Enemy in the River: Union Flotilla Steams Up The James to Capture Richmond
Presenter:
John V. Quarstein
Director emeritus of the USS Monitor Center
About the lecture:
When President Lincoln arrived at Fort Monroe, Virginia on May 6, 1862, he sought to break the existing Hampton Roads stalemate. Two days later, he ordered USS Monitor and several other gunboats to attack Sewell’s Point while the USS Galena task force dueled the Confederate forts guarding the entrance to the James River; these fortifications were abandoned. This action isolated Norfolk and forced the city’s surrender. The flotilla commanded by Capt. John Rodgers stopped at every Confederate fortification as it sailed up river. The time spent investigating these abandoned earthworks enabled the Confederates to complete their fortifications on Drewry’s Bluff.
Registration Information
Advance registration is required whether you attend the lecture in person or online.
In person
Free for Museum Members.
$1 for guests
Virtual
This lecture is livestreamed
and free to watch online
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Image credit: Plan of Fort Huger. Courtesy Library of Congress.
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