Military
11
By 1863 the Drewry’s Bluff post had expanded into a military city where hundreds of Confederate soldiers, sailors, and Marines camped. The Confederate States Naval Academy held classes in buildings and aboard the side-wheeled steamer CSS Patrick Henry, anchored in the James River. Supporting structures included barracks, a chapel, a post office, a hotel, and a Masonic lodge. Steamships brought civilians from Richmond nearly every day to picnic, socialize, and watch the sailors and Marines drill, and French envoy Charles Girard wrote that the encampment resembled a pioneer village, with small log houses with doors, windows, and fireplaces.
Hear stories like this as you drive
ExploreHere reads historical markers out loud as you pass them: over 325,000 stories across the US. No account needed.
4.7 · 800+ ratings · Free
FIND IT
Virginia · United States
