VA-V17 Outer Defenses

Marker text: OUTER DEFENSES

By 1864, a complex series of fortifications north of Richmond and the James River protected the capital of the Confederacy. The outer line of western defenses crossed the road (then called the Deep Run Turnpike) here. The intermediate defensive line stood about three miles southeast and the inner line a mile further, well within the present-day limits of Richmond. On 1 March 1864, Union Col. Ulric Dahlgren briefly penetrated the outer line to the southwest on Three Chopt Road during his abortive cavalry raid on the city. Dahlgren's force was repulsed at the intermediate line.

Department of Historic Resources, 1999