View source for Battle of Drewry's Bluff

{{short description|Battle of the American Civil War}}
{{For|the 1864 battle|Battle of Proctor's Creek}}
{{Expand Russian|topic=mil|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox military conflict
|conflict=Battle of Drewry's Bluff
| image=Battle of Drewry's Bluff.jpg
| image_size = 244
|caption=
|partof=the [[American Civil War]]
|date= {{Start date|1862|5|15}}
|place=[[Chesterfield County, Virginia]]
|result= [[Confederate States|Confederate]] victory
|combatant1= United States ([[Union (American Civil War)|Union]])
|combatant2= [[Confederate States|CSA (Confederacy)]]
|commander1= [[John Rodgers (naval officer, Civil War)|John Rodgers]]
|commander2={{plainlist|
* [[Ebenezer Farrand]]
* [[William Mahone]]
* [[John Taylor Wood]]}}
|strength1={{plainlist|
* 3 [[ironclad warship|ironclads]]
* 2 [[gunboat]]s}}
|strength2={{plainlist|
* ~8 [[artillery|artillery pieces]]
* 1 [[Fort Darling|fort]]
* 1 [[shore battery]]}}
|casualties1={{plainlist|
* 2 ironclads damaged
* 2 gunboats damaged
* 27 killed or wounded<ref name=Kennedy>Kennedy, p. 91.</ref>}}
|casualties2={{plainlist|
* 1 fort damaged
* 15 killed or wounded<ref name=Kennedy/>}}
|campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Peninsula Campaign}}
}}

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 [[ironclad warship|ironclads]] {{USS|Monitor|1862|6}} and {{USS|Galena|1862|2}}, and the United States Revenue Cutter Service's ironclad [[USRC Naugatuck|USRC ''Naugatuck'']] steamed up the [[James River]] to test the defenses of [[Richmond, Virginia]], the [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] capital. They encountered submerged obstacles, and the batteries of [[Fort Darling]] at [[Drewry's Bluff]] inflicted severe damage on ''Galena'', forcing the ships to turn back.

==Background==
{{Main|Peninsula Campaign}}
[[File:Peninsula Campaign March 17 - May 31, 1862.png|thumb|left|300px|Peninsula Campaign, map of events up to the [[Battle of Seven Pines]]
{{legend|#ff0000|Confederate}}
{{legend|#0000ff|Union}}
]]

In the spring of 1862, [[Union Army|Union]] [[Major general (United States)|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 [[Battle of Yorktown (1862)|fall of Yorktown]] and the withdrawal of [[General (CSA)|General]] [[Joseph E. Johnston]]'s army up the Peninsula, only the [[Confederate States Navy|Confederate Navy]] ironclad {{ship|CSS|Virginia}} prevented Union occupation of the lower James River and [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]]. When the Confederate garrison at Norfolk was evacuated by Maj. Gen. [[Benjamin Huger (general)|Benjamin Huger]] on May 10, [[Commodore (United States)|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 (Virginia)|Craney Island]] to prevent her capture. This opened the James River at [[Hampton Roads]] to Federal gunboats.

[[File:BatteryDantzlerDrewrysBluff1864.jpg|thumb|305px|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 {{convert|7|mi|km|abbr=on}} down river from the city. The Confederate defenders, including marines, sailors, and soldiers, were supervised by navy [[Commander]] Ebenezer Farrand and by army [[Captain (land)|Captain]] Augustus H. Drewry (the owner of the [[Bellwood (Richmond, Virginia)|property]] that bore his name) of the Southside Heavy Artillery.<ref>Sears, p. 93; Eicher, p. 273, states that it was the 2nd Virginia Artillery.</ref> 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 {{ship|CSS|Patrick Henry}}, including an {{convert|8|in|mm|abbr=on|0}} 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.<ref>Salmon, p. 87.</ref>

==Battle==
[[File:Drewry%27s_Bluff_Battlefield_Virginia.jpg|305px|thumb|right|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 (naval officer, Civil War)|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 {{USS|Galena|1862|2}} (the flagship), the screw gunship {{USS|Aroostook|1861|2}}, the side-wheeler {{USS|Port Royal|1862|2}}, and the twin-screw semi-submersible ironclad [[USRC Naugatuck|USRC ''Naugatuck'']].<ref>Eicher, pp. 272–73.</ref>

At 07:45, ''Galena'' closed to within {{convert|600|yd|m|abbr=on}} 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.<ref>Richmond Battlefield Park signage</ref>{{citation needed|date=June 2017}} ''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, Virginia|City Point]].<ref>Sears, pp. 93–94; Salmon, p. 87; Eicher, p. 273.</ref>

==Aftermath==
[[File:John Mackie Cpl.jpg|thumb|left|150px|U.S. Marine Corps illustration of Corporal John F. Mackie firing his rifle aboard the USS ''Galena''.]]
During the battle, Corporal [[John F. Mackie]] became the first [[United States Marine Corps|Marine]] to earn the [[Medal of Honor]].

The massive fort on Drewry's Bluff had blunted the Union advance just {{convert|7|mi|km|abbr=on}} short of the Confederate capital, at a loss of seven Confederates killed and eight wounded.<ref>Sears, p. 94.</ref> Richmond remained safe. Rodgers reported to McClellan that it was feasible for the navy to land troops as close as {{convert|10|mi|km|abbr=on}} from Richmond. Some amateur researchers think the Union Army never took advantage of this observation.<ref>Eicher, p. 273.</ref>

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 {{convert|15|mi|km}} south of Richmond. The army marched overland, advancing within {{convert|3|mi|km|spell=in}} 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==
<gallery mode="packed-hover" heights="150px" caption="Drewry's Bluff">
Drewry%27s_Bluff.gif|Drewry's Bluff, 1865.
Drewry's Bluff.jpg|Drewry's Bluff, August 2016.
</gallery>

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* [[David J. Eicher|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. [http://www.bibliobase.com/history/readerscomp/civwar/html/cw_000106_entries.htm ''The Civil War Battlefield Guide'']{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. 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}}.
* [[Stephen W. Sears|Sears, Stephen W.]] ''To the Gates of Richmond: The Peninsula Campaign''. Ticknor and Fields, 1992. {{ISBN|0-89919-790-6}}.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060628085856/http://www.cr.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/va012.htm National Park Service battle description]
* [http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/CWSII/VirginiaBattlefieldProfiles/Deep%20Bottom%20II%20to%20Drewrys%20Bluff.pdf CWSAC Report Update] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108213627/http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/CWSII/VirginiaBattlefieldProfiles/Deep%20Bottom%20II%20to%20Drewrys%20Bluff.pdf|date=2012-11-08}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.generalatomic.com/PerrysSaints/chapter14.html Battle of {{sic|Dru|ry's|nolink=y}} Bluff]
{{coord|37.4211|-77.4229|region:US_type:event|display=title}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drewry's Bluff}}
[[Category:Peninsula campaign|Drewry's Bluff]]
[[Category:Battles of the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War|Drewry's Bluff]]
[[Category:Confederate victories of the American Civil War|Drewry's Bluff]]
[[Category:Naval battles of the American Civil War|Drewry's Bluff]]
[[Category:James River (Virginia)]]
[[Category:Battles of the American Civil War in Virginia|Drewry's Bluff]]
[[Category:Chesterfield County, Virginia, in the American Civil War|Drewry's Bluff]]
[[Category:United States Marine Corps in the 18th and 19th centuries]]
[[Category:1862 in the American Civil War]]
[[Category:1862 in Virginia]]
[[Category:Confederate States Marine Corps]]
[[Category:Riverine warfare in the American Civil War|Drewry's Bluff]]
[[Category:May 1862]]