Decent hiking area in a Civil War battlefield. The path seems way too short, but most visitors are here for a history tour, not a nature walk. I finished the hike in just over an hour, and that was at a leisurely pace with lots of stops to take pictures. The beginning of the path has some dips, but overall wasn't especially strenuous. I'm not sure if there's a parking fee; there is a booth at the entrance but in February it was empty.
The main attraction are the trenches dug by the Confederate army. They are surprisingly well preserved, and the path follows a small portion of them. It's hard to imagine what it must have been like 'in the day', but the history plaques give you some details to go off of.
The Battle of North Anna was a relatively small scale affair compared to other Civil War battles. As part of the 1864 Overland Campaign, Grant's Army of the Potomac was pressing south towards Richmond, and Lee was doing his best to stop him. But Grant (despite stories to the contrary) actually disliked bloody frontal attacks, and was constantly trying to outflank Lee's army rather than attack an entrenched opponent. North Anna was one of those many occasions where he tried - and failed - to maneuver around the master of maneuver.
On May 24, Lee's earthworks on the south side of North Anna river stopped Grant cold. He tested Lee's lines for a way around, including an assault lead by a brigade who's commander was as inexperienced as he was drunk (that is, very). Needless to say, it didn't work out too well for them. After a few days Grant decided this place wasn't worth the effort, so he again sidestepped Lee's army and resumed his push towards Richmond.
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