Near Charles City in Charles City County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Fort Pocahontas

Photographed by Dexter Akinsheye, May 20, 2007

1. Fort Pocahontas Marker

Inscription. South of here, on a bluff overlooking the James River, stands the half-mile-long Fort Pocahontas, built in the spring of 1864 by Union soldiers during the Civil War. The fort protected Union vessels on the river and guarded the landing at Wilson’s Wharf. Commanded by Brig. Gen. Edward A. Wild and manned by the 1st and 10th Regiments of U.S. Colored Troops and two guns of Battery M, 3d N.Y. Light Artillery, the 1,500-man garrison beat back assaults by 2,500 cavalrymen under Confederate Maj. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee on 24 May 1864. It was the only Civil War battle in Virginia in which nearly all the Union troops were black.

Erected 1997 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number V-34.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Forts and Castles • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical date for this entry is May 24, 1864.

Location. 37° 19.562′ N, 76° 59.716′ W. Marker is near Charles City, Virginia, in Charles City County. It is on John Tyler Memorial Highway (Virginia Route 5) east of County Route 614, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Charles City VA 23030, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is 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.

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Sherwood Forest (a few steps from this marker); Sturgeon Point & Kennons (a few steps from this marker); Kennon's Landing (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named Sherwood Forest (approx. 1.4 miles away); President Tyler's Home (approx. 1.6 miles away); Sandy Point & Cherry Hall (approx. 2 miles away); Binns Hall (approx. 3 miles away); Kittiewan and Doctor Rickman (approx. 3.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Charles City.

Also see . . .
1. Fort Pocahontas. ..is privately owned and maintained by President Tyler’s grandson and his family, who still reside just two miles west at Sherwood Forest Plantation, President Tyler’s home from 1842 to 1861. (Submitted on September 22, 2007, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia.)

2. National Registry of Historic Places Registration Form for Fort Pocahontas. (Submitted on September 22, 2007, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia.)

Additional keywords. USCT, 1st USCT Regiment of Washington, D.C.

Photographed by Dexter Akinsheye, May 20, 2007

2. Fort Pocahontas Marker

Pictured at the Fort Pocahontas Marker, are the Marie H. Reed's Civil War Cadets from Washington, D.C.

At Fort Pocahontas image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Dexter Akinsheye

3. At Fort Pocahontas

This re-enactment scene depicts the battle at Fort Pocahontas on May 24, 1864, by USCT Civil War re-enactors.

Fort Pocahontas image. Click for full size.

National Register of Historic Places

4. Fort Pocahontas

Credits. This page was last revised on July 6, 2021. It was originally submitted on September 19, 2007, by Dexter Akinsheye of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 3,661 times since then and 57 times this year. Last updated on July 25, 2008, by Kathy Walker of Stafford, Virginia. Photos: 1. submitted on September 19, 2007, by Dexter Akinsheye of Silver Spring, Maryland. 2, 3. submitted on September 20, 2007, by Dexter Akinsheye of Silver Spring, Maryland. 4. submitted on December 9, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.