Swimming Point in Portsmouth, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Portsmouth Naval Hospital

“Civil War 1861-1865”

— Fort Nelson Park —

Portsmouth Naval Hospital Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, May 30, 2015

1. Portsmouth Naval Hospital Marker

Inscription. Virginia seceded from the Union on April 17, 1861. On April 2, the Governor ordered the 3rd Virginia Regiment to occupy and fortify the Navy Hospital grounds. A battery of earthen works was hastily erected on the point and renamed Fort Nelson, after the revolutionary fort of 1776 to 1824. During the Confederate occupation, the hospital served as a medical facility and a fort. The Union retook the area on May 10, 1862, and until the end of the war, the hospital cared for Union soldiers and sailors. In 1865, the hospital treated nearly 1,300 patients.

Erected by Path of History, Portsmouth, Va.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • Science & Medicine • War, US Civil. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1867.

Location. 36° 50.473′ N, 76° 18.337′ W. Marker is in Portsmouth, Virginia. It is in Swimming Point. It can be reached from the intersection of Effingham Street and Crawford Parkway, on the right when traveling north. 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.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A different marker also named Portsmouth Naval Hospital (a few steps from this marker); Lincolnsville (a few steps from this marker); a different

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marker also named Portsmouth Naval Hospital (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named Portsmouth Naval Hospital (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Portsmouth Naval Hospital (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Portsmouth Naval Hospital (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Portsmouth Naval Hospital (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Portsmouth Naval Hospital (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Portsmouth.

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, May 30, 2015

2. Portsmouth Naval Hospital Marker

Fort Nelson Park southwest entrance image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, May 30, 2015

3. Fort Nelson Park southwest entrance

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 31, 2015, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 560 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 31, 2015, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.