Union plan: an amphibious operation - the largest of the war - to capture the Confederate capital in Richmond via a 70 mile march up the Peninsula.

Quarstein rattles off events in the Peninsula Campaign rapid fire, with interjections of, 'Oh my gosh,' still in awe of all there is to take in. Along with museums and living history events at Endview and Lee Hall Mansion, there are more than 20 sites dedicated to the Civil War on the Peninsula and a dozen in Newport News, Quarstein said. 'My guess is they just had plenty else to worry about.' Peninsula Campaignīy marketing all the sites, museums and various resources together, 'the Peninsula could be a top 10 (Civil War) destination,' said Quarstein, who works for The Mariners' Museum. 'I don't know why they kept it there,' she said. There are no signs the Curtis family ever attempted to cover or remove the etchings of the Company C Mounted Rifles, said Laura Willoughby, the city's historic sites coordinator. The federal government left the property to African American families until the Curtis family returned after the war and regained Endview, holding onto it until 1985. McClellan stopped at Endview to plan an assault as he headed to Richmond, and Union soldiers remained until the end of the war. Union troops moved into Endview, including at least one New Yorker with a sharp knife and easy access to the second floor. Magruder for part of the Peninsula Campaign, and Endview - named such because the road to the house treated visitors to an 'end view' of the structure - was used as a Confederate hospital until forces retreated to Richmond. Nearby, Lee Hall Mansion served as a headquarters for Confederate Maj.

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