Less than 5 miles from our house is a Civil War fort at Drewry's Bluff. This picture epitomizes why the fort was placed where it was. This 8-inch coastal fortress gun is looking straight down the James River. It, along with another 8-inch and a 10-inch gun, protected the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, just seven miles upstream.
In May 1862, the Union took Norfolk, Virginia, from the Confederates during the Peninsula Campaign and gained control of the massive Chesapeake Bay. The Union Navy sent 5 ships, including the ironclads USS Monitor and USS Galena, up the James to "shell Richmond into submission."
The Confederates anticipated such a move, which is why they built Fort Drewry, and created a barrier of sunken ships and crates of boulders across the river to block ships.
When the Union ships closed in on the bluff they came under intense fire from the fort, as well as from infantry on the shore. After 4 hours, the ships withdrew, having suffered 14 dead, 13 wounded, and severe damage to the Galena.
The lesson was learned and Richmond was never threatened by another riverine attack.
Great look on this image, even greater title. The perspective along with the description you provided just pops and reeks of "don't even think about it" to me. Well done, dog!
