Carrsville, Virginia Explained

Carrsville, Virginia
Settlement Type:Census-designated place
Pushpin Map:Virginia#USA
Pushpin Label:Carrsville
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Virginia
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Isle of Wight
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Total Km2:8.34
Area Land Km2:8.28
Area Water Km2:0.06
Population As Of:2010
Population Total:359
Population Density Km2:43.3
Timezone:Eastern (EST)
Utc Offset:-5
Timezone Dst:EDT
Utc Offset Dst:-4
Elevation Ft:69
Coordinates:36.7131°N -76.8331°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP code
Postal Code:23315
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:51-13192
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:1495353

Carrsville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Isle of Wight County in the Hampton Roads region of southeastern Virginia in the United States. The population as of the 2010 Census was 359.[1] The town is named for Jesse Carr, whose family had long roots in Isle of Wight County. Jesse Carr died in the place that would later bear his name.[2]

Carrsville was located on the Portsmouth and Roanoke Railroad, built through the area in the mid-1830s to provide a link between the Roanoke River and the port areas of Norfolk and Portsmouth. The railroad is now part of CSX Transportation.

History

According to Civil War Encyclopedia, on November 17, 1862, 150 Union soldiers encountered and fought with 400 Confederate cavalry between Carrsville and Holland's corners. No casualties were reported.

In May, 1862, Union forces controlled Norfolk and Portsmouth, Virginia. The Union army had a garrison at Suffolk, fifteen miles east of Carrsville. Between April 11 and May 4, 1863, Lt. General James Longstreet, leading three Confederate divisions, unsuccessfully attempted to capture this garrison in what became the Siege of Suffolk.[3]

Approximately five miles west of Carrsville is the Blackwater River where 9,000 Confederate soldiers were dug in for 50 miles stretching from north of Zuni to the North Carolina line.[4]

After the Siege of Suffolk ended, Union troops under VII Corps were sent to Carrsville to cover the construction of a section of the Seaboard & Roanoke Railroad from Suffolk to the Blackwater River. 36 miles of railroad were completed between May 12–26.[5]

During the construction, on May 15, 1863, Union soldiers encountered confederate military resistance near the Holland House. Confederates fired approximately sixty shot and shell at the railroad before advancing and being, “driven back with heavy loss.”

The VII Corps regiments at Carrsville were the 6th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, 7th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, 112th Regiment, New York Infantry, 170th New York Infantry Regiment, 182nd New York Infantry Regiment, 165th Pennsylvania Regiment, and the 167th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment.

In the Battle of Carrsville, also known as the Battle of Holland House, five soldiers in the 6th Regiment Massachusetts were killed, twelve were wounded and five were taken prisoner.[6]

“For his heroic service at Carrsville Private Joseph Sewell-Gerrish Sweatt of Company C, 6th Regiment Massachusetts, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. “When ordered to retreat, this soldier turned and rushed back to the front, in the face of heavy fire from the enemy, in an endeavor to rescue his wounded comrades, remaining by them until overpowered and taken prisoner.”[7]

Charles H. Bushee of Company E, 112th Regiment, New York Infantry, wrote in his diary about there being, “a sharp skirmish,” in Carrsville on May 14, 15, and 16, 1863.[8]

In his Tidewater News article, Civil War history, battlefields are all around us, Volpe Boykin wrote that the Carrsville Elementary School on Route 58 was the, “area between the battle lines of Union and Confederate infantry and artillery.”[9]

Boykin wrote that Private Anson Thurston and his father, Joel Thurston, both served in the 6th Regiment Massachusetts, and were wounded and captured at Carrsville and brought to Franklin where the younger Thurston died from his wounds. The elder Thurston was then sent to a prison in Richmond.

Geography

Carrsville is in southern Isle of Wight County and is bordered to the southeast by the independent city of Suffolk. U.S. Route 58 Business passes through the center of the community, leading west 6miles to Franklin and east to the center of Suffolk. Downtown Norfolk is east of Carrsville.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Carrsville CDP has a total area of 8.34sqkm, of which 8.28sqkm is land and 0.06sqkm, or 0.66%, are water.[1]

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Carrsville has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[10]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Carrsville CDP, Virginia. U.S. Census Bureau. American Factfinder. April 13, 2018. https://archive.today/20200213093901/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US5113192. February 13, 2020. dead.
  2. Book: Stewart . William Henry . History of Norfolk County, Virginia and Representative Citizens . 1902 . Biographical Publishing Company . Chesapeake, VA . 756 . 19 March 2016.
  3. Web site: Mark . Erickson . Siege of Suffolk envelops Hampton Roads . Daily press.com . Daily Press . 25 September 2022.
  4. Web site: Fisher . Bernard . April 4, 2009 . The Blackwater Line "That little stream has saved us." . 25 September 2022 . HMdb.org THE HISTORICAL MARKER DATABASE.
  5. Web site: Saul . Eric . Campaigns and Battles - C . Civil War Encyclopedia.
  6. Web site: Rare 6th Mass Killed In Action Civil War CDV With Enfield Box & Snake Buckle. refinedwarphoto.com. 25 September 2022.
  7. Web site: Sweatt . Joseph . Medal of Honor Recipient . Congressional Medal of Honor Society . Congressional Medal of Honor Society . 25 September 2022.
  8. Bushee, Charles.|url=("Charles H. Bushee Diary 1863". Virginia Tech Special Collections and University Archives Online. Virginia Tech. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  9. Web site: Volpe . Boykin . Civil War History, Battlefields are all around us . The Tidewater News . 9 July 2011 . 25 September 2022.
  10. http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=440444&cityname=Carrsville%2C+Virginia%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Carrsville, Virginia