Civil War Artillery Limber Chest Found in the War Period, Lynchburg, Virginia House of Private John Winston Ivey, Co. G 11^th Va. Infantry – This superb condition, artillery limber chest was discovered, in 1969, in the attic of the antebellum home of John Winston Ivey, Co. G 11^th Va. Infantry, in Lynchburg, Virginia. We obtained the chest from the great grandson of Private Ivey. The chest is a Federal chest, as indicated by several construction elements: walnut is the primary wood composing the chest; sheet copper covering the top of the chest; sheet copper disks covering the interior iron bolt heads. We have had several war period limber chests, but this example remains in the best, untouched condition of all that we have had. The majority of the original paint remains on the box; all of the original hardware remains, as well – both handles, kick plate, limber attachment bars, iron lid closure hasp and brass wing handle to hold down the hasp, completely original, sheet copper top, exhibiting a great aged, green patina. Although the original dividers are no longer present in the interior of the chest, their impressions are visible, as are the rings left by what appear to have been 3” artillery projectiles.

Private Ivey, who would become a prominent banker in Lynchburg, after the war, enlisted shortly after the onset of hostilities, into the 11^th Virginia; his regiment participated in the first Battle of Manassas; with the 11^th Virginia, he would sustain a serious wound on May 5, 1862, at the Battle of Williamsburg. Ivey ultimately recovered from his wound, but he was physically unable to return to the army. Ivey returned to Lynchburg and resumed his position at Lynchburg’s State Bank. In consideration that Lynchburg, a wealthy and significant, Virginia city, positioned on the strategically significant James River, we presume that former Private Ivey, was amongst the local citizenry that enlisted in the local home guard who manned forts that had been constructed, in the Lynchburg area. These forts maintained artillery, so it seems plausible that Ivey took one of the limber chests with him, to his home, after the war.

Lynchburg during the Civil War

SUMMARY – by N. Wayne Tripp

Lynchburg, Virginia, is located just east of the Blue Ridge Mountains on the banks of the James River, where its founder, John Lynch, established a ferry service in 1757. On the eve of the American Civil War (1861–1865), Lynchburg was Virginia’s sixth-largest city and a major transportation center, with access to the James River and Kanawha Canal, as well as the Virginia and Tennessee, the South Side, and the Orange and Alexandria railroads. In addition, the city was a major manufacturer of plug tobacco and, by the 1850s, the second-wealthiest city per capita in the United States. During the war, Lynchburg women established the Ladies’ Relief Hospital, and the Confederate military made the city a major hub of supplies and transport, which Union troops attempted to disrupt at the Battle of Lynchburg in June 1864. After the fall of Richmond in April 1865, the state government relocated to Lynchburg briefly, only to return after Robert E. Lee’s surrender a few miles to the east at Appomattox.

During the Civil War, Lynchburg served primarily as a supply and hospital center, and was spared most of the destruction that befell other Virginia cities and towns. Lynchburg did see battle action, however, in June of 1864, when Confederate forces successfully fought off a Union attack. On June 17, Union General David Hunter approached the city from the west after moving down the Shenandoah Valley burning farms and towns. After a series of delaying actions by Confederate General John McCausland, the Union troops managed to force back a Confederate line positioned at the old Quaker Meeting House, and took the nearby Sandusky House (c. 1808, pictured left) for use as a temporary headquarters. On June 18 following the fallback, Confederate forces, now reinforced by General Jubal Early, maintained positions along a 3-mile line west of the town (extending from what is now Fort Early to McCausland Ridge). After inconclusive fighting, the Union troops withdrew under the false impression they were facing a larger Confederate force. Part of the deception arose from a continuous series of train movements on several rail lines, giving the impression that reinforcements were arriving at a steady pace. The following day, General Early chased the Union troops back towards Liberty (now Bedford), overtaking them and inflicting heavy casualties. (The Battle of Lynchburg is reenacted each year at Berkley, an antebellum estate in Bedford county. Over 3,000 Confederate dead are buried in the Old Confederate Cemetery, located just west of the southern end of Fifth St.).

• Fort Early Fort Ave and Memorial Ave, Lynchburg VA 24502
  This is a series of earthen forts built in 1863. Early began moving troops into the line June 17, with Fort Early at the center, guarding the Lynchburg-Salem Turnpike. It was defended successfully June 18.
• Fort McCausland 2055 Langhorne Rd, Lynchburg VA 24501
  Built earlier in 1864 to protect the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad, the fort was used by Confederates defending the right flank during Hunter’s attacks. The earthen wall still stand today.
• Civil War Hospitals 12th Street and Dunbar Drive, Lynchburg VA 24504
  Tour sign located near buildings which were used as Confederate hospitals during the war. Thirty-two hospitals treated 3,000–4,000 patients at a time, many more after major battles, making Lynchburg the second largest hospital center during the Civil War.

Industrial buildings along the James River in Lynchburg can be seen in this daguerreotype* (this image is attached in this posting) taken some time between 1848 and 1852. At left, the James River and Kanawha Canal, an important conduit for transporting goods, parallels the river; in the middle distance, a covered bridge traverses the river. Lynchburg was a major manufacturer of plug tobacco and, by the 1850s, the second wealthiest city per capita in the United States.

On the National Register of Historic Places, Fort Early is an American Civil War earthen fort, constructed as part of the outer defenses of Lynchburg under the command of Lt. General Jubal Early. It was critical in the holding of the city during the Battle of Lynchburg. In 1919 a 17-foot granite obelisk was erected to honor the confederate general.

Fort Riverview is a historic archaeological site located near Madison Heights, Amherst County, Virginia. It is an American Civil War redoubt built by the Confederate States Army about 1863 to protect Six Mile Bridge and the James River and Kanawha Canal system along the James River. Fort Riverview served as part of the outer defense system for Lynchburg, Virginia. The protection of this bridge was vital to the Confederacy as it carried supplies for General Robert E. Lee. Since Lynchburg served as a major supply, staging, and hospital center, Fort Riverview was strategically located to protect this critical center

John Winston Ivey