In June 1861, Union Maj.Gen. Benjamin F. Butler sought to neutralize the Confederate battery at Pig Point, three miles north on the James River at the mouth of the Nansemond River, to clear a route for the capture of Suffolk. At 9:00 a.m. on 5 June, the steamer USS Harriet Lane shelled the battery. The Portsmouth Rifles, manning the guns there, returned fire and struck the vessel twice. One shot hit a tub of musket balls, and the flying balls wounded six men. No Confederates were injured in the engagement, which ended after twenty minutes when the Harriet Lane withdrew.

Photo: Laura Troy

Photo: Mike Stroud

Suffolk, Virginia · USA