Fort Lowry

Here in 1861 Confederates constructed an eight gun "water battery" principally for the defense of Fredericksburg. The guns were manned by the 55th Infantry Regiment located 500 yards N.W. The cannons were moved and the fort abandoned March 1862 after Northern Neck troop withdrawal left unit defenseless. On April 14, 1862, six Union gun boats bombarded and burned the installation. Thereafter, the fort functioned in limited capacity until the war ended. Error: Note that the third sentence on the marker is incorrect, and should read: The cannons were moved and the fort abandoned March 1862 after Northern Neck troop withdrawal left it defenseless.