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Home > Museum Shop > Books & Media > Fort Monroe: The Key to the South
  Fort Monroe: The Key to the South
By John V. Quarstein
Price: $21.99
Fort Monroe: The Key to the South is a powerful pictorial history portraying the exciting story of the only fort in the Upper South to remain under Union control throughout the Civil War. Strategically located on Old Point Comfort guarding the entrance to Hampton Roads and dominating the lower Chesapeake Bay, Fort Monroe quickly became a federal bastion within the Confederacy and influenced many of the Civil War's greatest events. Known as "Freedom's Fortress" following Ben Butler's May 1861 decision to consider slaves escaping into Union lines as "contraband of war," Fort Monroe quickly became a symbol of freedom and helped to define the wartime objective to end slavery. Soldiers on Fort Monroe's ramparts witnessed firsthand several new technologies, including the first balloon launching to observe enemy operations and the first battle between ironclad warships.
Fort Monroe also played a critical role in the eventual Union victory, serving as a base for amphibious operations against southern ports as well as staging campaigns against the nearby Confederate capital in Richmond. The drama played along the parapets of Fort Monroe during the Civil War has been brought to life by this comprehensive visual history.
Fort Monroe: The Key to the South features over 175 images documenting this massive fort and its role in pivotal events like the 1862 Peninsula Campaign, Monitor-Virginia (Merrimack) engagement, and the Hampton Roads Peace Conference. Whether views of famous men like Robert E. Lee, Abraham Lincoln, and Jefferson Davis or scenes of the many soldiers and civilians serving on Old Point Comfort, this book vividly chronicles Fort Monroe's tremendous Civil War heritage.
128 pages, softcover, ISBN 9780738501147, Arcadia Publishing, 1999.
What's related:
• Watch John Quarstein's appearance at the 2011 Hazel and Fulton Chauncey Lecture at the VHS
• Browse other items related to Virginia's Civil War history
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428 North Boulevard, Richmond, VA 23220 | Mail: P.O. Box 7311, Richmond, VA 23221-0311 | Phone: 804.358.4901
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