Battle of Gloucester Point (1861)
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Gloucester Point, Virginia was an inconclusive exchange of cannon fire on May 7, 1861 between a shore battery on the York River
manned by Virginia
(soon to be Confederate
) forces and the Union
gunboat USS Yankee
, three weeks after the start of the American Civil War
(Civil War). The battle is notable as the earliest exchange of gunfire between the Union Navy
and organized Rebel (Confederate) forces after the U.S. Army surrender of Fort Sumter
to Confederate forces on April 14, 1861. It was also the earliest reported Civil War military engagement in Virginia. Like other early engagements between Union gunboats and Confederate shore batteries, the battle at Gloucester Point was part of the Union Navy effort to blockade
the Southern States in general and the Chesapeake Bay
in particular, and correspondingly, part of the effort by Confederate forces to deny the use of rivers in Virginia
to Union military and commercial traffic.
in the harbor Charleston, South Carolina
to Confederate forces, President
Abraham Lincoln
called for 75,000 volunteers to reclaim federal property and to suppress the incipient rebellion of the seven Deep South
Slave states. Four Upper South States which also permitted slavery, including Virginia, refused to furnish troops for this purpose and began the process of secession
from the Union and joining the Confederacy.
On April 17, 1861, the elected delegates to the Virginia Secession Convention in Richmond, Virginia
passed an ordinance of secession from the Union, subject to a ratification vote of the people of the state on May 23, 1861. The convention also authorized the governor to call for volunteers to join the military forces of Virginia to defend the state against Federal military action. Despite the provision for a later popular vote on the issue of secession, the actions of the convention and Virginia political leaders, especially Governor
John Letcher
, effectively took Virginia out of the union.
On April 22, 1861, Governor John Letcher
appointed Robert E. Lee
as commander in chief of Virginia’s army and navy forces. On April 24, 1861, Virginia and the Confederate States agreed that the Virginia forces would be under the overall direction of the Confederate President pending completion of the process of Virginia joining the Confederate States. In view of these developments which showed Virginia would complete the process of secession, President Lincoln also did not wait for the vote of the people of Virginia on the issue to take action that treated Virginia as part of the Confederacy. On April 27, 1861, he extended the blockade of the original Confederate States that he had declared on April 19, 1861 to include the ports of Virginia and North Carolina.
On May 3, 1861, Major General Robert E. Lee of the Virginia forces appointed Colonel William B. Taliaferro
to command defenses at Gloucester Point, Virginia
on the York River opposite Yorktown, Virginia
. General Lee instructed the colonel to cooperate with Virginia Navy Captain William C. Whittle in the construction and defense of a shore battery to cover the York River at that location. On May 6, 1861, a company of fifty men of the Richmond Howitzers, a Virginia volunteer artillery regiment, with two six-pounder cannons, was ordered to report to Gloucester Point to assist in the defense and operation of the shore battery. The artillerymen arrived early on May 7, 1861. While this force had not yet been formally transferred to the Confederate States Army
or Confederate States Navy
, they were acting in concert with the Confederacy and were only nominally not Confederates.
Garrett J. Pendergrast
ordered Navy Lieutenant
Thomas O. Selfridge, Jr.
to examine the reported fortifications. On the same day, Lieutenant Selfridge, commanding the USS Yankee, a converted steam tugboat of 328 tons displacement with 2 guns, sailed up the York River to develop intelligence on the fortifications at Gloucester Point. As the Yankee approached to within about 2,000 yards of the shore battery’s site, the battery fired a shot across its bow. The Yankee slowly continued on its course and the battery fired another shot at the boat.
Lieutenant Selfridge reported that the shore battery fired 12 shots at the Yankee but a later account of T. Roberts Baker of the Richmond Howitzers, stated that men of the Virginia force determined they had fired 13 shots. Lt. Selfridge reported that all but 2 of the battery’s shots were short. The Yankee fired 4 shots and 2 shells in return. Selfridge stated that he could not hit the opposing force's guns because of their elevation and the small size of his guns. The Yankee's guns were "light 32s" whereas Selfridge opined that the Rebels had 2 "long 32s" and an "8-inch shell". He thought the enemy force was about 40 men. In fact, the battery had smaller "six-pounder" guns.
After this exchange of gunfire, the Yankee turned around and headed for its base at Hampton Roads near Fort Monroe. Selfridge did not mention damage to the Yankee in his report but T. Roberts Baker of the Virginia force recalled that two shots from the battery hit the Yankee. Neither side reported anyone killed or wounded.
Despite Baker’s later account that Colonel Taliaferro directed the actions of the Richmond Howitzers at Gloucester Point on May 7, Colonel Taliaferro stated in a report on May 8, 1861, that he arrived at Gloucester Point after the action had taken place. He said that Captain Whittle had directed the firing. Whittle denied this. Lieutenant John Thompson Brown
of the Richmond Howitzers was in command of the small force manning the battery at this time. Some sources credit him with firing the first cannon shot of the Civil War in Virginia. Brown was promoted to captain on May 9, 1861.
, Virginia on June 10, 1861.
Similar minor engagements between Union gunboats and Virginia shore batteries occurred soon after the action at Gloucester Point at the Battle of Sewell's Point
, the Battle of Aquia Creek
and the Battle of Pig Point
. The Battle of Gloucester Point can be considered with them as part of the Union campaign to blockade the Chesapeake Bay and the entire coast of the Southern States.
The naval batteries at Gloucester Point and Yorktown were abandoned overnight on May 3–4, 1862. This occurred during the Confederate retreat up the Peninsula toward Richmond during the Peninsula Campaign
.
Captain John Thompson Brown ultimately became a colonel and was commander of the artillery for the 2d Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia
at the Battle of Gettysburg
. While in charge of a division of three battalions of artillery, Brown was killed in action at the Battle of the Wilderness
on May 6, 1864.
York River
York River can refer to:In the United States:*The York River *The York River In Canada:*The York River...
manned by Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
(soon to be Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
) forces and the Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
gunboat USS Yankee
USS Yankee (1861)
USS Yankee was a steam powered side-wheel tugboat acquired by the Union Navy just prior to the outbreak of the American Civil War.- Provisioning Fort Sumter, evacuating Norfolk :...
, three weeks after the start of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
(Civil War). The battle is notable as the earliest exchange of gunfire between the Union Navy
Union Navy
The Union Navy is the label applied to the United States Navy during the American Civil War, to contrast it from its direct opponent, the Confederate States Navy...
and organized Rebel (Confederate) forces after the U.S. Army surrender of Fort Sumter
Battle of Fort Sumter
The Battle of Fort Sumter was the bombardment and surrender of Fort Sumter, near Charleston, South Carolina, that started the American Civil War. Following declarations of secession by seven Southern states, South Carolina demanded that the U.S. Army abandon its facilities in Charleston Harbor. On...
to Confederate forces on April 14, 1861. It was also the earliest reported Civil War military engagement in Virginia. Like other early engagements between Union gunboats and Confederate shore batteries, the battle at Gloucester Point was part of the Union Navy effort to blockade
Blockade
A blockade is an effort to cut off food, supplies, war material or communications from a particular area by force, either in part or totally. A blockade should not be confused with an embargo or sanctions, which are legal barriers to trade, and is distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually...
the Southern States in general and the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
in particular, and correspondingly, part of the effort by Confederate forces to deny the use of rivers in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
to Union military and commercial traffic.
Background
On April 15, 1861, the day after the small U.S. Army garrison surrendered Fort SumterBattle of Fort Sumter
The Battle of Fort Sumter was the bombardment and surrender of Fort Sumter, near Charleston, South Carolina, that started the American Civil War. Following declarations of secession by seven Southern states, South Carolina demanded that the U.S. Army abandon its facilities in Charleston Harbor. On...
in the harbor Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
to Confederate forces, President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
called for 75,000 volunteers to reclaim federal property and to suppress the incipient rebellion of the seven Deep South
Deep South
The Deep South is a descriptive category of the cultural and geographic subregions in the American South. Historically, it is differentiated from the "Upper South" as being the states which were most dependent on plantation type agriculture during the pre-Civil War period...
Slave states. Four Upper South States which also permitted slavery, including Virginia, refused to furnish troops for this purpose and began the process of secession
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
from the Union and joining the Confederacy.
On April 17, 1861, the elected delegates to the Virginia Secession Convention in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
passed an ordinance of secession from the Union, subject to a ratification vote of the people of the state on May 23, 1861. The convention also authorized the governor to call for volunteers to join the military forces of Virginia to defend the state against Federal military action. Despite the provision for a later popular vote on the issue of secession, the actions of the convention and Virginia political leaders, especially Governor
Governor of Virginia
The governor of Virginia serves as the chief executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia for a four-year term. The position is currently held by Republican Bob McDonnell, who was inaugurated on January 16, 2010, as the 71st governor of Virginia....
John Letcher
John Letcher
John Letcher was an American lawyer, journalist, and politician. He served as a Representative in the United States Congress, was the 34th Governor of Virginia during the American Civil War, and later served in the Virginia General Assembly...
, effectively took Virginia out of the union.
On April 22, 1861, Governor John Letcher
John Letcher
John Letcher was an American lawyer, journalist, and politician. He served as a Representative in the United States Congress, was the 34th Governor of Virginia during the American Civil War, and later served in the Virginia General Assembly...
appointed Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
as commander in chief of Virginia’s army and navy forces. On April 24, 1861, Virginia and the Confederate States agreed that the Virginia forces would be under the overall direction of the Confederate President pending completion of the process of Virginia joining the Confederate States. In view of these developments which showed Virginia would complete the process of secession, President Lincoln also did not wait for the vote of the people of Virginia on the issue to take action that treated Virginia as part of the Confederacy. On April 27, 1861, he extended the blockade of the original Confederate States that he had declared on April 19, 1861 to include the ports of Virginia and North Carolina.
On May 3, 1861, Major General Robert E. Lee of the Virginia forces appointed Colonel William B. Taliaferro
William B. Taliaferro
William Booth Taliaferro , was a United States Army officer, a lawyer, legislator, and Confederate general in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
to command defenses at Gloucester Point, Virginia
Gloucester Point, Virginia
Gloucester Point is a census-designated place in Gloucester County, Virginia, United States. The population was 9,429 at the 2000 census. It is also home to The College of William & Mary's Virginia Institute of Marine Science, a graduate school for the study of oceanography.-Geography:Gloucester...
on the York River opposite Yorktown, Virginia
Yorktown, Virginia
Yorktown is a census-designated place in York County, Virginia, United States. The population was 220 in the 2000 census. It is the county seat of York County, one of the eight original shires formed in colonial Virginia in 1634....
. General Lee instructed the colonel to cooperate with Virginia Navy Captain William C. Whittle in the construction and defense of a shore battery to cover the York River at that location. On May 6, 1861, a company of fifty men of the Richmond Howitzers, a Virginia volunteer artillery regiment, with two six-pounder cannons, was ordered to report to Gloucester Point to assist in the defense and operation of the shore battery. The artillerymen arrived early on May 7, 1861. While this force had not yet been formally transferred to the Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
or Confederate States Navy
Confederate States Navy
The Confederate States Navy was the naval branch of the Confederate States armed forces established by an act of the Confederate Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the American Civil War...
, they were acting in concert with the Confederacy and were only nominally not Confederates.
Battle
In early May 1861, the Union Navy learned that rebel Virginia forces were building fortifications at Gloucester Point on the York River. On May 7, 1861, Union Flag OfficerFlag Officer
A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark where the officer exercises command. The term usually refers to the senior officers in an English-speaking nation's navy, specifically those who hold any of the admiral ranks; in...
Garrett J. Pendergrast
Garrett J. Pendergrast
Garrett Jesse Pendergrast was an officer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.-Early life and career:A native of Kentucky, Pendergrast was married to Virginia Barron, the daughter of James Barron...
ordered Navy Lieutenant
Lieutenant (naval)
LieutenantThe pronunciation of lieutenant is generally split between or , generally in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Commonwealth countries, and or , generally associated with the United States. See lieutenant. is a commissioned officer rank in many nations' navies...
Thomas O. Selfridge, Jr.
Thomas O. Selfridge, Jr.
Thomas O. Selfridge, Jr. , son of Thomas O. Selfridge, was an officer in the United States Navy.Born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, Selfridge graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1854.-Civil War:...
to examine the reported fortifications. On the same day, Lieutenant Selfridge, commanding the USS Yankee, a converted steam tugboat of 328 tons displacement with 2 guns, sailed up the York River to develop intelligence on the fortifications at Gloucester Point. As the Yankee approached to within about 2,000 yards of the shore battery’s site, the battery fired a shot across its bow. The Yankee slowly continued on its course and the battery fired another shot at the boat.
Lieutenant Selfridge reported that the shore battery fired 12 shots at the Yankee but a later account of T. Roberts Baker of the Richmond Howitzers, stated that men of the Virginia force determined they had fired 13 shots. Lt. Selfridge reported that all but 2 of the battery’s shots were short. The Yankee fired 4 shots and 2 shells in return. Selfridge stated that he could not hit the opposing force's guns because of their elevation and the small size of his guns. The Yankee's guns were "light 32s" whereas Selfridge opined that the Rebels had 2 "long 32s" and an "8-inch shell". He thought the enemy force was about 40 men. In fact, the battery had smaller "six-pounder" guns.
After this exchange of gunfire, the Yankee turned around and headed for its base at Hampton Roads near Fort Monroe. Selfridge did not mention damage to the Yankee in his report but T. Roberts Baker of the Virginia force recalled that two shots from the battery hit the Yankee. Neither side reported anyone killed or wounded.
Despite Baker’s later account that Colonel Taliaferro directed the actions of the Richmond Howitzers at Gloucester Point on May 7, Colonel Taliaferro stated in a report on May 8, 1861, that he arrived at Gloucester Point after the action had taken place. He said that Captain Whittle had directed the firing. Whittle denied this. Lieutenant John Thompson Brown
J. Thompson Brown
John Thompson Brown was a Confederate artillerist in the American Civil War. He was killed by a sharpshooter in the Battle of the Wilderness.-Civil War:...
of the Richmond Howitzers was in command of the small force manning the battery at this time. Some sources credit him with firing the first cannon shot of the Civil War in Virginia. Brown was promoted to captain on May 9, 1861.
Aftermath
By May 11, 1861, two nine-inch (229 mm) guns were placed with the battery at Gloucester Point and two more were ready for placement there. By June 25, 1861, fourteen heavy guns were in place at the battery. The men of the Richmond Howitzers were transferred from Gloucester Point to Yorktown on May 26, 1861. The Richmond Howitzers participated in the Battle of Big BethelBattle of Big Bethel
The Battle of Big Bethel, also known as the Battle of Bethel Church or Great Bethel was one of the earliest land battles of the American Civil War after the surrender of Fort Sumter...
, Virginia on June 10, 1861.
Similar minor engagements between Union gunboats and Virginia shore batteries occurred soon after the action at Gloucester Point at the Battle of Sewell's Point
Battle of Sewell's Point
The Battle of Sewell's Point was an inconclusive exchange of cannon fire between the Union gunboat USS Monticello, supported by the USS Thomas Freeborn, and Confederate batteries on Sewell's Point that took place on May 18, 19 and 21, 1861, in Norfolk County, Virginia in the early days of the...
, the Battle of Aquia Creek
Battle of Aquia Creek
The Battle of Aquia Creek was an exchange of cannon fire between Union Navy gunboats and Confederate shore batteries in Stafford County, Virginia which took place from May 29, 1861 to June 1, 1861 during the early days of the American Civil War...
and the Battle of Pig Point
Battle of Pig Point
The Battle of Pig Point, Virginia was an engagement between the Union gunboat USRC Harriet Lane and a shore battery and rifle company of the Confederate States Army on June 5, 1861 in the third month of the American Civil War. Pig Point is located in Portsmouth, Virginia at the mouth of the...
. The Battle of Gloucester Point can be considered with them as part of the Union campaign to blockade the Chesapeake Bay and the entire coast of the Southern States.
The naval batteries at Gloucester Point and Yorktown were abandoned overnight on May 3–4, 1862. This occurred during the Confederate retreat up the Peninsula toward Richmond during the Peninsula Campaign
Peninsula Campaign
The Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The operation, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B...
.
Captain John Thompson Brown ultimately became a colonel and was commander of the artillery for the 2d Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia
Army of Northern Virginia
The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, as well as the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed against the Union Army of the Potomac...
at the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
. While in charge of a division of three battalions of artillery, Brown was killed in action at the Battle of the Wilderness
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...
on May 6, 1864.