Chapter 40 - Dabbs House
The Dabbs house sat out on Nine Mile Road. The brick manor painted white was a Henrico County museum and visitor center. In June 1862, the home served as Robert E. Lee’s first headquarters as the new commander of the Army of Northern Virginia.
Lee got the job on June 1 when General Joseph E. Johnston was wounded at Seven Pines.
In front of the Dabbs house, a long folding table was set up in a patch of grass under a red maple, surrounded by a circular driveway. Behind them stood three flagpoles, normally flying the American, the Virginia, and the Henrico County flags.
Hiram had temporarily taken down the American flag and ran up General Lee’s headquarters flag. The HQ flag flickered thirteen stars in the shape of a rounded A, symbolizing the Ark of the Covenant on a canton of blue.