In 1861, Confederates constructed here an eight-gun “water battery” principally for the defense of Fredericksburg. The guns were manned by the 55th Infantry Regiment located 500 yards N.W. The cannons were moved and the fort abandoned in March 1862 after Northern Neck troop withdrawal left the unit defenseless. On April 14, 1862, six Union gunboats bombarded and burned the installation. Thereafter, the fort functioned in limited capacity until the war ended.