Talk:Fort Magruder

Blurb for DYK
Did You Know


 * ...that Fort Magruder, site of the Battle of Williamsburg during the 1862 Peninsula Campaign of American Civil War was named for Confederate General John B. "Prince John" Magruder, a popular leader who had held back Union forces using an elaborate ruse to appear to have a many more troops than he actually had?

Which county?
I am having trouble determining which county Fort Magruder was/is located in. There are supposedly some earthworks extant, but they aren't showing on maps. The situation is complicated by the fact that Williamsburg is now an independent city, and the James City-York County border is erratic as it related to current roads and land features. Fort Magruder Conference Center says they are located in James City, other sources seem to lean towards York County. BTW, the "lost town" of Magruder, Virginia is some distance away in York County on Camp Peary property. To avoid stating it wrong, I have modified the article to weasel in the exact political subdivision of Virginia until better factual information can be resolved. Mark in the Historic Triangle of Virginia Vaoverland 04:15, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

UPDATE: The map coordinates per USGN are 37.26472°N, -76.66444°W. This makes it apparent that the site of the former fort, which USGN says was not preserved from development, probably includes area in both James City and York County. The map coordinates in the article Fort Magruder under external links need to be updated per the above. I do not know how to translate to the digital geo code. Vaoverland 07:49, 6 December 2005 (UTC)

UPDATE: The remains of Fort Magruder are located in James City County. Beags (talk) 01:29, 20 February 2011 (UTC)

remains
I just visited the site with a historian from the Richmond Battlefield National Park, Robert E. L. Krick. There is nothing left of Fort Magruder other than the monument and the grassy area, which is enclosed by a locked fence; Bobby had the key and our private tour was able to get up close to the monument. I have removed the links to the photographs of impressive earthworks that were previously in the article because they are obviously not of Fort Magruder. This article could use some cleanup in terms of adding References and merging Trivia in with the main body of the article, but this is such a minor subject, I do not think it is worth much additional effort. Hal Jespersen 03:52, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

UPDATE: At the time Mr. Jespersen visited, the site had become overgrown with shrubbery, ivy and other vegetation. Since then, a major cleanup effort was undertaken by the James City Cavalry camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Completed in February 2011, the cleanup revealed that about one-third of the original earthworks remain. The berm ranges from 6 to 10 feet high in places. Although not open to the public, the site can be easily viewed from the street. Beags (talk) 01:42, 20 February 2011 (UTC)

External links modified
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 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20071221014203/http://www.ci.williamsburg.va.us/dept/rec/parks.htm to http://www.ci.williamsburg.va.us/dept/rec/parks.htm

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