In 1861, Confederate State Engineer Andrew Talcott was assigned to survey and design defenses along the James River in order to protect against a Union naval assault on Richmond, 60 miles upriver. Fort Huger along the southern bank of the James River was named for Confederate General Benjamin Huger, commander of the Department of Norfolk. Forts Boykin and on Drewry’s Bluff were also located on the southern bank of the river. The fortifications on the northern bank included those on Mulberry Island, and at Jamestown. Fort Huger was part of Confederate Major General John Magruder’s Second Defensive Line on the Peninsula, a series of trenches, earthworks and forts extending from Gloucester Point (north side of the York River) across the Virginia Peninsula to the southern side of the James River.

Construction on Fort Huger began in 1861 under the command of Captains E.T.D. Myers and John Clarke and followed Talcott’s plan. To supplement their limited workforce, the Confederacy hired free blacks and slaves to help construct the fort. It was built entirely of earth and took hundreds of men several months to erect. The fort was armed with cannons along the river, and the interior was protected by the land’s natural geography, earthworks and a swamp. Cannons present in 1862 that were brought from the Gosport Navy Yard in Portsmouth via barges included: one 7-inch army rifled bore Columbiad; two 8-inch smoothbore Columbiads; three 9-inch smoothbore Dahlgrens; and six double-fortified navy 32-pounders. The fort was not complete when it was called into action in May 1862 against the U.S. James River Blockading Squadron. During the siege of Yorktown on May 4th, Magruder abandoned the Second Peninsular Defensive Line. With the land route to Richmond now open, the Union focused their attention on the Confederate forts blocking the James River. On May 8th, the USS Galena, USS Port Royal and USS Aroostook attacked both Forts Huger and Boykin with the worst of the fire directed at Fort Boykin. The Port Royal and Aroostook fired from the James River channel while the Galena moved in closer. Both forts eventually ceased fire as their cannons weren’t powerful enough to damage the ironclad Galena or reach the two ships beyond her. As a result, the Confederates abandoned the forts. U.S. Marines landed on May 17 and 18 to find most of the guns spiked, the carriages burned, and structures within the forts destroyed. With the James River now open the Union fleet moved upriver to attack the fort on Drewry’s Bluff, just eight miles below Richmond.

The brochure map and a map of the fort from the Library of Congress are shown below. Both have been rotated to reflect the orientation of fort geographically.

Markers in the parking lot

Markers along the path to the fort

The fort entrance

The fort

When standing at The Fort sign to the left is the North Bastion, straight ahead is The Hot Shot Furnace and Shell House and to the right is the loop trail that leads toward the South Bastion, Powder Magazine, and Well.

Walking straight ahead to the Hot Shot Furnace and Shell House.

Looking to the right at the loop trail I took the path to the right toward the Powder Magazine.

There are two cannons here at the South Bastion.

There are now 5 cannons at the North Bastion. I show them from south to north.

Cannon #1

Cannon #2

Cannon #3

Cannon #4- the North Bastion sign sits in front of the path to this cannon

Cannon #5

Next- The Peninsula Campaign Part 7- Fort Boykin