My family owns property on which are located some well preserved earthworks constructed as part of the Lynchburg defenses. I am told that they are all that remains of a chain of fortifications constructed on the north side of the James River in Amherst Co. and what is now known as Madison Heights.

These earthworks (trenches, artillery emplacements, and at least one fort) formed an arc that extended from the James River above Lynchburg to the James River below Lynchburg. With the exception of Ft. Riverview which was not part of this line and was built to cover the Six Mile railroad bridge, I have never heard that any other earthworks exist in this part of the county.

The works on our property represent the lower end of the line which was anchored by an artillery emplacement located on a bluff overlooking the James below Lynchburg. Overall, there are two gun emplacements connected by a trench line. They do not appear on an 1863 map done by the confederate army so they were probably constructed after that time and in response to threats from the north and east. From the end point of the line, cannon could easily command both the railroad to Petersburg and the canal to Richmond.

These works probably survived only because the property was purchased in 1902 by a fertilizer company as a buffer zone which was needed because acidic emmissions from their plant was causing damage to neighboring property. They owned the property until my family purchased it in 1968.

The site is not open to the public but I would be glad to show it to anyone who is interested. If interested, just send me an E-mail and I will get back in touch.

Mike Lee
Lynchburg, Va.