Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Battery Irwin

Fort Monroe

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 6, 2021

1. Battery Irwin Marker

Inscription. The Battery was a light, rapid-fire battery with four 3-inch, 15-pounder guns was designed to defend Fort Monroe's controlled mine fields and against fast moving torpedo boats. The Battery was built from early spring 1900 to 1901; the guns were mounted in 1903. The Battery was transferred to the coast artillery on May 28, 1903, with a construction cost of $12,500. The Battery was named in 1903 for 1st Lt. Douglas S. Irwin, who was killed in the Mexican War. The Battery was originally armed with Model 1898 guns on balanced pillar mounts. This armament was removed in 1920, after the First World War. One emplacement was subsequently modified to take a 3-inch Model 1917 antiaircraft gun. After the Second World War two 3-inch Model 1902 pedestal-mounted guns were re-located to Battery Irwin from Fort Wood in 1946 to serve as saluting guns. Long since abandoned, the two saluting guns and their late box-type gun shield remain in this emplacement at Fort Monroe.

Erected by Fort Monroe Authority; National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Forts and Castles. A significant historical date for this entry is May 28, 1903.

Location. 37° 0.101′ N, 76° 18.331′ W. Marker is in Hampton, Virginia. It is in Fort

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Monroe. It is on Fenwick Road just west of Engineer lane, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 234 Fenwick Rd, Fort Monroe VA 23651, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on the Peninsula

and in Coastal Virginia.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Tidewater.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Battery Parrott (within shouting distance of this marker); Old Point Comfort Light (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Jefferson Davis Memorial Arch (about 500 feet away); An Enduring Legacy? (about 600 feet away); Fort Monroe History (about 600 feet away); a different marker also named Fort Monroe History (about 700 feet away); "Ruth Window" (about 800 feet away); Fort Monroe (about 800 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hampton.

Other markers no longer nearby. Fort Monroe Concrete Seawall Eastern Terminus (was about 300 feet away but has been confirmed missing); Fort Monroe Seawall History (was about 500 feet away but has been confirmed missing); Engineer Wharf (was about 500 feet away but has been confirmed missing); a different marker also named Fort Monroe Seawall History (was about 600 feet away but has been confirmed missing).

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 6, 2021

2. Battery Irwin Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 9, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 816 times since then and 43 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 9, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.