Fort Huger - Smithfield VA
Posted by: 
Don.Morfe
N 37° 04.603 W 076° 41.045
18S E 350301 N 4104709
Beginning in July 1861, enslaved and freed blacks assisted in the construction of Fort Huger.
Waymark Code: WM18MM2
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 08/24/2023
Views: 0
Fort Huger
One mile northeast, at Hardy’s Bluff on Lawne’s Neck, existed Fort Huger, a Civil War earthen fortification. Virginia State Engineer Col. Andrew Talcott authorized this and other forts to block any Union naval advance up the James River to Richmond. Beginning in July 1861, enslaved and freed blacks assisted in the construction of Fort Huger. It formed the right riverine flank of Confederate Gen. John B. Magruder’s Peninsula defenses in 1862. Union gunboats engaged Fort Huger on 8 May 1862 and USS Monitor shelled it on the 12th. After several bombardments, Confederate forces abandoned it by 19 May.
LOCATION:
Fort Huger marker is on Fort Huger Drive (Virginia Route 676), Smithfield VA 23430 in Isle of Wight County. Marker Number: K-327.
Civil Right Type: Race (includes U.S. Civil Rights movement)
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Visit Instructions:
You must have visited the site in person, not online.