Fort Darling Fort Darling ( Drewry ' s Fort , Drewry ' s Bluff ) was a Confederate military installation during the American Civil War located at Drewry ’ s Bluff , a high point of 80 – 100 feet overlooking a bend in the James River south of Richmond in Chesterfield County , Virginia . It protected the Confederate capital of Richmond from Union naval attacks throughout most of the war . Drewry ' s Bluff . On 17 March 1862 Captain Augustus H . Drewry a local landowner ( after whom the name Drewry ' s Bluff is taken ) moved in with his artillery unit and began constructing earthworks , defenses and installing 3 large guns ( 1 ten - inch and 2 eight - inch ) , the installation of which was overseen by General Robert E . Lee ' s eldest son Brigadier General G . W . C . Lee . Fort Darling was to defend Richmond the capital of the Confederacy in anticipation of a Union attack by gunboats from along the river . Defenses Bolstered & Their First Test . In May the crew were joined by those from C . S . S . Virginia , who had scuttled their ship with the fall of Norfolk on May 9 , with them defenses were expanded further and obstacles sunk into the James River and 6 more guns placed in a battery upriver . Men worked around the clock for the anticipated battle . Then on May 15 , 5 Union Navy vessels steamed towards Richmond . Led by Commander John Rodgers , the USS " Monitor " , USS " Galena " , Port Royal , Aroostook and Naugatuck engaged the defenses at Fort Darling at 7 . 45am . The concussion from the 10 - pounder was so strong that eight miles away the windows in Richmond rattled with the firing of the Confederate ' s cannons ; however , it broke its casing with the first shot and was inactive for the rest of the battle . For 3 hours and 20 minutes the battle ensued . The fire from Fort Darling high on the bluff and the battery on the riverside made it too dangerous for the 3 wooden ships to advance , the ironclad Monitor and Galena advanced on the defenders . However the Monitors guns could not elevate enough to hit the fort . In the end Galena stood alone , but after 18 hits pierced her armor and caused fires to start the battle was called off and Rodgers turned around . It became known as the Battle of Drewry ' s Bluff Preparations . For two years Fort Darling saw no more action , in that time the naval Captain Sydney Smith Lee ( General E . Lee ' s brother ) took command . Defenses were strengthened along with better accommodations , barracks , chapel , etc . In that time Fort Darling served as a training site for training ground for the Confederate Naval Academy , as well as the Confederate Marine Corps Camp of Instruction . Then on May 5 , 1864 the Union returned , this time landing 30 , 000 troops at Bermuda Hundred only 15 miles south of Richmond , under the command of Major General Benjamin F . Butler . Within a few days they had reached Fort Darling managing to take over some of the outer defenses , but indecisive generals failed to consolidate their hold . Soon 18 , 000 Confederate infantry under General P . G . T Beauregard arrived and routed the attackers on May 16 . Fort Darling and Richmond had again seen the Union driven off . Evacuation . Following the Battle of Namozine Church began the evacuation of Petersburg and Richmond on April 2 , 1865 . The troops , marines and sailors of Fort Darling joined the movement westwards and eventually surrendered after the Battle of Appomattox Court House on April 9 . On April 4 the obstacles in the James River were cleared and Abraham Lincoln passed the fort on his way to Richmond .