Fort Darling: Difference between revisions

Then on May 15, 5 Union Navy vessels steamed towards Richmond. Led by [[John Rodgers (American Civil War naval officer)|Commander John Rodgers]], the [[USS Monitor|USS ''Monitor'']], [[USS Galena (1862)|USS ''Galena'']], Port Royal, [[USS Aroostook (1861)|Aroostook]] and [[USRC Naugatuck|Naugatuck]]<ref name=naval>{{cite web|title=American Civil War Naval Action May 15, 1862|url=http://www.nps.gov/abpp/battles/va012.htm|publisher=nps.gov|accessdate=18 November 2012}}</ref> engaged the defenses at Fort Darling at 7.45am45 am. The concussion from the 10-inch gun was so strong that eight miles away the windows in Richmond rattled with the firing of the Confederate's cannons; however, it broke its carriage with the first shot and was inactive for the rest of the battle.<ref name="government" />

For two years Fort Darling saw no more action,. inIn that time the naval Captain [[Sydney Smith Lee]] (General Robert E. Lee's brother) took command. Defenses were strengthened along with better accommodations, barracks, chapel, etc.<ref name=jstor>{{Cite journal|last=Kay|first=William Kennon|title=Drewry's Bluff or Fort Darling?|journal=The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography|year=1969|volume=77|issue=2|pages=191–200|jstor=4247473}}</ref> In that time Fort Darling served as a training site for training ground for the [[Confederate States Naval Academy]], as well as the [[Confederate States Marine Corps|Confederate Marine Corps]] Camp of Instruction.<ref name=government />