{"nrhp_refnum":"95000972","name":"Dam No. One Battlefield Site","other_names":["Lee's Mill Battlefield","Newport News Park","VDHR File No. 121-6"],"category":"site","location":{"address":"13560 Jefferson Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Newport News (Independent City)","county":"Newport News","state":"VA","lat":37.18420409600003,"lon":-76.53884191706715,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1995-08-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 142.8-acre Civil War battlefield site located entirely within Newport News Park in Newport News, Virginia, where the Battle of Dam Number One (also called Lee's Mill) was fought on 16 April 1862. It preserves earthen fortifications along the Warwick River.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the site is significant under Criterion A as the location of the only Union infantry attack against Confederate defenses during the month-long siege of Yorktown and the Warwick defense line. Poor Union communication and a Confederate counterattack turned back the assault, though a Federal breakthrough might otherwise have threatened the Confederate garrison. The surviving trenches and landscape retain excellent integrity.","narrative":"Dam Number One Battlefield Site covers 142.8 acres inside Newport News Park in Newport News, Virginia. Wooded hills and a city reservoir mark the ground where Union and Confederate forces clashed on 16 April 1862 during the Union advance up the Peninsula toward Richmond. Confederate troops under General John B. Magruder held a line of earthworks along the north bank of the Warwick River. Four Vermont companies crossed the river after an artillery bombardment, but a lack of follow-up orders left them unsupported. A Confederate counterattack drove them back, and a later Union attempt was also repulsed. This was the only Union infantry attack against the Warwick line during the month-long siege of Yorktown. Three lines of Confederate trenches, with walls six to eight feet high, survive largely intact, along with the remains of a chimney from the Garrows House. A trail, footbridge and interpretive center let visitors see the terrain much as soldiers did in 1862.","period_of_significance":"1862","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Open as part of Newport News Park with a trail, interpretive center and campground; the Confederate trenches are described as about 95 percent intact. Threats noted are relic hunting and the lack of a city ordinance protecting the battlefield.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:59.655474-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/99/6820/41682099/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/95000972.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41682099","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":null},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/newport-news/dam-no-one-battlefield-site-95000972/"}