Fort Monroe - Casement Museum

Before leaving the Hampton area for Williamsburg we visited the Casement Museum at Fort Monroe.

• Fort Monroe is located on the tip of the Virginia Peninsula and its role was to guard the shipping channel between the Chesapeake Bay and the entrance to the harbor of Hampton Roads.
• The fort was named in honor of U.S. President James Monroe and was completed in 1834.
• Fort Monroe remained under the control of the Union during the Civil War.
• It was an early site for the freedom of slaves after the Emancipation Proclamation.
• President Jefferson Davis was imprisoned in what is now the Casemate Museum for a period of time after the war.
• The fort is completely surrounded by a moat, is a six-sided stone fort.
• It is the only one left in the United States today.
• It is still an active Army post.
• First Lieutenant and engineer in the U.S. Army Robert E. Lee was stationed at the fort from 1831-1834. His first child was born on the fort. He played a major role in the construction of both Fort Monroe and Fort Calhoun.
• Several sea and land expeditions were launched from Fort Monroe during the Civil War.
• General Winfield Scott wanted to blockade the coastline of the South.
• Battles that are connected to Fort Monroe: Battle of Sewell's Point, Battle of Big Bethel, and the Battle of Hampton Roads

Here is a picture of the room that Jefferson Davis was held. He was imprisoned in one of the casements on May 19, 1865. He was in irons for three days and was charged with treason. It was believed that he was connected to the death of Abraham Lincoln. Davis was later moved to another location due to illness. He spend two years in prison and was released on bail. The treason case never went to trial and the case was dropped in 1869.



Here is a picture of one of the walls of Fort Monroe. You can see the moat in this picture as well.