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📌Drewry’s Bluff — Richmond, Virginia 📍37°25'17.60"N, 77°25'19.80"W Rising sharply above a tight bend in the James River, Drewry’s Bluff—also known as Fort Darling—was one of the most strategically important Confederate positions protecting Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy. The bluff stands roughly 90 feet above the river, creating a natural choke point where artillery could command the waterway. In May 1862, shortly after the Battle of Hampton Roads, Union ironclads including the USS Monitor attempted to push upriver toward Richmond—but were stopped cold here. Confederate guns, positioned high on the bluff, raked the vessels below, forcing a withdrawal in what became known as the Battle of Drewry’s Bluff (May 15, 1862). LiDAR imagery reveals the layered defensive system that made this position so formidable. The main fortification sits back from the bluff edge, with angular earthworks, artillery platforms, and interior structures still visible beneath the forest canopy. Supporting trenches and rifle pits extend along the ridge, forming a defensive network that guarded both the river approach and landward access. The primary work measures roughly 250–350 feet across, with clearly defined parapets and ditches, while additional earthworks stretch outward to create depth in the defense. What appears today as quiet woodland once formed the last major barrier between Union naval forces and Richmond. Drewry’s Bluff demonstrates how terrain and elevation were force multipliers, allowing relatively modest fortifications to dominate a critical corridor. Even after more than 160 years, the earthworks remain strikingly intact—another example of how LiDAR continues to reveal the full scale and sophistication of Civil War defensive landscapes hidden in plain sight.