Drewry's Bluff

Drewry's Bluff (drʊr'ēz) , high ground on the southern bank of the James River, E Va., S of Richmond; scene of two engagements in the Civil War. On May 15, 1862, the Confederates, positioned on the bluff, repulsed Union gunboats that were part of Gen. George McClellan's Peninsular campaign. In May, 1864, Union Gen. Benjamin Butler led the Army of the James up the peninsula against Richmond. Butler was defeated at Drewrys Bluff on May 16, 1864, by a greatly inferior Confederate force under Gen. Pierre Beauregard.