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caused a heightened state of alert at Fort Nelson, then commanded by
Captain John Saunders. Heavy mortars were ordered transferred from Newport, Rhode Island to the fort. The Army's report on fortifications in December 1808 stated that Fort Nelson had been strengthened and materials for a new battery
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with Fort Nelson on enemy ships in the
Elizabeth River. In 1795 Captain Richard S. Blackburn's company was being formed in the Norfolk area, and by 1799 garrisoned both Fort Norfolk and Fort Nelson. In 1802–1804 the fort was again rebuilt of earth lined with brick, to a design by architect
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beginning in the 1820s, to close the bay to enemy vessels. This made the
Elizabeth River forts obsolete. Fort Nelson was abandoned in 1824 and torn down in 1827 to make room for the naval hospital; reportedly much of the fort's brick was re-used in building the hospital.
502:, south of the hospital property and some distance from Hospital Point, which is in the northeastern part of the hospital property. The park commemorates the fort in a publicly accessible area. The park has several naval guns and other nautical items. The
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was stretched from Fort
Norfolk to Fort Nelson in order to prevent the British fleet from attacking Gosport Navy Yard, Norfolk, and/or Portsmouth. In the main action of the war in the Norfolk area, the British were repulsed in the
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Late in 1776, Virginia's
Revolutionary government constructed the fort of timber and rammed earth. It was built for a garrison of 150 men near previous entrenchments from 1774, with the work supervised by
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occupied the fort. A 1781 British map of fortifications erected by them on the
Elizabeth River indicates that they rebuilt Fort Nelson, and shows a fort on the future site of Fort Norfolk.
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309:, but destroyed when the British occupied the area in 1779. A British map shows that they rebuilt the fort by 1781. Following the Revolution, the fort was again rebuilt in 1794 under the
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474:, occupied the Norfolk area following a Confederate withdrawal. It is unclear when the fort was abandoned and demolished, probably in 1865 after the Civil War ended.
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1781 British map showing forts in the
Portsmouth area. Fort Nelson is the fort on "Mill Point", with a note that it was built by the rebels a.k.a. Patriot forces.
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at
Hospital Point had been procured. By the end of 1809 the fort was "supported by half bastions" (probably the new battery) and mounted 33 guns.
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government rebuilt the fort as an 18-gun battery. However, Fort Nelson came under federal control on 10 May 1862, when the
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as part of what was later termed the second system of US fortifications. The work was initially supervised by Major
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forces in 1861, but the
Confederates evacuated the area in May 1862 and the fort was eventually demolished.
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No trace of the fort remains today. In 2006 Fort Nelson Park was opened on the site of a Civil War-era
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Artillerists and
Engineers: The Beginnings of American Seacoast Fortifications, 1794–1815
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American Forts Network, lists US, Canadian, some Latin American, and US overseas forts
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Although Fort Nelson itself never saw conflict, it was garrisoned during the
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627:"National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Fort Norfolk"
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was also built across the river. In 1779, a British fleet commanded by
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forces with funding from the Virginia government in 1776 during the
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Fort Nelson Park in Portsmouth, near the site of the historic fort
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confiscated its artillery and supplies and destroyed most of the
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Fort Nelson Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution
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Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission Staff (December 1975).
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and did not enter Norfolk. However, they proceeded up
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List of coastal fortifications of the United States
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835:Buildings and structures in Portsmouth, Virginia
830:Demolished buildings and structures in Virginia
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772:. Fort Nelson Chapter NSDAR. 22 February 2019
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632:. Virginia Department of Historic Resources.
470:army, under the leadership of Major General
737:"Portsmouth tract gets a new lease on life"
800:FortWiki, lists most US and Canadian forts
494:Antiaircraft gun mount in Fort Nelson Park
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551:Fort Nelson (2) at American Forts Network
366:The fort was reconstructed in 1794 as an
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269:was a fort located on Hospital Point in
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381:was built at the same time to create a
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516:Seacoast defense in the United States
273:, which is currently the site of the
200:United States Army Corps of Engineers
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825:American Civil War forts in Virginia
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301:. The fort was originally built by
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40:Plan of Fort Nelson as of July 1798
845:1865 disestablishments in Virginia
608:"Department of Historic Resources"
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579:"Fort Nelson (historical marker)"
454:Drawing circa 1886 of Fort Nelson
375:first system of US fortifications
311:first system of US fortifications
262:Historical marker for Fort Nelson
815:American Revolutionary War forts
373:under what was later termed the
184:1807–1809 (brick and earth fort)
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58:
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840:1776 establishments in Virginia
667:. CDSG Press. pp. 28, 58.
567:Fort Nelson (1) at FortWiki.com
758:Video tour of Fort Nelson Park
1:
102:Show map of the United States
362:Construction and War of 1812
770:"Fort Nelson Chapter NSDAR"
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348:Admiral Sir George Collier
307:American Revolutionary War
293:, including the cities of
726:, pp. 130, 143, 238.
277:. The fort was named for
275:Portsmouth Naval Hospital
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661:Wade, Arthur P. (2011).
313:, was garrisoned in the
289:were built to guard the
506:is named for the fort.
423:Battle of Craney Island
297:and Portsmouth and the
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739:. The Virginian-Pilot
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133:36.84722°N 76.30417°W
271:Portsmouth, Virginia
72:Show map of Virginia
27:Portsmouth, Virginia
714:, pp. 117–118.
433:and unsuccessfully
325:American Revolution
243:American Revolution
138:36.84722; -76.30417
129: /
637:Accompanying photo
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446:American Civil War
400:Chesapeake–Leopard
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251:American Civil War
820:War of 1812 forts
674:978-0-9748167-2-2
299:Gosport Navy Yard
279:Thomas Nelson Jr.
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435:attack Baltimore
392:Decius Wadsworth
388:B. Henry Latrobe
285:in 1781. It and
186:1861 (earthwork)
159:Site information
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416:. An elongated
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789:External links
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583:. Retrieved
581:. Waymarking
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472:John E. Wool
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399:
397:In 1807 the
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379:Fort Norfolk
371:bastion fort
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344:Fort Norfolk
336:
287:Fort Norfolk
266:
265:
239:Battles/wars
224:Brick, earth
172:Site history
464:Confederate
458:During the
439:Fort Monroe
414:War of 1812
319:Confederate
315:War of 1812
267:Fort Nelson
247:War of 1812
211:In use
204:Confederate
136: /
112:Coordinates
96:Fort Nelson
66:Fort Nelson
19:Fort Nelson
809:Categories
527:References
234:circa 1865
229:Demolished
167:demolished
124:76°18′15″W
121:36°50′50″N
724:Wade 2011
712:Wade 2011
700:Wade 2011
688:Wade 2011
649:Wade 2011
460:Civil War
383:crossfire
368:earthwork
221:Materials
216:1861–1862
214:1776–1824
182:1794–1795
164:Condition
153:Earthwork
776:24 April
743:21 April
510:See also
500:gasworks
283:Virginia
585:23 July
478:Present
352:parapet
303:patriot
295:Norfolk
195:Patriot
671:
402:affair
206:forces
197:forces
630:(PDF)
468:Union
418:chain
180:1776
177:Built
778:2019
745:2019
669:ISBN
634:and
587:2015
404:off
232:1827
149:Type
429:to
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595:^
557:^
535:^
377:.
780:.
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677:.
614:.
589:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
