Lawrence Lewis Jr. Park
Lawrence Lewis Jr. Park, 12400 & 12580 Willcox Wharf Road, off state Route 618. The park has 24 acres along the shores and bluffs on the north bank of the James River. Home to eagles, blue heron and a variety of waterfowl, the park has a fishing and birding pier, picnic area and a short swamp boardwalk leading to a wooded trail. There are many vantage points of the river and the swamp in the woods. The majority of the trail is not maintained and is not well-marked just past the main observation deck. Info: charlescity.org HISTORY - Willcox Landing
Call: (804) 652-1601
With the Federal armies stalled at Cold Harbor, Gen. U.S. Grant made the fateful decision to move on Petersburg. The march began under the cover of darkness on the evening of June 12, 1864, and covered some 20 miles before reaching the James River crossings. From June 14 to 17 -- at Willcox landing and three miles downriver at Weyanoke Point -- the Army of the Potomac along with artillery and several thousand supply wagons moved south of the James. It was one of the few times a Union commander had managed to outmaneuver Confederate commander Gen. Robert E. Lee. The crossing supported a simultaneous advance and attack on Petersburg, one that nearly ended the war. Flowerdew Hundred in Prince George County is the plantation on the south side of the James where the crossing ended.
[Credit: Civil War Trails park signage]
Originally published July 2008 in "Discover Richmond."
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