The Howlett Line

Chesterfield County · dedicated 1987 · W. Hundred Road, east of I-95

Just east of this point running from the James River to the Appomattox River, was the Confederate defense line known as the Howlett line, named for the Howlett House that stood at the north end of the line. Established in May, 1864, by General Beauregard's troops after the Battle of Drewry's Bluff, the line became famous as the "Cork in the Bottle" by keeping General Butler's Army of the James at bay. The Union line was one mile to the east. Parker's Virginia Battery was one-half mile to the south.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

Example

under a mile from where William Gabby lived in the 1760s

what this marker records spans 1777 to 1789, overlapping William Gabby's years here

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The Howlett Line

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