Fort Pocahontas
Posted by: 
xptwo
N 37° 19.558 W 076° 59.721
18S E 323212 N 4132900
Fort Pocahontas was an earthen fort built and initially manned primarily by Union Colored forces near the marker site. They withstood a Confederate attack and were able to keep the fort open to protect Union river traffic.
Waymark Code: WMEZ9E
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 07/27/2012
Views: 6
According to the web site listed below, the site of the fort has not been disturbed since the war and was purchased by President Tyler's grandson, Harrison Ruffin Tyler, in 1996. It is being preserved for continued historical and archaeological research. The site is open for group tours which can be arranged by using the contact information at the web site.
The historic marker is one of four markers located on John Tyler Memorial Highway (Virginia Route 5) a few miles from the site of the fort and Charles City, Virginia. The site is located on Sturgeon Point Road which is west of the marker location on John Tyler Memorial Highway.
The text of the marker reads:
South of here, on a bluff overlooking the James River, stands the half-mile-long Fort Pocahontas, built in the spring of 1869 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.
Department of Historic Resources
1997
Marker Number: V34
Marker Title: Fort Pocahontas
Marker Location: John Tyler Memorial Highway near the intersection with Sturgeon Point Road
County or Independent City: Charles City
Web Site: [Web Link]
Marker Program Sponsor: Department of Historic Resources
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