Hampton Roads Center , Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Battle of Big Bethel
Commanding Officers
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, May 28, 2017
1. Battle of Big Bethel Marker
Inscription.
Battle of Big Bethel. Commanding Officers. Confederate Col. John Bankhead Magruder (1807-1871) graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1830. He served in the Second Seminole War (1835-1842) and the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), and commanded an artillery battery in Washington, D.C., when the Civil War began. He resigned his commission, was appointed a Confederate colonel, and was assigned to defend the Peninsula. Lauded for his success at Big Bethel, he failed at Malvern Hill under Gen. Robert E. Lee a year later. Magruder was reassigned to Texas, where he won the Battle of Galveston on January 1, 1863. After the war, he first fled to Mexico and served in the army of Emperor Maximilian I, and the settled in Houston, Texas, where he died., Union Gen. Benjamin Franklin Butler (1818-1893) was a Massachusetts lawyer and politician. Appointed a general when the Civil War erupted, he secured the vital rail link between the North and Washington, DC by occupying Baltimore in May 1861. A grateful President Abraham Lincoln appointed him commander of Fort Monroe. Despite the debacle at Big Bethel, Butler continued in the service until November 1865. He refused to return escaped slaves (contrabands of war") to their owners, and thereby set Federal policy. Butler insisted that black troops serve in combat. He led a successful expedition to eastern North Carolina, gained notoriety as military governor of Louisiana, and bungled at Bermuda Hundred and Fort Fisher. After the war, he served several congressional terms and was governor of Massachusetts., (captions) , Flamboyant and pompous, Prince John Col. John B. Magruder designed his own uniforms. Courtesy Library of Congress , Battle of Galveston, Harpers Weekly, Jan. 31, 1863 , Sgt. Christian Fleetwood received the Medal of Honor (center) for bravery at the Battle of New Market Heights in 1864, when he served in Butlers Army of the James. Library of Congress , The military establishment detested Gen. Benjamin F. Butler (and vice versa) but he survived several attempts to sack him. Library of Congress
Confederate Col. John Bankhead Magruder (1807-1871) graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1830. He served in the Second Seminole War (1835-1842) and the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), and commanded an artillery battery in Washington, D.C., when the Civil War began. He resigned his commission, was appointed a Confederate colonel, and was assigned to defend the Peninsula. Lauded for his success at Big Bethel, he failed at Malvern Hill under Gen. Robert E. Lee a year later. Magruder was reassigned to Texas, where he won the Battle of Galveston on January 1, 1863. After the war, he first fled to Mexico and served in the army of Emperor Maximilian I, and the settled in Houston, Texas, where he died.
Union Gen. Benjamin Franklin Butler (1818-1893) was a Massachusetts lawyer and politician. Appointed a general when the Civil War erupted, he secured the vital rail link between the North and Washington, DC by occupying Baltimore in May 1861. A grateful President Abraham Lincoln appointed him commander of Fort Monroe. Despite the debacle at Big Bethel, Butler continued in the service until November 1865.
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He refused to return escaped slaves (contrabands of war") to their owners, and thereby set Federal policy. Butler insisted that black troops serve in combat. He led a successful expedition to eastern North Carolina, gained notoriety as military governor of Louisiana, and bungled at Bermuda Hundred and Fort Fisher. After the war, he served several congressional terms and was governor of Massachusetts.
(captions)
Flamboyant and pompous, Prince John Col. John B. Magruder designed his own uniforms. Courtesy Library of Congress
Battle of Galveston, Harpers Weekly, Jan. 31, 1863
Sgt. Christian Fleetwood received the Medal of Honor (center) for bravery at the Battle of New Market Heights in 1864, when he served in Butlers Army of the James. Library of Congress
The military establishment detested Gen. Benjamin F. Butler (and vice versa) but he survived several attempts to sack him. Library of Congress
Erected 2016 by Virginia Civil War Trails. (Marker Number 3.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical date for this entry is June 10, 1861.
Location. 37° 5.502′ N,
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, May 28, 2017
2. Battle of Big Bethel Marker
76° 25.583′ W. Marker is in Hampton, Virginia. It is in Hampton Roads Center. It can be reached from Big Bethel Road (Virginia Route 600) 0.1 miles north of Semple Farm Road, on the left when traveling north. Located in Bethel Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Hampton VA 23666, 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: A different marker also named Battle of Big Bethel (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named Battle of Big Bethel (a few steps from this marker); Battle of Big Bethel Union Monument (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named Battle of Big Bethel (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Battle of Big Bethel (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Battle of Big Bethel (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Battle of Big Bethel (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Battle of Big Bethel (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hampton.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 29, 2017, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 686 times since then and 29 times this year. Last updated on September 5, 2021, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. Photos:1, 2. submitted on May 29, 2017, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.
