Wilson's Wharf in Jamestown in James City County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

1861 Fort Pocahontas

Photographed by Tracy Andersen Roberts, July 3, 2026

1. 1861 Fort Pocahontas Marker

Inscription.
The embankment and earth mounds before you are the remnants of a Confederate Civil War earthwork named Fort Pocahontas. One of five Civil War forts constructed on Jamestown Island, this shore battery of 18 guns was positioned to stop Federal ships from moving upriver toward Richmond, the capital and industrial center of the Confederacy.

Jamestown landowner William Allen and his slaves began construction of the earthworks in the spring of 1861 and Confederate naval engineer Lt. Catesby ap Roger Jones completed them. General Robert E. Lee personally inspected Fort Pocahontas on June 5, 1861.

Confederate forces designed and tested armored targets with Fort Pocahontas guns, the results of which were put to test in the Battle of Hampton Roads, the famous clash of the ironclads USS Monitor and CSS Virginia (formerly the USS Merrimac). The fort was abandoned without a fight on May 3, 1862, and the troops retreated to a position nearer to Richmond after burning the powder magazines and gun carriages. Under Federal control, Jamestown Island was used as a camp for escaped slaves.

Archaeologists have discovered the fort's

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timber plank gun emplacements, moats, ramps, powder magazines, and bomb-proofs.

"The battery, which was built just above the old tower..." - Robert E. Lee 1861

(captions)
Gun powder storage magazine, center of Fort Pocahontas
Archaeologists uncovering the remains of timber plank gun emplacements Map of earthwork fort (from David E, Riggs Embattled Shrine

Erected by Jamestown Rediscovery.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Anthropology & Archaeology • Forts and Castles • War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1861.

Location. 37° 12.551′ N, 76° 46.734′ W. Marker is in Jamestown, Virginia, in James City County. It is in Wilson's Wharf. It can be reached from Colonial National Historical Parkway 1½ miles south of Jamestown Road (Virginia Route 31), on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Jamestown VA 23081, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Virginia’s Peninsula,

in Coastal Virginia,

and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American

marker with embankment in the background image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tracy Andersen Roberts, July 3, 2026

2. marker with embankment in the background

South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Tidewater,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. 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: Confederate Earthworks (within shouting distance of this marker); James Fort Site 1607 – 1624 (within shouting distance of this marker); Robert Hunt (within shouting distance of this marker); The Hunt Shrine (within shouting distance of this marker); Burial (within shouting distance of this marker); Well (within shouting distance of this marker); Pocahontas (within shouting distance of this marker); Jamestown’s Churches (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Jamestown.

marker shown on the right side of the northbound path to the Archaearium image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tracy Andersen Roberts, July 3, 2026

3. marker shown on the right side of the northbound path to the Archaearium

James River visible to the left

Credits. This page was last revised on July 21, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 18, 2026, by Tracy Andersen Roberts of Atlanta, Georgia. This page has been viewed 13 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 18, 2026, by Tracy Andersen Roberts of Atlanta, Georgia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.