Английская Википедия:Battle of Drewry's Bluff
Шаблон:Short description Шаблон:Expand Russian Шаблон:Infobox military conflict
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 Шаблон:USS and Шаблон:USS, 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
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 Шаблон:Ship 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.
The only obstacle protecting Richmond from a river approach was Fort Darling on Drewry's Bluff, overlooking a sharp bend Шаблон:Convert 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.[1] 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 Шаблон:Ship, including an Шаблон:Convert 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.[2]
Battle
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 Шаблон:USS (the flagship), the screw gunship Шаблон:USS, the side-wheeler Шаблон:USS, and the twin-screw semi-submersible ironclad USRC Naugatuck.[3]
At 07:45, Galena closed to within Шаблон:Convert 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.[4]Шаблон: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.[5]
Aftermath
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 Шаблон:Convert short of the Confederate capital, at a loss of seven Confederates killed and eight wounded.[6] Richmond remained safe. Rodgers reported to McClellan that it was feasible for the navy to land troops as close as Шаблон:Convert from Richmond. Some amateur researchers think the Union Army never took advantage of this observation,[7] 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 Шаблон:Convert south of Richmond. The army marched overland, advancing within Шаблон:Convert 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
- Drewry's Bluff
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Drewry's Bluff, 1865.
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Drewry's Bluff, August 2016.
Notes
References
- Eicher, David J. The Longest Night: A Military History of the Civil War. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001. Шаблон:ISBN.
- Kennedy, Frances H., ed. The Civil War Battlefield GuideШаблон:Dead link. 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1998. Шаблон:ISBN.
- Salmon, John S. The Official Virginia Civil War Battlefield Guide. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2001. Шаблон:ISBN.
- Sears, Stephen W. To the Gates of Richmond: The Peninsula Campaign. Ticknor and Fields, 1992. Шаблон:ISBN.
- National Park Service battle description
- CWSAC Report Update
External links
- Battle of Шаблон:Sic Bluff
- Страницы с неработающими файловыми ссылками
- Английская Википедия
- Peninsula campaign
- Battles of the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War
- Confederate victories of the American Civil War
- Naval battles of the American Civil War
- James River (Virginia)
- Battles of the American Civil War in Virginia
- Chesterfield County in the American Civil War
- United States Marine Corps in the 18th and 19th centuries
- 1862 in the American Civil War
- 1862 in Virginia
- Confederate States Marine Corps
- Riverine warfare
- May 1862 events
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- Википедия
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