Atlas of Battles

battle, notable, nineteenth century

Battle of Drewry's Bluff

Battle of Drewry's Bluff was a battle fought on 15 May 1862 at Chesterfield County, in what is now Virginia, United States. It was part of the American Civil War, which ran from 1861 to 1865. The recorded result: Confederate victory. Recorded strength: 3 ironclads; 2 gunboats against ~8 artillery pieces; 1 fort; 1 shore battery.

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Photo image of line engraving of Battle of Drewry's Bluff, from Harper's weekly, 1862
Photo image of line engraving of Battle of Drewry's Bluff, from Harper's weekly, 1862. From Harper's weekly : a journal of civilization. (New York : Harper' s Weekly Co.,, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought15 May 1862
WhereChesterfield County, Virginia, United States37.421N, 77.423W
OutcomeConfederate victory
BelligerentsUnited States (Union)againstCSA (Confederacy)
Battlefield todayProctor'S Creek battlefieldNPS site VA053, 20,031 acres studied, 7,894 core
Part ofAmerican Civil War1861 to 1865

Where it sits in the American Civil War

Battle of Fort Sumter, 1861Siege of Lexington, 1861Battle of Cheat Mountain, 1861Battle of Canada Alamosa, 1861Battle of Pensacola, 1861Battle of Gloucester Point, 1861Battle of Sewell's Point, 1861Battle of Aquia Creek, 1861Battle of Fairfax Court House, 1861Battle of Arlington Mills, 1861Battle of Philippi, 1861Battle of Pig Point, 1861Battle of Big Bethel, 1861Battle of Boonville, 1861Battle of Cole Camp, 1861Battle of Mathias Point, 1861Battle of Hoke's Run, 1861Engagement near Carthage, 1861Battle of Rich Mountain, 1861Battle of Corrick's Ford, 1861Battle of Scary Creek, 1861Battle of Blackburn's Ford, 1861First Battle of Bull Run, 1861First Battle of Mesilla, 1861Siege of Tubac, 1861Battle of Cookes Canyon, 1861Battle of the Florida Mountains, 1861Battle of Athens, 1861Battle of Wilson's Creek, 1861Battle of Charleston, 1861Battle of Hatteras Inlet Batteries, 1861Battle of Dry Wood Creek, 1861Battle of Carnifex Ferry, 1861Battle of Lewinsville, 1861Action at Blue Mills Landing, 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Lebanon, 1862Battle of Eltham's Landing, 1862Battle of McDowell, 1862Second Battle of Dragoon Springs, 1862Battle of Plum Point Bend, 1862Battle of Drewry's Bluff, 1862Battle of Princeton Court House, 1862Battle of Pigeon Roost, 1862Battle of Whitney's Lane, 1862Capture of Tucson, 1862Battle of Front Royal, 1862Battle of Lewisburg, 1862First Battle of Winchester, 1862Battle of Hanover Court House, 1862First Battle of Pocotaligo, 1862Battle of Seven Pines, 1862Battle of Tranter's Creek, 1862First Battle of Memphis, 1862Battle of Good's Farm, 1862First Battle of Chattanooga, 1862Battle of Cross Keys, 1862Battle of Port Republic, 1862Battle of James Island, 1862Battle of Saint Charles, 1862Battle of St. Charles, 1862Battle of the Cumberland Gap, 1862Battle of Simmon's Bluff, 1862Seven Days Battles, 1862Battle of Oak Grove, 1862Battle of Beaver Dam Creek, 1862Battle of Gaines's Mill, 1862Battle of Garnett's & Golding's Farm, 1862Battle of Savage's Station, 1862Battle of Glendale, 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of the Cumberland Gap, 1863Battle of Franklin's Crossing, 1863Steele's Greenville expedition, 1863Battle of Fort Esperanza, 1863Battle of Ponchatoula, 1863Raid at Combahee Ferry, 1863Second Battle of Springfield, 1863Battle of Hartville, 1863Action off Galveston Light, 1863Mud March, 1863Battle of Deserted House, 1863Battle of Dover, 1863Fight at Aldie, 1863Battle of Thompson's Station, 1863Battle of Fort Anderson, 1863Battle of Kelly's Ford, 1863Battle of Vaught's Hill, 1863Battle of Brentwood, 1863Battle of Washington, 1863Battle of Somerset, 1863First Battle of Charleston Harbor, 1863Battle of Franklin, 1863Siege of Suffolk, 1863Battle of Suffolk (Hill's Point), 1863Battle of Fort Bisland, 1863Battle of Irish Bend, 1863Battle of Vermillion Bayou, 1863Battle of Fayetteville, 1863Battle of Cape Girardeau, 1863Battle of Grand Gulf, 1863Battle of Snyder's Bluff, 1863Battle of Chancellorsville, 1863Battle of Day's Gap, 1863Battle of Port Gibson, 1863Second Battle of Fredericksburg, 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582 placed engagements of the American Civil War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date15 May 1862
PlaceChesterfield County, Virginia, United States
37.421N, 77.423W
KindBattle, nineteenth century
Strength3 ironclads; 2 gunboats~8 artillery pieces; 1 fort; 1 shore battery
Casualties and losses2 ironclads damaged; 2 gunboats damaged; 27 killed or wounded1 fort damaged; 15 killed or wounded
Commanders
Battle of Drewry's BluffBattle of Drewry's BluffBattle of Proctor's CreekBattle of Chaffin's FarmBattle of Chester StationBattle of Darbytown and New Market RoadsBattle of Trent's ReachBattle of Darbytown and New Market RoadsRichmondPetersburg50 km37.421N, 77.423W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. The dashed outline is the battlefield study area mapped by the NPS American Battlefield Protection Program. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.
[Map of Drewry's Bluff, Chesterfield Co., Va.]
[Map of Drewry's Bluff, Chesterfield Co., Va.], 1864-01-01. Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division; no known restrictions on publication.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 41 times between 1781 and 1865.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1862

The National Park Service's American Battlefield Protection Program maps this as the Proctor'S Creek battlefield (site VA053): a study area of 20,031 acres, with a core area of 7,894 acres where the fighting was concentrated; 8,038 acres retain enough integrity to be potentially eligible for the National Register.

Battle of Drewry's Bluff is one of 3,694 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 1,264 in present-day United States (185 in Virginia).

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q1362294, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Drewry's Bluff, revision 1370439308, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Battlefield boundary and area from the National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program (public domain). Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.