As time passed, iconic Fort Monroe served as backdrop for critical Civil War scenarios. The infamous 1862 skirmish between ironclad warships the USS Monitor and CSS Virginia was fought within view of Fort Monroe. Between 1861 and 1865 while most of Virginia became part of the Confederate States of America, the stone fort remained under Union Army control. When commanding Union Gen. Benjamin Butler sheltered three escaped men formerly enslaved by Confederates, he was credited with paving the way for President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. From that point forward, Fort Monroe was nicknamed “Freedom’s Fortress.” In 1861, the Union Army invited freedom activist Harriet Tubman to become the singular African American civilian volunteer with the Massachusetts troop commanded by Gen. Butler. While Tubman lived at Fort Monroe, she provided essential nursing care, prepared meals, and laundered clothes for fugitive families (called “contrabands”) who sought safety and eventual independence.
Edgar Allen Poe, once stationed at Fort Monroe, was a famous resident.
Fort Monroe’s U.S. Army base was officially closed in 2011, and the site was named a National Monument in addition to its prior designations as a National Historic Landmark and National Register of Historic Places site. Today’s FortMonroe Authority oversees a publically accessible 565-acre peninsula that contains the moat-encircled fort with museum plus a historic residential village. Look for the bright white Old Point Comfort Lighthouse (circa 1803), which reaches 54 feet into the sky and encircles a spiral staircase carved from hand-cut stone. Beyond its engaging history and architecture, Fort Monroe boasts an appealing outdoorsy element. You can explore eight miles of Chesapeake Bay frontage with three miles of unspoiled beaches. The waterfront boardwalk is perfect for strolling and there’s a pleasant assortment of trails for jogging and cycling. Engineer’s Fishing Pier is adjacent to Continental Park on Fenwick Road. The vintage 1818 Corps of Engineers project is a promising spot for hooking rock fish or striped bass. A Virginia saltwater fishing license is required. Watch for a bald eagle soaring or brown pelicans swooping. Listen for the persistent quacks of an American black duck calling her ducklings. The park, Outlook Beach, and fishing pier are open (without entry fees) from sunrise to sunset. Summer is the best time to experience the complementary wonders of history and nature at Fort Monroe, Virginia.
A charming cottage stands at the Fort Monroe Casement Museum.
The list of U.S. presidents who visited Fort Monroe is quite impressive. Andrew Jackson stayed frequently between 1829 and 1834. In a surprising twist on couples’ resorts, President John Tyler and his bride honeymooned at Fort Monroe in 1844. Abraham Lincoln spent four nights in Quarters 1 during his term of office. In the aftermath of the Civil War, Confederate President Jefferson Davis was held prisoner in Casemate 22. Later on, the likes of Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield, Theodore Roosevelt, and William Howard Taft dropped in. Even Woodrow Wilson, Herbert Hoover, and Franklin D. Roosevelt made presidential appearances at Fort Monroe. The big stone fort’s military history is interpretedwith splashes of color and creativity at the Casemate Museum (20 Bernard Road). A casemate is actually a chamber located within the walls of a fort, and the Casemate Museum occupies many such rooms connected by stone archways, each representing an authentic scene from the fortification’s rich history. Every casemate is reconstructed accurately with attention to detail.
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20 COAST TO COAST SUMMER 2016
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