About

Lee Hall Mansion is an Italianate residence built in 1859 by prominent planter, Richard Decatur Lee, for his family. Only three years after the house's completion, the Lees fled their home as the Peninsula became one of the first battlegrounds of the Civil War.

Built on high ground, Lee Hall Mansion had a natural and commanding view of the countryside. Consequently, between April and May of 1862, it served as a Confederate headquarters for Major General John Bankhead Magruder and General Joseph E. Johnston. From this location, Magruder and Johnston directed the defense of the Peninsula against Major General George B. McClellan's advancing Union Army. A small skirmish was fought on the property on May 4, 1862. After the Civil War, the Lees returned to the house and resided there until 1871. The property passed through several owners and was lived in through most of the 20th century.