Fort Nonsense

Fort Nonsense (HM1F3A)

Location: North, VA 23128 Mathews County
Buy Virginia State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 37° 27.992', W 76° 26.663'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 548 views
Inscription

How was Fort Nonsense Built?

The construction of an earthen fortification like Fort Nonsense required an enormous amount of labor. A clear field of fire was created as men with axes chopped down the trees in front of the work. Logs framed the fort's outline and helped to hold the earth in place. Gabions—wicker baskets made from saplings, vines, and small trees—were piled to create the walls. The ditch outside the walls was dug to provide the earth for the parapet as well as to impede attackers. Abatis—tangled tree limbs with the ends sharpened and facing toward the enemy—were placed in a continuous line 60 to 80 yards in front of the earthwork to slow attackers and enable the defenders to deliver close small-arms fire from the fort. Logs cleared from the field of fire area were used inside the fort to construct cannon platforms, munitions magazines, and bombproof shelters.

(captions)
(lower left) Gabions and log earthwork construction - Courtesy Library of Congress
(upper right) Abatis and ditch - Courtesy Library of Congress
(lower right) Constructing earthworks by moonlight Courtesy Library of Congress
Details
HM NumberHM1F3A
Series This marker is part of the Virginia Civil War Trails series
Tags
Year Placed2014
Placed ByVirginia Civil WarTrails
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Sunday, September 21st, 2014 at 1:27am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 372270 N 4147607
Decimal Degrees37.46653333, -76.44438333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 37° 27.992', W 76° 26.663'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds37° 27' 59.52" N, 76° 26' 39.78" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)804
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 1140-1198 Windsor Rd, North VA 23128, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. What historical period does the marker represent?
  2. What historical place does the marker represent?
  3. What type of marker is it?
  4. What class is the marker?
  5. What style is the marker?
  6. Does the marker have a number?
  7. This marker needs at least one picture.
  8. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  9. Is the marker in the median?