May 15, 1862

Drewry's Bluff

Chesterfield, VA

* Union Navy (including The Monitor) versus Confederate heavy guns on shore. Part of the Union's Peninsula Campaign to take Richmond, this is a month before the 7 Days Battles; the ships are turned back.

We are starting at Osbourne's Landing, which is across the river (and a little South) from Drewry's actual bluff.

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=258965

Naval Assault at Drewry’s Bluff

On May 15, 1862 a small federal fleet including the ironclads, the Monitor, the Galena, and three wooden war ships sailed up the James River to try to enter the Confederate capital at Richmond. Their efforts were blocked at Drewry’s Bluff by Confederates with heavy sea coast guns and a channel loaded with sunken vessels. Neither Union ship could elevate its guns to damage Confederates on the high bluff.* The Galena received extensive damage during the four hour battle. Two members of the US Naval crew and one US Marine received the Medal of Honor for Valor due to their bravery under fire. The defenders at Drewry’s Bluff saved Richmond from attack by water for the duration of the Civil War.

Erected 2005 by County of Henrico. (Marker Number HC-24.)

* Not true, according to a different marker. Here's some other stuff that also happened here:

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=259073

Osborne Landing

Osborne Landing was located near here along the north bank of the James River across from the Village of Osborne in Chesterfield County. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries a ferry operated nearby and the landing was a regular stopping point for commercial vessels until around World War I. The Osborne Turnpike, which connected here with its south of the James segment, was among the earliest artificial roads in the United States. It remained the shortest route from Richmond to Petersburg until 1824, when the Manchester and Petersburg Turnpike was completed. Near here also was the site of the Revolutionary Naval Battle of April 27, 1781 between British General Benedict Arnold and American troops.

Erected 2007 by County of Henrico. (Marker Number HC-25.)

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=16336

Osborne Landing
Captain John Smith’s Adventures on the James
—www.johnsmithtrail.org—

The Arrohateck Indians lived along the James River north of the Appomattox. They met Smith and his comrades on their initial journey up the James, paddling out to meet the English on a small island. “In the midway staying to refresh our selves in [a] little Ile,” wrote Smith, “foure or five savages came unto us which described unto us the course of the River, and after in our journey, they often met us, trading with us for such provision as wee had.”

Advice of the Natives was no doubt helpful to the English when navigating a succession of oxbows in the river below modern Richmond. Laced with creeks and cloaked in marsh, some of the low peninsulas become islands at high tide. Modern river travelers follow a more direct course through man-made channels.

Capt. John Smith’s Trail

John Smith knew the James River by its Algonquian name: Powhatan, the same as the region’s paramount chief. Smith traveled the river many times between 1607 and 1609, trading with Virginia Indians to ensure survival at Jamestown. What he saw of Virginia’s verdant woodlands and pristine waters inspired him to explore the greater Chesapeake Bay, chronicling its natural wonders.

Historic Osborne

Osborne Boat Landing is across the river from the historic village of Osborne. Named in honor of one of the colonists and located at the mouth of Proctor’s Creek, Osborne was once a busy port. A ferry operated here between Henrico and Chesterfield counties.

Peter Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson’s father, was born here in 1708 and later married at this little settlement. Unfortunately, Osborne was deemed unsuitable for farming, so the House of Burgesses approved the motion that the land be sold in 1761. The site was divided into 120 lots, but the project was largely unsuccessful.

In 1781, during the Revolutionary War, British troops under Benedict Arnold burned the town and engaged American vessels in a fierce battle just offshore.

Erected by Captain John Smith’s Trail, James River Association, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network.

(Marker Number 8.)

* * *

Now, to the South bank of the James River. This park includes a lovely 1.5 mile hike from the parking lot to the bluff itself and the fortification remains.

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=37022

Drewry's Bluff

Visiting Richmond National Battlefield Park

The concentration of Civil War resources found in the Richmond area is unparalleled. The National Park Service manages 13 sites, giving visitors an opportunity to examine the battlefield landscapes, to hear the stories of the combatants and civilian residents, and to understand the complex reasons why Richmond came to symbolize the heart and soul of the Confederacy.

...

Drewry’s Bluff 1862

As capital of the Confederate States of America, Richmond, Virginia, became the constant target of Northern armies. It was vulnerable by water as well as by land. Gunboats could navigate the James River all the way to Richmond.

Drewry’s Bluff, named for local landowner Captain Augustus H. Drewry, rose 90 feet above the water and commanded a sharp bend in the James River, making it a logical site for defensive fortifications. By May 1862, workers had constructed earthworks, dug artillery emplacements, and mounted three large seacoast guns inside the fort.

On May 10-11, 1862, retreating Confederates abandoned Norfolk and destroyed their only ironclad, the CSS Virginia. The James River was now open to the U.S. Navy. Five well-armed ships, including the ironclads Galena and Monitor, ascended the James River under Commander John Rodgers. Their mission: shell Richmond into submission. The city’s fate rested with 300 or 400 Southern troops manning the large cannon at this small earthen fort, just seven miles south of the capital. The stage was set for the first epic battles for control of Richmond.

May 11

Two forts guarded a narrow part of the James River, but the Confederate retreat up the peninsula made them untenable. Rodgers stopped off at Jamestown Island and investigated. The route upriver toward Richmond seemed to be clear.

May 13

The five-ship Union squadron anchored off City Point, where the James and Appomattox rivers join. Some 30 miles of the twisty and narrow James River lay between the warships and Richmond. So did the Confederate strongpoint at Drewry’s Bluff.

May 15

The Union Army approached White House Landing as it continued its march on Richmond. General Joseph E. Johnston ordered the Confederate army to fall back across the Chickahominy River.

Drewry’s Bluff Trail

Along this trail the first shots were fired in a series of campaigns designed to capture Richmond, which lasted from 1862 to 1865.

This one-mile trail takes you to the Confederate stronghold named Fort Drewry by Southerners and Fort Darling by Northerners. The well-preserved earthen fortification still survives; remains of its walls, bombproofs, and artillery emplacements still stand. An 8-inch Columbiad cannon, cast at the Bellona Aresenal just upriver from Richmond in Chesterfield County, is on exhibit inside the fort.

“Drewry’s Bluff, a most commanding point, where the James River is narrowest, about 7 miles below Richmond, has been selected as the best point for a battery, coupled with obstructions.” - Alfred L. Rives, Confederate engineer

“The Monitor and Stevens are both up the James River at this moment with orders to go to Richmond and shell the place into a surrender.” - Louis M. Goldsborough, Commander, North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, U.S. Navy

Erected 2010 by Richmond National Battlefield Park.

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=46891

A Permanent Post

By 1863 the Drewry’s Bluff post expanded into a military city. Hundreds of Confederate soldiers, sailors, and Marines camped on these grounds. The Confederate States Naval Academy held classes in buildings and aboard the side-wheeled steamer CSS Patrick Henry, anchored in the James River. A wide variety of supporting structures were built that included barracks, a chapel, a post office, a hotel, and even a Masonic lodge. Steamships brought civilians down from Richmond nearly every day to picnic, socialize, and watch the sailors and Marines drill.

“This encampment resembles a pioneer village…one sees small log-houses with doors, windows, and fireplaces….”

- Charles Girard, French envoy

Erected 2011 by Richmond National Battlefield Park.

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=55347

Camp Beall

“Drewry’s Bluff, at least for the present, is the headquarters of the Corps, and I may consequently reasonably expect to stay here for some time at least.”

- Henry Lea Graves, 1862

From 1862 to 1865, the training of Confederate Marines took place in the area in front of you - Camp Beall - seen in the background of the photograph here. Three companies of Confederate Marines were permanently stationed here, the largest concentration of Confederate Marines anywhere in the South. After participating in the battle here on May 15, 1862, Confederate Marines immediately began construction of the camp, though it was not until that winter that permanent structures were finalized. The Marines often complained of boredom and inactivity, yet Drewry’s Bluff remained an important post that could he attacked at any time. Marines trained here at Camp Beall later transferred to ships of the navy or other posts throughout the Confederacy.

Lloyd J. Beall was an 1830 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, who fought in the Black Hawk, Seminole and Mexican Wars, before rising the rank of major. When the Civil War came, he was appointed commandant the Confederate States Marine Corps in 1861. He served in that capacity until the end of the war. Beall died in Richmond in 1887.

“The corps was composed of enlisted men, many of whom were old soldiers and commissioned officers, a number of whom had seen service before in the U.S. marine corps and elsewhere. The corps was thoroughly trained and disciplined, and in all encounters with the enemy the officers and men were conspicuous for their courage and good conduct.”

-Lloyd J. Beall

Erected 2012 by Richmond National Battlefield Park.

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=14278

Fort Darling
Defences of Drewry's Bluff

Eastward 150 yards was the Confederate Fort Darling which constituted, with the works at Chaffin’s Bluff across the James, the main defence of the approaches to Richmond by water. Often the target of Federal fire, Fort Darling held out till Richmond fell.

Erected by Battlefield Markers Association.

(Marker Number 59.)

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=37025

"A Very Neat Chapel"

The little white chapel that stood here was built by soldiers of the garrison and held 150 people. Different ministers came from Richmond each week to preach. A small burial ground was located just 50 yards beyond the chapel—a reminder that life at Drewry’s Bluff was not without hazard from battle or disease.

“[Drewry’s Bluff] also contains a very neat chapel, the pulpit of which is filled by the ministers from the city on the Sabbath.” - Richmond Sentinel, July 29, 1863

Erected 2010 by Richmond National Battlefield Park.

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=55350

Hot Shot and Wooden Ships

It was the end of an era: the advent of the ironclad made traditional wooden-hulled warships obsolete. Despite this, the Confederates used a centuries-old device here: the hot-shot furnace. Inside the furnace, solid shot were heated red-hot. Clay wads of wet hay were then inserted between the powder and the ball to keep the heat from igniting the powder prematurely. When fired at a wooden ship, the sizzling missile could set the vessel ablaze.

The photographers who visited Drewry’s Bluff in 1865 found the quaint little hot-shot furnace irresistible, and made at least three different views of it. Not surprisingly, the furnace here was never used in battle. This incredible image was taken from where you now stand.

“Furnaces for heating shot are erected at the forts on the sea-coast. These furnaces hold sixty or more shot. The shot being placed, and the furnace cold, it requires one hour and fifteen minutes to heat them to a red heat....Small charges should be used in hot shot firing, varying from one-fourth to one-sixth of the weight of the ball. Balls fired with small velocities split the wood in a manner which is favorable to its burning....” - U.S. Army Heavy Artillery Manual, 1851

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=55349

A Perfect Gibraltar

After the repulse of the Union Navy on May 15, 1862, Drewry’s Bluff became famous as a tangible symbol of Confederate resistance. Work crews made up of impressed slave labor continued construction of the fort, eventually completing a four-sided, enclosed earthwork bristling with guns.

This photograph, taken from the wall behind you, shows the section built after May 15. Following the war the bombproofs collapsed leaving deep impressions in the earth. Also note that the ground was completely open, allowing the fort’s defenders to see for miles. When orders came to evacuate Richmond, the Confederate garrison abandoned the fort and joined Lee’s army during its retreat to Appomattox. For many of them, their active service ended with capture at the Battle of Sailor’s Creek, April 6, 1865.

Drewry’s Bluff did not remain vacant long. Union troops immediately took possession of the fort that for three years had barred their way to Richmond.

“Drury’s Bluff battery is a perfect Gibraltar and can never be taken by gunboats.” - Henry L. Graves, 2nd Georgia Battalion

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=15498

Covered Way
Drewry’s Bluff – 1862 - 1864

During battle, supplies could be brought into the fort through the Covered Way, a tunnel protected from shell-fire.

Erected by Richmond National Battlefield Park - National Park Service.

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=37029

Finishing Fort Drewry

Immediately after the battle, men of Chesterfield County’s own Southside Artillery, along with others, worked to strengthen the fort. The section before you was likely their first project. Eventually the earthworks around you formed an enclosed fort, armed with as many as eight large guns. Although the defenses at Drewry’s Bluff became more and more powerful, the fort never fired another shot in anger.

“Don’t a man leave for the quarters, for I want you to fix up these parapets that have been knocked down, and those sand-bags torn to pieces must be replaced and get ready for them, for the boats will probably be back here again in two hours.”

Capt. Augustus Drewry, commanding Southside Artillery, quoted by Sgt. Samuel A. Mann

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=37028

May 15, 1862—The Battle of Drewry's Bluff

When Federal gunboats rounded the distant bend in the James, they entered a shooting gallery. Confederate soldiers and Marines along the riverbanks raked the decks with musket fire. Confederate guns here in the fort opened fire. The river obstructions, consisting of sunken ships and stone cribs, worked as planned—the USS Galena could not drive through them, so it swung broadside in the channel in order to fire its guns at the bluff.

For four hours, the Galena and her crew absorbed a relentless pounding from the Confederate gunners before retreating downriver. Of the 164 officers and men aboard, 27 fell killed or wounded. Southern forces suffered 15 casualties. The first attempt to take Richmond by river failed, and never again would the U.S. Navy challenge the guns of Drewry’s Bluff.

“The batteries on the Rebel side were beautifully served and put their shots through our side with great precision … The Galena did most of the fighting—her sides look as though she had an attack of smallpox.”-Commander John Rodgers, USS Galena

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=37027

Duty Above and Beyond

“Mr. President, these are the young heroes of Fort Darling…. The President took them all by the hand and personally thanked them for their magnificent conduct and example, ordered that each one should receive a Medal of honor and to be promoted….”

While Confederate artillery fire repeatedly struck the USS Galena, three crewmen performed conspicuous acts of gallantry that would earn them the Medal of Honor.

When an artillery shell passed through the Galena, killing and disabling most of the crew serving her 100-pounder Parrot rifle, Corporal John Mackie rallied his comrades, shouting, “Come on boys, here’s a chance for the Marines.” After clearing up the debris and removing the injured, Mackie’s team resumed firing the huge cannon until the Galena withdrew. For his courage and leadership, the 27-year-old New Yorker became the first U.S. Marine to receive the Medal of Honor.

Charles Kenyon, a 22-year-old sailor from New York, was severely burned while clearing a bent priming wire from the bow gun. Kenyon returned to the gun to continue the fight, ignoring his injuries and the Confederate sharpshooters whose rifle fire swept the exposed decks of the Galena. Jeremiah Regan, a 30-year-old quartermaster from Boston, served as captain of the Number 2 gun and also stood firm in the face of horrendous shelling and deadly sharpshooting. Kenyon and Regan were among the first members of the U.S. Navy to be awarded the Medal of Honor.

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=55346

The USS Monitor

During the Peninsula Campaign in the spring of 1862, a variety of innovative weapons saw action. But nothing captured the public’s attention more than ironclad warships, in particular the USS Monitor. After its epic duel with the CSS Virginia at Hampton Roads on March 9, 1862, the Monitor next found fame here at Drewry’s Bluff during the battle on May 15.

Contrary to some reports, the Monitor, despite its squat turret, did not have difficulty bringing its guns to bear. Commanded by Lt. William N. Jeffers, it fired steadily against Fort Drewry. The Confederate cannon, after bouncing a few ineffective rounds off the ironclad, turned their focus to the vulnerable USS Galena. This proved to be the Monitor’s last major action.

The Monitor went down on December 31, 1862, sunk in an Atlantic gale off the coast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Sixteen crewmen died, perhaps including some of the men who posed in the black and white photograph taken in July 1862. In 1975, the wreck became the nation’s first National Marine Sanctuary, administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The turret of the warship emerged from the waves in August 2002, raised by NOAA and the United States Navy. It is on display at the USS Monitor Center at The Mariners Museum in Newport News, Virginia.

“It was one of those warm, muggy days…which, shut up closely as we were, made ventilation very difficult. At times we were filled with powder smoke below threatening suffocation to us all. Some of the hardiest looking men dropped fainting at the guns.” - William Keeler, an officer aboard the USS Monitor during the Battle of Drewry’s Bluff.

* * *

And one more, added later after a subsequent pass through

Richmond/Petersburg, revealing the scope of the battlefield.

Interestingly enough, this is the one and only historical

marker that is simply called "Drewry’s Bluff Battlefield."

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=14275

Drewry’s Bluff Battlefield

On a line that here crossed the Richmond–Petersburg turnpike, Confederate troops under command of General G.T. Beauregard attacked the Federal army of Major-General B.F. Butler on May 16, 1864 and forced its withdrawal to the Bermuda Hundred defences.

Erected by Battlefield Markers Association.

(Marker Number 57.)

The Union navy failed to take Richmond.

Now it is time for the 7 Days Battles

and more failed attempts to take Richmond - lots more...

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The American Civil War - Chronologically

May 15, 1862 - Drewry's Bluff

May 15, 1862

Drewry's Bluff

Chesterfield, VA

Naval Assault at Drewry’s Bluff

Osborne Landing