Battle of Gloucester Point

Other Names: None

Location: Gloucester County, Virginia

Campaign: Blockade of the Chesapeake Bay

Date: May 7, 1861

Principal Commanders: Commodore Garrett J. Pendergrast [US]; Maj. Thomas O. Selfridge Jr. [CS]

Forces Engaged: USS Yankee, gunboat [US] Battery garrison [CS]

Casualties and losses: None

Result(s): Inconclusive

Brief Description:

In early May 1861, the Union Navy already had learned that rebel Virginia forces were constructing fortifications at Gloucester Point, Virginia on the York River. On May 7, 1861,[1] Union Flag Officer Garrett J. Pendergrast ordered Navy Lieutenant Thomas O. Selfridge Jr. to examine the reported fortifications. It was the first reported exchange of fire in the American Civil War, following the surrender of Fort Sumter. As Lincoln extended the Union blockade to include Virginia, the rebels tried to deny Union access to the local estuaries. By May 11, 1861, the Virginians had placed two nine-inch (229 mm) guns at the battery at Gloucester Point and had two more ready for placement there. By June 25, 1861, the Confederates had fourteen heavy guns in place at the battery.