Virginia Fortifies Gloucester Point

"Just throw three or four shells among those blue-bellied Yankees and they'll scatter like sheep." Bravado from a North Carolina Confederate in May, 1861

Eighty years after the decisive events at Yorktown, a major war again came to Gloucester Point. This time it was a civil war. As Virginia joined the Confederacy in April, 1861, its leaders were soon defending the Chesapeake tidewater. Within days, the first shots of the war in Virginia were fired at Gloucester Point by Union gunboats.

The new Confederate armed forces were rich in engineering talent. General Robert E. Lee sent naval Captain William S. Whittle and Gloucester native Commander Thomas Jefferson Page to secure the entrances to both the York and James Rivers. Engineer Captain Charles H. Dimmock was set to work shoring up the defenses on Gloucester Point.

You are standing in the remains of the largest fort ever built here on the Point. By early 1862, Captain Dimmock, using slave labor, had thrown up this enormous earthwork to protect the land side from attack. Nearby, right at the Point, a 100 yard long and 75 yardwide earthen water battery had twelve large guns pointed at passing ships. A covered way linked the two forts.

(sidebar)
New Forts with Old Principles
Civil War forts were built with guidelines that went back to 17th-century France. With the advent of artillery, the Marquis de Vauban revolutionized warfare by building forts that had low profiles, interior protection from plunging fire and deep defenses with guns that hit the enemy from every angle. As you walk through these remains, imagine where you would have placed artillery to defend the Point.

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.

Show me all markers in:  Gloucester Point, VA  |  Gloucester County  |  23062  |  Virginia  |  United States of America

On to Richmond!
Classic Camp Life
The British Safety Valve
Still Defending Virginia's Shores
Gloucester Point
Attacking with "Decisive Vigor"
A Vital British Outpost at Gloucester Point
Gloucester Point
Welcome to Gloucester Point
Natives, Explorers, Tobacco and Buccaneers

• GPX
• KML
• LOC

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