DEFENSES ALONG THE JAMES, NANSEMOND AND ELIZABETH RIVERS.
On April 18, 1861, Governor Letcher appointed Major-General William
B. Taliaferro, of the state militia, to the command "of the state
troops which are now or may be assembled at the city of Norfolk."
Robert B. Pegram and Catesby apR. Jones were appointed captains in
the navy and ordered to Norfolk, Captain Pegram to "assume command
of the naval station, with authority to organize naval defenses,
enroll and enlist seamen and marines, and temporarily appoint warrant
officers, and to do and perform whatever may be necessary to preserve
and protect the property of the commonwealth and of the citizens
of Virginia." The land and naval forces were instructed to cooperate.
These three repaired to Norfolk on the same day, General
Taliaterro accompained by Major Nat. Tyler and Captain Henry Heth,
of his staff.
The only troops then, or until after the evacuation, in Norfolk, were
two companies, the "Norfolk Blues" and the "Portsmouth Grays."
On Saturday evening, the 20th, after the Federal troops had abandoned
the navy yard, some four hundred state volunteers arrived from
Petersburg; the next day the "Richmond Grays" reported to General
Taliaferro, and on Monday three companies from Georgia.
After the evacuation Commodore French Forrest took command of
the navy yard, and General Walter Gwynn succeeded General Taliaferro
in command of the land forces. Preparations for coast defense were
at once begun, naval officers superintending the construction of batteries,
all available state force detailed to the work. The necessity for
this was obvious. The estuary of Hampton Roads, receiving the waters
of the James, Nansemond and Elizabeth rivers, and their outlet
to Chesapeake bay, was protected by the guns of Fortress Monroe.
Its safe and commodious harbor was sure to become a rendezvous
for Federal vessels, and vessels commanding Hampton Roads
waters would not only blockade Virginia ports, but could at any time,
if unopposed, descend upon her coast, ascend her rivers, and lay waste
or invest her coast and river cities. Upon the James was Richmond,
the capital of the state, soon to be the Confederate States capital.
Upon opposite banks of the Elizabeth were Portsmouth and Norfolk,
and, just above Portsmouth, nearly opposite Norfolk, the navy yard.
Up the Nansemond was Suffolk, the point where the Norfolk. & Petersburg
railroad crossed the river, which, if seized by Federal troops,
would isolate Norfolk and enable the Federals to regain the navy yard
they had just abandoned.
The work of fortifying was pushed with all possible expedition and
with all available means. Before the winter of 1861-2 was over a line
of river batteries and forts for coast defense was established. Along the
Elizabeth, from the guns mounted at Fort Norfolk and a battery
between the fort and the wharf, were batteries at Lambert's Point, Tanner's
Creek, and extending to Sewell Point on one bank of the river; on
the other, batteries at the Naval Hospital, at Penner's Point, and
twenty guns on Craney island, off Wise's Point. Bushy Point and Soller's
Point had batteries also. Near the mouth of the Nansemond were
batteries at Town Point and Pig Point on one side, at Cedar Point and
Barrel Point on the other; also at Pagan Creek. James river was defended
by batteries at Jamestown, Jamestown Island, Mulberry Point,
Harden Bluff. Fort Powhatan guarded the ascent of the Appomattox
river. The Federals, in addition to the commanding defense of Fortress
Monroe, had Fort Wool at the Rip Raps and powerful land batteries at
Newport News.
On May 1, 1861, Captain Pendergrast, commanding the Home
squadron, United States navy, reported to the Federal authorities
that he had sufficient naval force off Fortress Monroe to blockade
Virginia ports, and from that date open communication between
Virginia and Northern States ceased. May 24th, Brigadier-General
Benjamin Huger succeeded General Gwynn in command of infantry
troops in and around Norfolk. May 21st, Colonel J. B. Magruder, of
the Provisional Army of Virginia, was placed in command of military
operations and forces on the peninsula, with instructions to provide
for the safety of Yorktown and Jamestown.
July 10th, the defenses of the James river were assigned to Captain
George N. Hollins, Confederate States navy. At the close of 1861 the
principal forts and batteries in charge of naval officers were commanded
as follows: Sewell's Point, Commander W.L Maury; Fort Nelson, Commander
Charles F. McIntosh; Fort Norfolk, Commander R.F. Pinkney;
Penner's Point, Lieutenant George W. Harrison; Pig Point, Lieutenant
R. R. Carter. Batteries at Cedar Point, Barrel Point and Pagan Creek
were in charge of Commander R. L. Page until he was sent to Gloucester
Point. Lambert's Point battery was commanded by Lieutenant J. S.
Taylor, Confederate States army.
The first vessels available for Confederate service in these waters were
gathered in the James river: The Yorktown (formerly the Patrick
Henry of the New York and Old Dominion steamship line); the Jamestown
(of the same line), renamed the Thomas Jefferson, but persistently
called the Jamestown; the Teaser, a river tug. These, in the winter of
1861-2, were under command of Captain John R. Tucker, and stationed
off Mulberry Island, where the battery at Harden's Point closed James
river to the enemy. The Jamestown carried two guns, the Teaser one,
the Yorktown (or Patrick Henry) six. The latter was fitted for naval
service by her executive officer, Lieutenant William Llewellyn Powell,
who had her cabins taken off, her deck strengthened, and one-inch iron
plate (all she could bear) put abreast her boiler and engines, extending
a few feet beyond each way and below the water line. This boat ran
out toward Newport News and skirmished with the enemy's vessels on
September 13th, and again on December 2d.
