Existing comment:
Confederate Navy Yard:
Begun in 1862, the Confederate Navy Yard occupied both sides of the James River, including the community and port of Rocketts on the north bank. The Yard was the base, construction site and headquarters for Admiral Raphael Semmes's James River Squadron. The Squadron included the ironclad CSS Virginia II, which was built here. It was the successor to the first CSS Virginia, which fought with the USS Monitor. The Confederate Navy Yard also produced prototype artillery mounted on a railroad car for General Robert F. Lee's use at the Battle of Savage's Station on June 29, 1862. On April 3, 1865, Confederate troops burned the yard and destroyed vessels as a part of the evacuation of Richmond.
The Confederate Navy Yard at Rocketts:
Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, July 1, 1865. Valentine Richmond History Center
CSS Virginia II:
Harper's Weekly, July 26, 1862.
The 197-foot-long ironclad ram was built at the Confederate Navy Yard at Rocketts and completed in 1864. Valentine Richmond History Center |