Battle of Drewry ' s Bluff The Battle of Drewry ' s Bluff , also known as the Battle of Fort Darling , or Fort Drewry , took place on May 15 , 1862 , in Chesterfield County , Virginia , as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War . Five Union Navy warships , including the ironclads and , steamed up the James River to test the defenses of Richmond , Virginia , the Confederate capital . They encountered submerged obstacles and deadly accurate fire from the batteries of Fort Darling at Drewry ' s Bluff , which inflicted severe damage on " Galena " . The Union Navy was forced to turn back . Background . In the spring of 1862 , Union Major General George B . McClellan launched an amphibious operation against Richmond by landing troops at Fort Monroe and then marching northwest up the Virginia Peninsula . After the fall of Yorktown and the withdrawal of General Joseph E . Johnston ' s army up the Peninsula , only the Confederate Navy ironclad CSS " Virginia " prevented Union occupation of the lower James River and Norfolk . When the Confederate garrison at Norfolk was evacuated by Maj . Gen . Benjamin Huger on May 10 , Flag Officer Josiah Tattnall knew that he could not navigate " Virginia " through the shallow stretches of the James River toward Richmond , so she was scuttled on May 11 off Craney Island to prevent her capture . This opened the James River at Hampton Roads to Federal gunboats . The only obstacle that protected Richmond from a river approach was Fort Darling on Drewry ' s Bluff , overlooking a sharp bend on the river down river from the city . The Confederate defenders , including marines , sailors , and soldiers , were supervised by navy Commander Ebenezer Farrand and by army Captain Augustus H . Drewry ( the owner of the property that bore his name ) of the Southside Heavy Artillery . The eight cannons in the fort , including field artillery pieces and five naval guns , some salvaged from the " Virginia " , commanded the river for miles in both directions . Guns from CSS " Patrick Henry " , including an smoothbore , were just upriver and sharpshooters gathered on the river banks . An underwater obstruction of sunken steamers , pilings , debris , and other vessels connected by chains was placed just below the bluff , making it difficult for vessels to maneuver in the narrow river . Battle . On May 15 , a detachment of the U . S . Navy ' s North Atlantic Blockading Squadron , under the command of Commander John Rodgers steamed up the James River from Fort Monroe to test the Richmond defenses . The flotilla consisted of the ironclad gunboats USS " Monitor " ( commanded by Lieutenant William N . Jeffers ) and ( the flagship ) , the screw gunship , the side - wheeler , and the twin - screw ironclad . At 07 : 45 , " Galena " closed to within of the fort and anchored , but before Rodgers could open fire , two Confederate rounds pierced the lightly - armored vessel . The battle lasted over three hours and during that time , " Galena " remained almost stationary and took 45 hits . Her crew reported casualties of 14 dead or mortally wounded and 10 injured . " Monitor " was a frequent target , but her heavier armor withstood the blows . Unfortunately for her crew , her guns could not elevate high enough to fire on the Confederate batteries , above the river . " Naugatuck " withdrew when her 100 - pounder Parrott rifle exploded . The two wooden gunboats remained safely out of range of the big guns , but the captain of " Port Royal " was wounded by a sharpshooter . Around 11 : 00 , the Union ships withdrew to City Point . Aftermath . During the battle , Corporal John F . Mackie became the first Marine to earn the Medal of Honor . The massive fort on Drewry ' s Bluff had blunted the Union advance just short of the Confederate capital , at a loss of seven Confederates killed and eight wounded . Richmond remained safe . Rodgers reported to McClellan that it was feasible for the navy to land troops as close as from Richmond . Some amateur researchers think the Union Army never took advantage of this observation , yet the entire purpose of the expedition was to obtain such information . The area saw action again during the Siege of Petersburg . The Army of the James landed on May 5 , 1864 , at Bermuda Hundred , a neck of land north of City Point at the confluence of the James and Appomattox Rivers , only 15 miles ( 25 km ) south of Richmond . The army marched overland , advancing within three miles ( 5 km ) of Drewry ' s Bluff by May 9 . From a tactical perspective , Bermuda Hundred allowed a complete amphibious landing with less likelihood of counterattack than a landing five miles closer to Drewry ' s Bluff and Fort Darling .