The Chickahominy is an 87-mile-long (140 km)river in the eastern portion of the U.S. state of Virginia. The river which serves as the eastern border of Charles City County rises about 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Richmond and flows southeast and south to the James River. The river was named after the Chickahominy Indian tribe who lived near the river when it was claimed by English colonists in 1607 and whose descendants live in Charles City, VA today.

During the American Civil War (1861–65), the upper reaches became a major obstacle to Union General George B. McClellan's Peninsula Campaign, a failed attempt in 1862 to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond. Docile, narrow, and relatively easily crossed during dry weather, after periods of rain, it grows across a flood plain with swamps as much as a mile across. The Chickahominy was in flood stage and divided the Union Army during crucial periods, despite continuous efforts to build and maintain bridges by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Other battles were fought nearby again in 1864.