Olde Towne in Portsmouth, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Fort Nelson
Photographed by Scott Rollins, June 23, 2009
1. Fort Nelson Marker
Inscription.
Fort Nelson. . On the site of Portsmouth’s Naval Hospital stood Fort Nelson. There, Virginia’s Revolutionary government late in 1776 constructed the fort of timber and rammed earth. Three years later, the British fleet commanded by Admiral Sir George Collier confiscated its artillery and supplies and destroyed most of the parapet. In 1779 – 1781, Lord Cornwallis and General Benedict Arnold occupied the fort. It was reconstructed in 1799 of earth lined with brick, following a design by architect B. Henry Latrobe, and abandoned after the War of 18 12. The Confederate government strengthened Fort Nelson, but on 10 May 1862 the Union army occupied Norfolk and Fort Nelson.
On the site of Portsmouth’s Naval Hospital stood Fort Nelson. There, Virginia’s Revolutionary government late in 1776 constructed the fort of timber and rammed earth. Three years later, the British fleet commanded by Admiral Sir George Collier confiscated its artillery and supplies and destroyed most of the parapet. In 1779 – 1781, Lord Cornwallis and General Benedict Arnold occupied the fort. It was reconstructed in 1799 of earth lined with brick, following a design by architect B. Henry Latrobe, and abandoned after the War of 1812. The Confederate government strengthened Fort Nelson, but on 10 May 1862 the Union army occupied Norfolk and Fort Nelson.
Erected 1997 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number K-265.)
Location. 36° 50.416′ N, 76° 18.108′ W. Marker is in Portsmouth, Virginia. It is in Olde Towne. It is on Crawford Parkway west of Court Street, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Portsmouth VA 23704, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Hampton Roads, specifically in Coastal Virginia, and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area. 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.
Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, February 12, 2014
2. Fort Nelson Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 27, 2009, by Kristin Rollins of Portsmouth, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,975 times since then and 67 times this year. Photos:1. submitted on July 27, 2009, by Kristin Rollins of Portsmouth, Virginia. 2. submitted on February 14, 2014, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.
