View of Fort Darling at Drewry's Bluff from James River in 1865, photo by Levy & Cohen, collection of U.S. Library of Congress

Drewry's Bluff is located in northeastern Chesterfield County, Virginia in the United States. It was the site of Confederate Fort Darling during the American Civil War. It was named for a local landowner, Confederate Captain Augustus H. Drewry. Chesterfield County is a county located in the state of Virginia. ... The United States of America — also referred to as the United States, the U.S.A., the U.S., America, the States, or (archaically) Columbia—is a federal republic of 50 states located primarily in central North America (with the exception of two states: Alaska and Hawaii). ... The American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 until 1865 between the United States – forces coming mostly from the 23 northern states of the Union – and the newly-formed Confederate States of America, which consisted of 11 southern states that had declared their secession. ...

At Richmond, Virginia, location of the fall line at the head of navigation, the generally east-west course of the James River turns almost due south for a distance of about 7 miles (10 km) before turning eastward again towards the Chesapeake Bay. At this sharp bend, Drewry's Bluff on the west side of the James River rose 90 feet (27 m) above the water, commanding a view of several miles distance downstream and making it a logical site for defensive fortifications. Richmond is the capital of Virginia, a state (officially the Commonwealth of Virginia) of the United States of America. ... The fall line has meanings in both geographical features and the sport of alpine skiing. ... Head of navigation is a term used to describe the farthest point above the mouth of a river that can be navigated by ships. ... The James River is the name of several rivers in the United States. ... Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. ...

On March 17, 1862, the men of Captain Drewry's Southside Artillery arrived at the bluff and began fortifying the area. They constructed earthworks, erected barracks, dug artillery emplacements, and mounted three large sea coast guns in the fort. One was a 10 inch (254 mm) Columbiad and the others were 8 inch (203 mm) Columbiads. They were joined in early May by the crew of the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia which had been scuttled at Craney Island on Hampton Roads to avoid capture as Norfolk fell to Union forces. Commander Ebeneezer Farrand supervised the defenses of the fort. He ordered numerous ships to be sunk as obstructions in the river beneath the bluff. Six more large guns occupied pits just upriver from the fort. Men worked around the clock to ensure a full state of readiness when the Union fleet arrived. March 17 is the 76th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (77th in Leap years). ... Events January-March January 10 - End of term for John Gately Downey, 7th Governor of California. ... Ironclad warships, frequently shortened to just ironclads, were ships sheathed with thick iron plates for protection. ... CSS Virginia was an ironclad warship of the Confederate States Navy during the American Civil War. ... Norfolk, Virginia, viewed from Portsmouth, across the Elizabeth River Norfolk is a city in the U.S. state of Virginia in the United States of America. ... The Union was a name used by many to refer to the Northern states during the American Civil War. ...

The Battle of Drewry's Bluff took place on May 15, 1862. After considerable bombardment, the Union Naval vessels retreated, and Richmond was safe from attack by water. Battle of Drewrys Bluff Conflict American Civil War Date May 15, 1862 Place Chesterfield County, Virginia Result Confederate victory The Battle of Drewry’s Bluff, also known as the Battle of Fort Darling or Fort Drewry, took place on May 15, 1862 in Chesterfield County, Virginia as part of... May 15 is the 135th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (136th in leap years). ... Events January-March January 10 - End of term for John Gately Downey, 7th Governor of California. ...

View downstream on James River from rampart of Fort Darling at Drewry's Bluff in 1865 photo from U.S. Library of Congress

Drewry's Bluff saw no battle action for two years. Captain Sydney Smith Lee (General Robert E. Lee's brother) took command of the site and supervised its expansion and strengthening into a permanent fort. While some workers constructed an outer line of entrenchments to protect the land approach to Richmond, others built improvements for the fort, including a chapel, barracks, and quarters for the officers. During this time, Drewry's Bluff became an important training ground for the Confederate Naval Academy and the Confederate Marine Corps Camp of Instruction. Robert Edward Lee, as a U.S. Army Colonel before the war Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a career army officer and the most successful general of the Confederate forces during the American Civil War. ... The Confederate Marine Corps was a very small organization that was founded in 1861 upon the outbreak of the American Civil War. ...

On May 5, 1864, Union Major General Benjamin F. Butler and his Army of the James landed at Bermuda Hundred, a neck of land north of City Point at the confluence of the James and Appomattox Rivers, only 15 miles (24 km) south of Richmond. Marching overland, they advanced within three miles of Drewry's Bluff by May 9. While several Union regiments did manage to capture Fort Darling's outer defenses, delays by Union generals spoiled the success. Confederate infantry under General P.G.T. Beauregard seized the initiative and successfully counterattacked on May 16. Once again a Union drive on Richmond had been defeated at Drewry's Bluff. May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (126th in leap years). ... 1864 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Benjamin Franklin Butler Benjamin Franklin Butler (November 5, 1818–January 11, 1893) was an American lawyer, soldier and politician. ... The Army of the James was a Union Army that was composed of unites from the Department of Virginia and North Carolina and served along the James River during the last opperations of the Civil War in Virginia. ... The Appomattox River is a tributary of the United States. ... Pierre Gustave Toutant de Beauregard Pierre Gustave Toutant de Beauregard (BOH-rih-gahrd) (May 28, 1818 – February 20, 1893), best known as a general for the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War, was also a writer, civil servant, and inventor. ...

The area remained an integral part of Richmond's defenses until the fall of Petersburg and Richmond. The garrison at Drewry's Bluff took part in the evacuation of Richmond and Petersburg on April 2-3, 1865. Once Fort darling had been abandoned by the retreating Confederates, the Union forces quickly cleared a path through the obstructions in the James River beneath Drewry's Bluff. On April 4, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln and his son Tad passed the fort on the way up the James River to visit Richmond. April 2 is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 273 days remaining. ... 1865 is a common year starting on Sunday. ... April 4 is the 94th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (95th in leap years). ... 1865 is a common year starting on Sunday. ... Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865), sometimes called Abe Lincoln and nicknamed Honest Abe, the Rail Splitter, and the Great Emancipator, was the 16th (1861–1865) President of the United States, and the first president from the Republican Party. ...

Soldiers, sailors, and marines from Fort Darling joined the movement westward with Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, ultimately surrendering at Appomattox Court House. Many of the sailors served as infantry during the fighting along the way. The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War in the eastern theater. ... The court house The Appomattox Court House is a historic court house located in Appomattox, Virginia famous as the site of the surrender of the Confederate Army under Robert E. Lee to Union commander Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865, effectively ending the American Civil War. ...

Heritage

The Drewry's Bluff unit of the National Park Service's Richmond National Battlefield Park includes 42 acres (170,000 m²) of this historic land off Interstate 95 south of Richmond. Visitors can stand in the former defense works at Fort Darling overlooking what is still a commanding view of the James River. The National Park Service (NPS) is the United States Federal Government agency that deals with all National Parks, many National Monuments, and other conservation properties with various designations. ... Interstate 95 or (I-95) is an interstate highway that runs 1907 miles (3070 kilometers) north and south along the eastern United States coast. ... The James River is the name of several rivers in the United States. ...

Two Virginia Historical Highway Markers, # VA-012 and # VA-013 are located on Jefferson Davis Memorial Highway (U.S. Highway 1 and U.S. Highway 301) nearby. United States Highway 1 is a United States highway which parallels the east coast of the United States. ... U.S. Highway 301 is a spur of U.S. Highway 1. ...

Drewry's Bluff (VA-012), Chesterfield County, May 15, 1862 The James River was virtually undefended after the Confederates evacuated Norfolk and blew up the Virginia in early May. A Union naval advance on Richmond was blocked only by the defenses at Drewry's Bluff, sited ninety feet (27 m) above a turn in the river on the west bank, eight miles (13 km) below the capital. This fort, known to the Federals as Fort Darling, was built on the land of Augustus Drewry. The garrison, commanded by CS Commander Ebenezer Farrand, included the former crew of the Virginia, the Southside Heavy Artillery (led by CS Captain Augustus Drewry), and other units manning the big guns. The Confederates had sunk several boats in the bed of the river to block access to Richmond.

On May 15 five warships of the James River Flotilla under USN Commander John Rodgers steamed up the James River where they were hit by accurate fire from Drewry's Bluff. The shells did little damage to the Monitor, but it was ineffective because the crew could not elevate the ship's guns enough to hit the battery on the bluff. The ironclad Galena was hammered by forty-five hits during the four-hour battle. Confederate sharpshooters along the banks successfully sniped at the sailors and wounded one ship's captain. The effective fire forced Rodgers to take his squadron back downriver, and the U.S. Navy abandoned its attempt to approach Richmond from the river.

Proctor's Creek (Drewry's Bluff), Virginia (VA053), Chesterfield County, May 12-16, 1864 US General Butler withdrew the Army of the James into the entrenchments at Bermuda Hundred. CS General Beauregard cobbled together a force of 18,000 to confront Butler's 30,000. On May 12 at 4:00 a.m. Butler ordered US General Smith's corps out in a pouring rain to strike north along the Richmond and Petersburg Turnpike to attack the Confederate line at Drewry's Bluff on the James River. This action was designed to cover a cavalry raid by US Brigadier General August V. Kautz against the Richmond & Danville Railroad. Smith soon encountered CS General Hoke's Division deployed along the north bank of Proctor's Creek. The Federals halted to await reinforcements from US General Gillmore's X Corps.

On May 13 Gillmore circled to the west to outflank the Confederate line. Smith pushed across the creek to find that the Confederates had abandoned the works for a stronger fortified position to their rear. Gillmore flanked this line at Wooldridge Hill, and the Confederates retreated again. Beauregard arrived to take command of the Confederates the following day and constructed a new line extending westward from Drewry's Bluff. The Federals dug in before this new line. Butler's cautious advance gave Beauregard time to concentrate his forces. He summoned CS Major General W. H. C. Whiting's Division from Petersburg and planned a converging attack on the Union lines: Whiting would attack northward, hitting Butler's rear, while Hoke and CS General Ransom's Divisions, attacking en echelon from left to right, would drive the Federal right back from Drewry's Bluff.

Ransom, with his right anchored near Fort Stevens, attacked down the Old Stage Road through heavy fog on the morning of May 16. He rolled up the Union line from right to left until his offensive stalled—his troops could not see through the fog. Rather than counterattack, Smith ordered his troops to retreat to the turnpike. Whiting inched northward from Petersburg to Port Walthall Junction but missed the battle. Butler ordered his demoralized army back to Bermuda Hundred that afternoon, ending his offensive against Richmond.

The Richmond & Danville Railroad was chartered in Virginia in the United States in 1847. ...

External links

• National Park Service - Richmond National Battlefield Park (http://www.nps.gov/rich/home.htm)
• NPS webpage for Drewry's Bluff (http://www.nps.gov/rich/ri_drew.htm)
• MD Gorman Civil War website for Drewry's Bluff (http://www.mdgorman.com/Other%20Sites/drewrys_bluff.htm) good site with links to many photos