Engagement at Sewell’s Point

Saturday May 18 and Sunday May 19, 1861

Just days before Virginia’s secession vote, the Engagement at Sewell’s Point on May 18–19, 1861, saw Union gunboats exchange fire with a newly established Confederate battery near Fort Monroe. Though the skirmish resulted in minimal damage and few injuries, it marked the early stirrings of the Civil War in Virginia

  1. Narrative
  2. Opposing Forces
    1. Confederate
    2. Union
  3. Timeline
  4. Location
  5. Primary Sources
    1. Reports and Letters
  6. Sources

Narrative

The Engagement at Sewell’s Point was fought on Saturday May 18 and Sunday May 19, 1861 between a Union gunboat commanded by Capt. Henry Eagle and a Confederate battery commanded by Capt. Peyton H. Colquitt in Norfolk County, Virginia.

A popular referendum to decide whether the Commonwealth of Virginia would secede from the United States was still four days away. Never-the-less, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln had extended the naval blockade of the seven original Confederate States to include the ports of Virginia and North Carolina. On May 6th, U.S. Navy ships exchanged fire with a Virginia battery off Gloucester Point on the Potomac River.

Earlier that month, pro-secession militias had, with tacit approval from Virginia Governor John Letcher, seized the Federal Arsenal at Harper’s Ferry and the Gosport Navy Yard. Fort Monroe, near Hampton Roads at the mouth of the James River, was the only remaining federal facility in Virginia not taken. In order to prevent Union ships and troops at Fort Monroe from re-taking the naval yard across Hampton Roads, Virginia Provisional Army Brig. Gen. Walter Gwynn emplaced an artillery battery at Sewell’s Point, directly facing the fort.

Saturday, May 18, 1861, Union forces observed Virginia engineers digging fortifications for the battery and sent the gunboat USS Monticello (temporarily operating under the name Star), commanded by Captain Henry Eagle, to investigate. The Monticello was armed with one 9-inch gun and two 32-pound guns. It fired several shots at the militia building the fort, to little effect.

By the next evening, May 19, three 32-pound cannon and two smaller rifled cannon from the Light Artillery Blues, under overall command of Confederate Capt. Peyton H. Colquitt, were emplaced behind the works flying a Georgian flag.

The USS Thomas Freeborn, a small steam tug, came up to support the Monticello during the ninety-minute exchange. Of the 114 shots expended by the Monticello, only one Confederate cannon was struck by a shell, and there were no casualties reported. The Monticello was hit five times, causing superficial damage and injuring two crewmen.

Though minor, the engagement at Sewell’s Point showed the Civil War in Virginia was underway, yet neither side knew what form that conflict would take. The next few weeks would be a crucial test.

Opposing Forces

Confederate

Capt. Peyton H. Colquitt, Commanding

UnitCommander(s)StrengthKilledWoundedCaptured
Norfolk Light Artillery BluesLt. Thomas Nash, Jr.2 guns000
Norfolk JuniorsLt. John HolmesUnknown000
Columbus Light GuardCapt. Peyton H. ColquitUnknown000
Woodis RiflesCapt. William Lamb2 guns000

Union

Cmdr. James H. Ward, Commanding

UnitCommander(s)StrengthKilledWoundedCaptured
USS Monticello / StarCapt. Henry Eagle96 men, 3 guns020
USS Thomas FreebornCmdr. James H. Ward67 men, 2 guns000

Timeline

  • April 17, 1861: Delegates at the Virginia Secession Convention vote in favor of secession, 88 to 55, to be ratified by a referendum on May 23rd.

  • April 21, 1861: Shortly after midnight, Union forces attempt to destroy Gosport Navy Yard, but Virginia militia capture its dry dock and approximately 1,085 cannon of various sizes.

  • April 27, 1861: U.S. President Abraham Lincoln extends the naval blockade of seven original Confederate States to include the ports of Virginia and North Carolina.

  • May 7, 1861: The USS Yankee exchanges fire with a Virginia shore battery at Gloucester Point.

  • May 18-19, 1861: The USS Thomas Freeborn and Monticello exchange fire with a Confederate shore battery at Sewell’s Point.

Location

GPS Coordinates — 36.96212, -76.32362

Primary Sources

Reports and Letters

Sources

Cobb, J. Michael, Edward B. Hicks, and Wythe Holt. Battle of Big Bethel: Crucial Clash in Early Civil War Virginia. El Dorado Hills: Savas Beatie LLC, 1997.

Walters, John. Norfolk Blues: The Civil War Diary of the Norfolk Light Artillery Blues. Shippensburg: Burd Street Press, 1997.

Updated: 5 March 2025
Created: 12 February 2021

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