Outer Fortifications

The Exterior Line of Richmond's Civil War defenses crossed Brook Road near here. Occasional Union cavalry raids threatened from the north, making this portion of the city’s elaborate earthen defenses especially significant. Union troops briefly captured this line on three occasions; during Stoneman’s Raid in May 1863; during the Kilpatrick-Dahlgren Raid in March 1864; and during Sheridan’s Raid in May 1864. In each case, Confederate authorities elected not to defend this ground, and the Union horsemen eventually swerved away from the city.