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Battle of Drewry's Bluff

November 25, 2023

Battle of Drewry's Bluff
Part of the American Civil War
DateMay 15, 1862 (1862-05-15)
Location
Chesterfield County, Virginia
Result Confederate victory
Belligerents
United States (Union) CSA (Confederacy)
Commanders and leaders
John Rodgers Ebenezer Farrand
William Mahone
John Taylor Wood
Strength
3 ironclads
2 gunboats		 ~8 artillery pieces
1 fort
1 shore battery
Casualties and losses
2 ironclads damaged
2 gunboats damaged
27 killed or wounded[1]		 1 fort damaged
15 killed or wounded[1]

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 the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. Four Union Navy warships, including the ironclads USS Monitor and Galena, and the United States Revenue Cutter Service's ironclad USRC Naugatuck steamed up the James River to test the defenses of Richmond, Virginia, the Confederate capital. They encountered submerged obstacles, and deadly accurate fire from the batteries of Fort Darling at Drewry's Bluff, which inflicted severe damage on Galena, forcing them to turn back.

Background edit

Main article: Peninsula Campaign
 
Peninsula Campaign, map of events up to the Battle of Seven Pines
  Confederate
  Union

In the spring of 1862, Union Major General George B. McClellan launched an amphibious operation against Richmond by landing troops at Fort Monroe and then marching northwest up the Virginia Peninsula. After the fall of Yorktown and the withdrawal of General Joseph E. Johnston's army up the Peninsula, only the Confederate Navy ironclad CSS Virginia prevented Union occupation of the lower James River and Norfolk. When the Confederate garrison at Norfolk was evacuated by Maj. Gen. Benjamin Huger on May 10, Commodore Josiah Tattnall III knew that he could not navigate Virginia through the shallow stretches of the James River toward Richmond, so she was scuttled on May 11 off Craney Island to prevent her capture. This opened the James River at Hampton Roads to Federal gunboats.

 
Confederate gun at Battery Dantzler, Drewry's Bluff.

The only obstacle protecting Richmond from a river approach was Fort Darling on Drewry's Bluff, overlooking a sharp bend 7 mi (11 km) down river from the city. The Confederate defenders, including marines, sailors, and soldiers, were supervised by navy Commander Ebenezer Farrand and by army Captain Augustus H. Drewry (the owner of the property that bore his name) of the Southside Heavy Artillery.[2] The eight cannons in the fort, including field artillery pieces and five naval guns, some salvaged from Virginia, commanded the river for miles in both directions. Guns from CSS Patrick Henry, including an 8 in (203 mm) smoothbore, were just upriver and sharpshooters gathered on the river banks. An underwater obstruction of sunken steamers, pilings, debris, and other vessels connected by chains was placed just below the bluff, making it difficult for vessels to maneuver in the narrow river.[3]

Battle edit

 
Map of Drewry's_Bluff Battlefield core and study areas by the American Battlefield Protection Program.

On May 15, a detachment of the U.S. Navy's North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, under the command of Commander John Rodgers steamed up the James River from Fort Monroe to test the Richmond defenses. The flotilla consisted of the ironclad gunboats USS Monitor (commanded by Lieutenant William N. Jeffers) and Galena (the flagship), the screw gunship Aroostook, the side-wheeler Port Royal, and the twin-screw semi-submersible ironclad USRC Naugatuck.[4]

At 07:45, Galena closed to within 600 yd (550 m) of the fort and anchored, but before Rodgers could open fire, two Confederate rounds pierced the lightly armored vessel. The battle lasted over three hours and during that time, Galena remained almost stationary and took 45 hits. Her crew reported casualties of 14 dead or mortally wounded and 10 injured. Monitor was a frequent target, but her heavier armor withstood the blows. Contrary to some reports, Monitor, despite her squat turret, did not have difficulty bringing her guns to bear and fired steadily against the fort.[5][citation needed] Naugatuck sustained little damage compared to the Monitor and Galena due to her semi-submersible design, but had to withdraw when her 100-pounder Parrott rifle exploded. The two wooden gunboats remained largely out of range of the big guns, but the captain of Port Royal was wounded by a sharpshooter. Around 11:00, the Union ships withdrew to City Point.[6]

Aftermath edit

 
Cpl John F. Mackie firing from the USS Galena

During the battle, Corporal John F. Mackie became the first Marine to earn the Medal of Honor.

The massive fort on Drewry's Bluff had blunted the Union advance just 7 mi (11 km) short of the Confederate capital, at a loss of seven Confederates killed and eight wounded.[7] Richmond remained safe. Rodgers reported to McClellan that it was feasible for the navy to land troops as close as 10 mi (16 km) from Richmond. Some amateur researchers think the Union Army never took advantage of this observation,[8] yet the entire purpose of the expedition was to obtain such information.

The area saw action again during the Siege of Petersburg. The Army of the James landed on May 5, 1864, 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. The army marched overland, advancing within three miles (4.8 km) of Drewry's Bluff by May 9. From a tactical perspective, Bermuda Hundred allowed a complete amphibious landing with less likelihood of counterattack than a landing five miles closer to Drewry's Bluff and Fort Darling.

Gallery edit

  • Drewry's Bluff
  •  

    Drewry's Bluff, 1865.

  •  

    Drewry's Bluff, August 2016.

Notes edit

  1. ^ a b Kennedy, p. 91.
  2. ^ Sears, p. 93; Eicher, p. 273, states that it was the 2nd Virginia Artillery.
  3. ^ Salmon, p. 87.
  4. ^ Eicher, pp. 272–73.
  5. ^ Richmond Battlefield Park signage
  6. ^ Sears, pp. 93–94; Salmon, p. 87; Eicher, p. 273.
  7. ^ Sears, p. 94.
  8. ^ Eicher, p. 273.

References edit

  • Eicher, David J. The Longest Night: A Military History of the Civil War. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001. ISBN 0-684-84944-5.
  • Kennedy, Frances H., ed. The Civil War Battlefield Guide[permanent dead link]. 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1998. ISBN 0-395-74012-6.
  • Salmon, John S. The Official Virginia Civil War Battlefield Guide. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2001. ISBN 0-8117-2868-4.
  • Sears, Stephen W. To the Gates of Richmond: The Peninsula Campaign. Ticknor and Fields, 1992. ISBN 0-89919-790-6.
  • CWSAC Report Update

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Battle of Drewry's Bluff.
  • Battle of Drury's [sic] Bluff

37°25′16″N 77°25′22″W / 37.4211°N 77.4229°W / 37.4211; -77.4229

November 25, 2023
battle, drewry, bluff, help, expand, this, article, with, text, translated, from, corresponding, article, russian, november, 2015, click, show, important, translation, instructions, view, machine, translated, version, russian, article, machine, translation, li. You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Russian November 2015 Click show for important translation instructions View a machine translated version of the Russian article Machine translation like DeepL or Google Translate is a useful starting point for translations but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate rather than simply copy pasting machine translated text into the English Wikipedia Consider adding a topic to this template there are already 2 913 articles in the main category and specifying topic will aid in categorization Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low quality If possible verify the text with references provided in the foreign language article You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Russian Wikipedia article at ru Srazhenie pri Dryuris Blaff see its history for attribution You should also add the template Translated ru Srazhenie pri Dryuris Blaff to the talk page For more guidance see Wikipedia Translation Battle of Drewry s BluffPart of the American Civil WarDateMay 15 1862 1862 05 15 LocationChesterfield County VirginiaResultConfederate victoryBelligerentsUnited States Union CSA Confederacy Commanders and leadersJohn RodgersEbenezer Farrand William Mahone John Taylor WoodStrength3 ironclads2 gunboats 8 artillery pieces1 fort1 shore batteryCasualties and losses2 ironclads damaged2 gunboats damaged27 killed or wounded 1 1 fort damaged15 killed or wounded 1 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 the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War Four Union Navy warships including the ironclads USS Monitor and Galena and the United States Revenue Cutter Service s ironclad USRC Naugatuck steamed up the James River to test the defenses of Richmond Virginia the Confederate capital They encountered submerged obstacles and deadly accurate fire from the batteries of Fort Darling at Drewry s Bluff which inflicted severe damage on Galena forcing them to turn back Contents 1 Background 2 Battle 3 Aftermath 4 Gallery 5 Notes 6 References 7 External linksBackground editMain article Peninsula Campaign nbsp Peninsula Campaign map of events up to the Battle of Seven Pines Confederate UnionIn the spring of 1862 Union Major General George B McClellan launched an amphibious operation against Richmond by landing troops at Fort Monroe and then marching northwest up the Virginia Peninsula After the fall of Yorktown and the withdrawal of General Joseph E Johnston s army up the Peninsula only the Confederate Navy ironclad CSS Virginia prevented Union occupation of the lower James River and Norfolk When the Confederate garrison at Norfolk was evacuated by Maj Gen Benjamin Huger on May 10 Commodore Josiah Tattnall III knew that he could not navigate Virginia through the shallow stretches of the James River toward Richmond so she was scuttled on May 11 off Craney Island to prevent her capture This opened the James River at Hampton Roads to Federal gunboats nbsp Confederate gun at Battery Dantzler Drewry s Bluff The only obstacle protecting Richmond from a river approach was Fort Darling on Drewry s Bluff overlooking a sharp bend 7 mi 11 km down river from the city The Confederate defenders including marines sailors and soldiers were supervised by navy Commander Ebenezer Farrand and by army Captain Augustus H Drewry the owner of the property that bore his name of the Southside Heavy Artillery 2 The eight cannons in the fort including field artillery pieces and five naval guns some salvaged from Virginia commanded the river for miles in both directions Guns from CSS Patrick Henry including an 8 in 203 mm smoothbore were just upriver and sharpshooters gathered on the river banks An underwater obstruction of sunken steamers pilings debris and other vessels connected by chains was placed just below the bluff making it difficult for vessels to maneuver in the narrow river 3 Battle edit nbsp Map of Drewry s Bluff Battlefield core and study areas by the American Battlefield Protection Program On May 15 a detachment of the U S Navy s North Atlantic Blockading Squadron under the command of Commander John Rodgers steamed up the James River from Fort Monroe to test the Richmond defenses The flotilla consisted of the ironclad gunboats USS Monitor commanded by Lieutenant William N Jeffers and Galena the flagship the screw gunship Aroostook the side wheeler Port Royal and the twin screw semi submersible ironclad USRC Naugatuck 4 At 07 45 Galena closed to within 600 yd 550 m of the fort and anchored but before Rodgers could open fire two Confederate rounds pierced the lightly armored vessel The battle lasted over three hours and during that time Galena remained almost stationary and took 45 hits Her crew reported casualties of 14 dead or mortally wounded and 10 injured Monitor was a frequent target but her heavier armor withstood the blows Contrary to some reports Monitor despite her squat turret did not have difficulty bringing her guns to bear and fired steadily against the fort 5 citation needed Naugatuck sustained little damage compared to the Monitor and Galena due to her semi submersible design but had to withdraw when her 100 pounder Parrott rifle exploded The two wooden gunboats remained largely out of range of the big guns but the captain of Port Royal was wounded by a sharpshooter Around 11 00 the Union ships withdrew to City Point 6 Aftermath edit nbsp Cpl John F Mackie firing from the USS GalenaDuring the battle Corporal John F Mackie became the first Marine to earn the Medal of Honor The massive fort on Drewry s Bluff had blunted the Union advance just 7 mi 11 km short of the Confederate capital at a loss of seven Confederates killed and eight wounded 7 Richmond remained safe Rodgers reported to McClellan that it was feasible for the navy to land troops as close as 10 mi 16 km from Richmond Some amateur researchers think the Union Army never took advantage of this observation 8 yet the entire purpose of the expedition was to obtain such information The area saw action again during the Siege of Petersburg The Army of the James landed on May 5 1864 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 The army marched overland advancing within three miles 4 8 km of Drewry s Bluff by May 9 From a tactical perspective Bermuda Hundred allowed a complete amphibious landing with less likelihood of counterattack than a landing five miles closer to Drewry s Bluff and Fort Darling Gallery editDrewry s Bluff nbsp Drewry s Bluff 1865 nbsp Drewry s Bluff August 2016 Notes edit a b Kennedy p 91 Sears p 93 Eicher p 273 states that it was the 2nd Virginia Artillery Salmon p 87 Eicher pp 272 73 Richmond Battlefield Park signage Sears pp 93 94 Salmon p 87 Eicher p 273 Sears p 94 Eicher p 273 References editEicher David J The Longest Night A Military History of the Civil War New York Simon amp Schuster 2001 ISBN 0 684 84944 5 Kennedy Frances H ed The Civil War Battlefield Guide permanent dead link 2nd ed Boston Houghton Mifflin Co 1998 ISBN 0 395 74012 6 Salmon John S The Official Virginia Civil War Battlefield Guide Mechanicsburg PA Stackpole Books 2001 ISBN 0 8117 2868 4 Sears Stephen W To the Gates of Richmond The Peninsula Campaign Ticknor and Fields 1992 ISBN 0 89919 790 6 National Park Service battle description CWSAC Report UpdateExternal links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Battle of Drewry s Bluff Battle of Drury s sic Bluff37 25 16 N 77 25 22 W 37 4211 N 77 4229 W 37 4211 77 4229 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Battle of Drewry 27s Bluff amp oldid 1122296182, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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