Fort Wheaton

Fort Wheaton (1864-1865) - A U.S. Civil War Fort first established as Confederated Fort Archer in 1864 near Petersburg, Dinwiddie County, Virginia. Captured by Union forces on 30 Sep 1864 and renamed Fort Wheaton after Captain James Henry Wheaton, 1st Michigan Volunteer Infantry, killed at Peebles Farm on 30 Sep 1864. Abandoned in 1865 at the end of the war. History of Fort Wheaton Established in August 1864 as a Confederate fort. While still incomplete, it was captured by Union forces on 30 Sep 1864 during the battle of Peebles Farm. It was then renamed Fort Wheaton for Captain James Henry Wheaton, 1st Michigan Volunteer Infantry who was killed in that battle. After capture, the fort was refaced by closing the original sallyport and creating a new one on the opposite face. Built as a six sided earthen redoubt with six field gun positions for guns mounted en barbette. The gun positions were placed at each angle. There was no magazine structure. The outer ditch perimeter was 725' enclosing about 0.9 acres. Fort Wheaton NPS Plan Fort Eheaton NPS List This fort was not on the front lines but provided secondary support for some forts along the "Fish Hook." Fort Wheaton was abandoned in 1865 at the end of the war. Current Status Part of the Petersburg National Battlefield. Some remains of the earthworks. {"selectable":false,"width":"500"} Location: Petersburg, Dinwiddie County, Virginia. Maps & Images Lat: 37.16778 Long: -77.44944 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 174' See Also: Civil War Defenses of Richmond and Petersburg Sources: USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 1496909 NPS - Assessment of the Principal Earthworks Federal Fish Hook Line, Petersburg, Virginia, October 1998 Links: North American Forts - Fort Wheaton Find A Grave - James Henry Wheaton Visited: No