Fort Brady was built by the Union army in July 1864 along the northern banks of the James River to keep Confederate ships from sailing south.  It was basically a series of earthworks with cannons pointed out towards the river.  Unfortunately, it was built too high up on the cliffs to be able to aim the cannons down towards the river.  However, it did effectively keep the Confederate ironclads from attacking the Union troops.  You can read about one engagement between the ironclads and Fort Brady that occurred on January 23, 1865 called the Battle of Trent’s Reach. (Trouble viewing the YouTube video? Try Vimeo or direct link).

Did you know that soldiers were sometimes bored, like these three bored-looking soldiers photographed at Fort Brady (Source)? Without cell phones and video games, what did they do when they weren’t fighting? They wrote and read letters (like the guy in the middle), they sang songs, and they played sports. Baseball was the most popular sport for Civil War soldiers, but other sports included boxing, football, wrestling, racing, and in the winter, snowball fights.


This is a Google map of Fort Brady. Use the +/- button to zoom in or out.



This is a 360 view showing part of Fort Brady. Click and drag to look around.


HC.2a The student will examine the influence of physical and cultural geography on Henrico County.

HC.2b The student will analyze, interpret, and demonstrate knowledge of significant historical events and ideas in Henrico County history.