Editing Fort Monroe (section)

==History==
The land area where Fort Monroe is became part of [[Elizabeth City (Virginia Company)|Elizabeth Cittie]] [sic] in 1619, [[Elizabeth River Shire]] in 1634, and was included in [[Elizabeth City County, Virginia|Elizabeth City County]] when it was formed in 1643. Over 300 years later, in 1952, Elizabeth City County and the nearby [[Phoebus, Virginia|Town of Phoebus]] agreed to consolidate with the smaller [[independent city]] of [[Hampton, Virginia|Hampton]], which became one of the larger cities of [[Hampton Roads]].

===Colonial period===
{{main | Fort Algernon}}
Arriving with three ships under Captain [[Christopher Newport]], Captain [[John Smith of Jamestown|John Smith]] and the colonists of the [[Virginia Company]] established the settlement of [[Jamestown, Virginia|Jamestown]] as part of the English [[colony of Virginia]] on the [[James River (Virginia)|James River]] in 1607. On their initial exploration, they recognized the strategic importance of the site at [[Old Point Comfort]] for purposes of coastal defense. They initially built [[Fort Algernon|Fort Algernourne]] (1609–1622) at the location of the present Fort Monroe. It was renamed the Point Comfort Fort in 1612.<ref name=NAFortsHamp1/> It is assumed to have been a triangular stockade, based on the fort at Jamestown. Other small forts known as Fort Henry and Fort Charles were built nearby in 1610 to protect the [[Kecoughtan, Virginia|Kecoughtan]] settlement.<ref name=AFNHamp2>{{cite web |title=Hampton Roads Area - Early Hampton Forts |url=https://www.northamericanforts.com/East/varoads.html#hampton2 |publisher=American Forts Network |access-date=8 August 2020}}</ref> Fort Algernourne fell into disuse after 1622.<ref name=NAFortsHamp1/>

In August 1619, the English-owned and Dutch-flagged [[privateer]] ''[[White Lion (ship)|White Lion]]'' appeared off Old Point Comfort. Her cargo included [[First Africans in Virginia|between 20-30 Africans]] captured from the Portuguese [[slave ship]] ''São João Bautista''. Traded to local English colonists in exchange for work and supplies, they were the first Africans to come ashore in what would become the [[Thirteen Colonies]] and later the U.S. The arrival of these [[Bantu peoples|Bantu]] people from [[Angola]] is considered to mark the beginning of [[Slavery in the colonial history of the United States|slavery in colonial America]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://time.com/5653369/august-1619-jamestown-history/ |title=Where the Landing of the First Africans in English North America Really Fits in the History of Slavery |last=Waxman |first=Olivia B. |date=August 20, 2019 |magazine=Time |access-date=2019-08-25 |language=en}}</ref>

Another fort, known only as "the fort at Old Point Comfort" was constructed in 1632. In 1728, '''Fort George''' was built on the site. Its masonry walls were destroyed by a hurricane in 1749, but the wooden buildings in the fort were used by a reduced force from circa 1755 until at least 1775. During the [[American Revolutionary War]], as Franco-American forces approached Yorktown in 1781, British forces established batteries on the ruins of Fort George. Shortly afterward, during the [[siege of Yorktown]], the French West Indian fleet occupied these batteries. Throughout the Colonial period, fortifications were manned at the location from time to time.<ref name=NAFortsHamp1/>

===Design and construction===
[[File:Fort Monroe Map.jpg|thumb|Map of Fort Monroe by [[Robert Knox Sweden]], 1862, showing casemated water battery, redoubt, and gorge position; the redoubt was protected by a secondary moat. The outer moat shown for the water battery did not exist.]]
Following the [[War of 1812]], the United States realized the need to protect Hampton Roads and the inland waters from attack by sea. [[Battle of Craney Island|A British attack]] on Norfolk and Portsmouth was repulsed, but they then bypassed the existing fortifications and went on to [[Burning of Washington|burn Washington, D.C.]], and unsuccessfully [[Battle of Baltimore|attack Baltimore]]. In March 1819, President [[James Monroe]]'s [[United States Department of War|War Department]] came up with a plan of building a network of coastal defenses, later called the [[Seacoast defense in the United States|third system of U.S. fortifications]]. In 1822 construction began in earnest<ref>Konstam, Angus & Spedaliere, Donato: ''American Civil War Fortifications (1): Coastal brick and stone forts'', p.19; Osprey Publishing, 2013</ref> on the stone-and-brick fort which would become the safeguard for Chesapeake Bay and the largest fort by area ever built in the United States.<ref name=NAFortsHamp1/> It was intended as the headquarters for the third system of forts.{{sfn|Weaver II|2018|pp=41, 179–186}} Among the original buildings is [[Quarters 1 (Fort Monroe)|Quarters 1]], designed as a residence and headquarters for Fort Monroe's commanding officer.<ref name=VAnom1>{{cite web|url=http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Cities/Hampton/114-0002-0004_Quarters-1_Fort_Monroe_2010_nomination_FINAL.pdf |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Quarters 1 |author=Katherine D. Klepper |date=December 2009|publisher=Virginia Department of Historic Resources}}</ref> Work continued for nearly 25 years.<ref name="Fort Monroe During the Civil War">{{cite web |url=http://encyclopediavirginia.org/Fort_Monroe_During_the_Civil_War |publisher=Kenmore Stamp Company |title=Fort Monroe During the Civil War |access-date=4 February 2011}}</ref>

The fort was designed by brevet Brigadier General of engineers [[Simon Bernard]], formerly a French brigadier general of engineers and aide to [[Napoleon]], who had been banished from [[France]] after the latter's defeat at [[Battle of Waterloo|Waterloo]] in 1815, moved to the United States, and later commissioned as a brigadier general in the [[U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Weaver II |first1=John R. |title=A Legacy in Brick and Stone: American Coastal Defense Forts of the Third System, 1816-1867, 2nd Ed. | pages= 179–186 |publisher=Redoubt Press |location=McLean, VA |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-7323916-1-1 }}</ref> From the beginning of its construction until 1832 the fort's name was "Fortress Monroe", and it was sometimes referred to by that name subsequently.<ref name=NAFortsHamp1/>

Fort Monroe was the first of the third system forts to begin construction, and was intended as a headquarters for the system as well as a fort. It is a [[bastion fort]] with an irregular hexagon shape and seven bastions. The southern and longest front is divided in two fronts by a bastion in the middle; the other bastions are at the corners. The fort is surrounded by a [[moat]] and covers {{convert|63|acre|0}}. At the time it was built, the only land access to the fort's location was via a long, narrow [[isthmus]] to the north. A [[redoubt]] with a secondary moat was built northeast of the fort to guard against attack from this direction; the redoubt no longer exists, but the water gate for the secondary moat remains. The fort has a continuous [[barbette]] tier of cannon emplacements on the roof, but only a partial [[casemate]]d tier in the fort, mainly on the southwestern and southern fronts. No positions for casemated flank [[howitzer]]s exist on the northern and northwestern fronts (except two alongside the north [[sally port]]); this partial tier is unusual in the third system.{{sfn|Weaver II|2018|pp=179–186}} The main channel the fort protected was to the southeast; a casemated external battery (also called a "casemated coverface" or "water battery") of forty 42-pounder [[cannon]]<ref>{{cite book | last = Lewis | first = Emanuel Raymond | title = Seacoast Fortifications of the United States | publisher = Leeward Publications | year = 1979 | location = Annapolis | pages = 40–41 | isbn = 978-0-929521-11-4 }}</ref> was built just outside the moat in this area.{{sfn|Weaver II|2018|pp=179–186}} This increased the number of cannon in this direction compared with casemated guns in the [[Curtain wall (fortification)|curtain wall]] from 28 to 40; it was accessed from the main fort via a bridge. As of 2018, only a small part of the external battery's north end remains, along with a salient [[place-of-arms]] just north of it with three gun positions.{{sfn|Weaver II|2018|pp=179–186}} The fort's walls were up to ten feet thick and the moat was eight feet deep. The initial design provided for up to 380 guns and was later expanded to 412 guns, intended for a garrison of 600 troops in peacetime and up to 2,625 troops in wartime. However, the fort was never fully armed.<ref name="FWikiMon1"/>

===Early 19th century===
[[File:Lighthouse at Fort Monroe.jpg|thumbnail|right|The [[Old Point Comfort Light]] at Fort Monroe, built in 1802]]
[[File:The American Soldier 1827-2.png|thumb|The [[Artillery School of Practice]] was organized at Fort Monroe in 1824.]]
The site of Fort Monroe was first garrisoned in June 1823 by Battery G of the [[3rd Air Defense Artillery Regiment|3rd U.S. Artillery Regiment]]<ref name=FWikiMon1/> commanded by Captain [[Mann P. Lomax]].

As a young first lieutenant and engineer in the U.S. Army, [[Robert E. Lee]] was stationed at the fort from 1831 to 1834 and played a major role in its final construction and its opposite, Fort Calhoun (renamed [[Fort Wool]] in 1862). He resided at [[Quarters 17 (Fort Monroe)|Quarters 17]].<ref name=VAnom2>{{cite web|url=http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Cities/Hampton/114-0002-0005_Quarters_17_Ft_Monroe_2010_nomination_FINAL.pdf |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Quarters 17 |author=Katherine D. Klepper |date=n.d.|publisher=Virginia Department of Historic Resources}}</ref> Fort Calhoun was built on a [[man-made island]] called the [[Rip Raps]] across the navigation channel from [[Old Point Comfort]] in the middle of the mouth of Hampton Roads.{{sfn|Weaver II|2018|pp=186–190}} The Army briefly detained the Native American chieftain [[Black Hawk (chief)|Black Hawk]] at Fort Monroe, following the 1832 Black Hawk War.

When construction was completed in 1834, Fort Monroe was referred to as the "[[Gibraltar]] of Chesapeake Bay." The fort mounted an impressive complement of powerful artillery: 42-pounder [[cannon]] with a range of over one mile. In conjunction with Fort Calhoun (later Fort Wool), this was just enough range to cover the main shipping channel into the area. (Decommissioned after [[World War II|World War&nbsp;II]], the former Fort Wool on [[Rip Raps]] is now adjacent to the southern man-made island of the [[Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel]], first completed in 1957.)

From 1824 to 1946 Fort Monroe was the site of a series of schools of artillery. The first was the [[Artillery School of Practice]]. The school was closed in 1834 but was revived during the period 1858–61. It was succeeded by the [[U.S. Army Artillery School|Artillery School of the U.S. Army]], which existed from 1867 until its redesignation in 1907 as the [[U.S. Army Coast Artillery School|Coast Artillery School]]. Fort Monroe also hosted the Old Point Comfort Proving Ground for testing artillery and ammunition from the 1830s to 1861; after the Civil War this function relocated to the [[Sandy Hook Proving Ground]] in New Jersey.<ref name=NAFortsHamp1/>

===American Civil War===

====1860–61====
Fort Monroe played an important role in the [[American Civil War]]. On December 20, 1860, [[South Carolina]] became the first state to secede from the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]]. Four months later, on April 12, 1861, troops of that state opened fire on [[Fort Sumter]] in [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]] Harbor. Five days later, Virginia's legislature passed (subject to voters' ratification) the [[Ordinance of Secession]] of Virginia to withdraw from the Union and join the newly formed [[Confederate States of America]]. On 23 May 1861, voters of Virginia ratified the state's secession from the union.

President [[Abraham Lincoln]] had Fort Monroe quickly reinforced so that it would not fall to Confederate forces. It was held by Union forces throughout the Civil War, which launched several sea and land expeditions from there.

A few weeks after the [[Battle of Fort Sumter]] in 1861, U.S. Army General-in-Chief [[Winfield Scott]] proposed to President Abraham Lincoln a plan to bring the states back into the Union: Cut the Confederacy off from the rest of the world instead of attacking its army in Virginia. His [[Anaconda Plan]] was to [[blockade]] or occupy the Confederacy's coastline to limit the activity of [[Blockade runners of the American Civil War|blockade runners]], and control the [[Mississippi River]] valley with gunboats. In cooperation with the Navy, troops from Fort Monroe extended Union control along the coasts of [[the Carolinas]] as Lincoln ordered a blockade of the southern seaboard from the South Carolina line to the [[Rio Grande]] on April 19 and, on April 27, extended it to include the [[North Carolina]] and Virginia coasts.

On April 20 the Union Navy burned and evacuated the [[Gosport Navy Yard]] in [[Portsmouth, Virginia|Portsmouth]], destroying nine ships in the process, keeping Fort Monroe at Old Point Comfort as the last bastion of the United States in [[Tidewater region of Virginia|Tidewater Virginia]]. The Confederacy's occupation of [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]] gave it a major shipyard and thousands of heavy guns, but they held it for only one year. Confederate Brigadier General [[Walter Gwynn]], who commanded the Confederate defenses around Norfolk, erected batteries at [[Sewell's Point]], to protect Norfolk and to control Hampton Roads.

The Union dispatched a fleet to Hampton Roads to enforce the blockade. On May 18–19, 1861, Federal gunboats based at Fort Monroe exchanged fire with the Confederate batteries at Sewell's Point. The little-known [[Battle of Sewell's Point]] resulted in minor damage to both sides. Several land operations against Confederate forces were mounted from the fort, notably the [[Battle of Big Bethel]] in June 1861.

On May 27, 1861, Major General [[Benjamin Butler (politician)|Benjamin Butler]] made his famous "[[contraband (American Civil War)|contraband]]" decision, or "[[Fort Monroe Doctrine]]", determining that the enslaved men who reached Union lines would be considered "contraband of war" (captured enemy property) and not be returned to bondage. Prior to this, the Union had generally enforced the [[Fugitive Slave Act of 1850|Fugitive Slave Act]], returning escaped slaves to their owners. The order resulted in thousands of slaves fleeing to Union lines around Fort Monroe, which was Butler's headquarters in Virginia. Fort Monroe became called "Freedom's Fortress", as any self-emancipating person reaching it would be free. In the Summer of 1861 Harry Jarvis made his way to Fort Monroe and insisted General Butler let him enlist. Butler refused because he believed "it wasn't a black man's war." Jarvis replied, "It would be a black man's war," due to the presence of the incoming of thousands of runaway slaves. This marked a sudden shift in the war.<ref>Hahn, Steven. The Nathan I. Huggins Lectures : The Political Worlds of Slavery and Freedom. Cambridge, US: Harvard University Press, 2009. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 16 October 2016.Copyright © 2009. Harvard University Press.</ref> In March 1862 Congress passed [[Act Prohibiting the Return of Slaves|a law formalizing this policy]]. By the fall, the Army had built the [[Great Contraband Camp]] in Hampton to house the families. It was the first of more than 100 that would be established by war's end, and the [[Freedmen's Colony of Roanoke Island|Roanoke Island Freedmen's Colony]] (1863–1867), which started as a contraband camp. Many contrabands were employed by the Union Army in support roles such as cooks, wagon drivers, and laborers. Beginning in January 1863, the [[United States Colored Troops]] were formed, with many contrabands enlisting; these units were composed primarily of white officers and African-American enlisted men, and eventually numbered nearly 180,000 soldiers.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gladstone |first1=Gladstone, William A. |title=United States Colored Troops, 1863–1867 | pages= 9, 120 |publisher=Thomas Publications |location=Gettysburg, PA |year=1990 |isbn=0-939631-16-4 }}</ref>

[[Mary S. Peake]] was teaching the children of freedmen to read and write near Fort Monroe. She was the first black teacher hired by the [[American Missionary Association]] (AMA), a northern missionary group led by black and white ministers from the [[Congregational]], [[Presbyterian]] and [[Methodist]] denominations, who strongly supported education of freedmen. Soon she was teaching children during the day and adults at night. The AMA sponsored hundreds of northern teachers and hired local teachers in the south; it founded more than 500 local schools and 11 colleges for freedmen and their children.

During the Civil War Fort Monroe was the site of a military [[balloon]] camp under the flight direction of aeronaut [[John LaMountain]]. The [[Union Army Balloon Corps]] was being developed at Fort Corcoran near Arlington under the presidentially appointed Prof. [[Thaddeus S. C. Lowe]].  At the same time, LaMountain, who was vying for position as Chief Aeronaut, had gained the confidence of Butler in using his balloon ''Atlantic'' for aerial observations. LaMountain is credited with having made the first successful report from an aerial station that was of practical [[military intelligence]]. LaMountain was later reassigned to Lowe's balloon corps, but after a period of in-fighting with Lowe, he was released from military service. Lowe eventually assigned regular military balloons to Fort Monroe.

[[File:The Lincoln gun LCCN2012646299.tif|thumb|left|250px|15-inch prototype Rodman gun (nicknamed the "Lincoln gun") at Fort Monroe during 1864]]
In 1861 the prototype 15-inch [[Rodman gun]] was delivered to Fort Monroe and was subsequently fired 350 times in testing. This weapon (Fort Pitt Foundry No. 1 of 1861) is displayed at the fort as of 2018; a plaque states that it was test fired for President Lincoln and was nicknamed the "Lincoln gun". This type of weapon was deployed for coastal defense during the war (an 1862 map shows an external battery of them at Fort Monroe) and more widely deployed following the war.<ref>{{ cite book | last =Ripley | first =Warren | year =1984 | title =Artillery and Ammunition of the Civil War | page = 80 | place =Charleston, S.C. | publisher =The Battery Press | oclc = 12668104 }}</ref>

====1862====
[[Image:Fort monroe wounded leslie.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Receiving wounded at Fort Monroe as illustrated in Frank Leslie's paper, August 16, 1862]]
In March 1862, the naval [[Battle of Hampton Roads]] took place off Sewell's Point between two early [[ironclad warship]]s, [[CSS Virginia|CSS ''Virginia'']] and [[USS Monitor|USS ''Monitor'']]. While the outcome was inconclusive, the battle marked a change in naval warfare and the end to wooden fighting ships.

Later that spring, the continuing presence of the Union Navy based at Fort Monroe enabled federal water transports from Washington, D.C., to land unmolested to support Major General [[George B. McClellan]]'s [[Peninsula Campaign]]. Formed at Fort Monroe, McClellan's troops moved up the [[Virginia Peninsula]] during the spring of 1862, reaching within a few miles of the gates of [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]] about 80 miles to the west by June 1. For the next 30 days, they laid siege to Richmond. Then, during the [[Seven Days Battles]], McClellan fell back to the James River well below Richmond, ending the campaign. Fortunately for McClellan, during this time, Union troops regained control of Norfolk, Hampton Roads, and the James River below [[Drewry's Bluff]] (a strategic point about 8 miles south of Richmond).

Beginning in 1862 Fort Monroe was also used as a transfer point for mail exchange. Mail sent from states in the Confederacy addressed to locations in the Union had to be sent by flag-of-truce and could only pass through at Fort Monroe where the mail was opened, inspected, resealed, marked and sent on. [[Postage stamps and postal history of the Confederate States#Prisoner of war mail|Prisoner of war mail]] from Union soldiers in Confederate prisons was required to be passed through this point for inspection.<ref name="Civilian Flag-of-Truce Covers">{{cite web |url=http://arago.si.edu/index.asp?con=1&cmd=1&tid=2028296 |title=Civilian Flag-of-Truce Covers |publisher=[[National Postal Museum|Smithsonian National Postal Museum]] |access-date=17 November 2010}}</ref><ref name="Prisoner of war mail exchange">{{cite web |url=http://arago.si.edu/index.asp?con=1&cmd=1&mode=1&tid=2027694 |publisher=Prisoner of War mail, Smithsonian National Postal Museum |title=Prisoner mail exchange |access-date=17 November 2010}}</ref>

====1864–1867====
[[Image:Jefferson davis fort monroe capture.jpg|thumb|Sketch by [[Alfred R. Waud]] of Jefferson Davis imprisoned in the casemate (1865)]]
In 1864, the Union [[Army of the James]] under Major General [[Benjamin Butler (politician)|Benjamin Butler]] was formed at Fort Monroe.  The [[2nd Regiment, United States Colored Cavalry]], mustered in at Fort Monroe on December 22, 1864,<ref>[http://www.civilwararchive.com/Unreghst/uncolcav.htm 2nd Regiment, United States Colored Cavalry at CivilWarArchive.com]</ref> and the [[1st Regiment, United States Colored Cavalry]] mustered in the same day at nearby Camp Hamilton.<ref>[http://www.civilwararchive.com/Unreghst/uncolcav.htm 1st Regiment, United States Colored Cavalry at CivilWarArchive.com]</ref>  The [[Siege of Petersburg]] during 1864 and 1865 was supported on the James River from a base at [[City Point, Virginia|City Point]] (now [[Hopewell, Virginia]]). Maintaining the control of Hampton Roads at Fort Monroe and Fort Wool was crucial to the naval support Grant required for the successful Union campaign to take Petersburg, which was the key to the fall of the Confederate capital at Richmond. As Petersburg fell, Richmond was evacuated in 1865 on the night of April 2–3. That night, [[President of the Confederate States|Confederate President]] [[Jefferson Davis]] and his cabinet escaped Richmond, taking the [[Richmond and Danville Railroad]] to move first to [[Danville, Virginia|Danville]] and then [[North Carolina]]. However, the cause was lost, and Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered what was left of the [[Army of Northern Virginia]] to Grant at [[Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia|Appomattox Court House]] the following week.

After the last Confederate cabinet meeting was held on April 26, 1865, at [[Charlotte, North Carolina]], Jefferson Davis was captured at [[Irwinville]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], and placed under arrest. Davis was confined for two years at Fort Monroe, beginning on May 22, 1865. For a few days he was confined in irons; newspaper accounts of this beginning on May 27 aroused sympathy for him, even in the North, and Union [[Secretary of War|secretary of war]] [[Edwin M. Stanton]] soon ordered the irons removed. At the fort, Union surgeon John J. Craven had already recommended this, and continued to recommend better quarters, access to tobacco, and freedom of movement for Davis.<ref>{{cite news |last=Erickson |first=Mark St. John |date=May 19, 2017 |title=Civil War 150: Jefferson Davis begins imprisonment at Fort Monroe |url=https://www.dailypress.com/history/dp-nws-jefferson-davis-fort-monroe-20150521-story.html |work=Daily Press |location=Norfolk, VA |access-date=August 27, 2021}}</ref>  In poor health, Davis was released in May, 1867, on bail, which was posted by prominent citizens of both Northern and Southern states, including [[Horace Greeley]] and [[Cornelius Vanderbilt]], who had become convinced he was being treated unfairly. The federal government proceeded no further in its prosecution due to the constitutional concerns of [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] Chief Justice [[Salmon P. Chase]]. Davis died in 1889.

===Post-Civil War and early Endicott Period (1868–1906)===

[[File:Fort Greble, R.I. (4515412788).jpg|thumb|right|{{convert|12|in|adj=on|0}} mortars, similar to those at Fort Monroe]]
[[File:Coast artillery practice, Fortress Monroe, Va. 12 inch mortar detachment loading - cropped - NARA - 55179673.jpg|thumb|1918 photo of a pit of 12-inch mortars at Fort Monroe; one mortar tube has been removed for conversion to railway artillery.]]
[[File:Seacoast-Battery.jpg|right|thumb|Endicott Program battery with two guns on disappearing carriages, similar to several at Fort Monroe]]
The ''[[Journal of the United States Artillery]]'' was founded at Fort Monroe in 1892 by First Lieutenant (later General) [[General John Wilson Ruckman|John Wilson Ruckman]] and four other officers of the Artillery School.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/journalunitedst13vagoog/page/n6 ''Journal of the United States Artillery'', vol. XX, 1903]</ref> Ruckman served as the editor of the ''Journal'' for four years (July 1892 to January 1896) and published several articles therein afterward. One publication by [[United States Military Academy|West Point]] notes Ruckman's "guidance" and "first-rate quality" work were obvious as the ''Journal'' "rose to high rank among the service papers of the world". The ''Journal'' was renamed the ''Coast Artillery Journal'' in 1922<ref name=SillCAJ1>{{Cite web |url=https://sill-www.army.mil/ada-online/coast-artillery-journal/ |title=''Coast Artillery Journal'' at sill-www.army.mil |access-date=2019-01-24 |archive-date=2018-05-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180517223307/http://sill-www.army.mil/ada-online/coast-artillery-journal/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and the ''Antiaircraft Journal'' in 1948.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://sill-www.army.mil/ada-online/antiaircraft-journal/ |title=''Antiaircraft Journal'' at sill-www.army.mil |access-date=2019-01-31 |archive-date=2019-02-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190208070633/http://sill-www.army.mil/ada-online/antiaircraft-journal/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Board of Fortifications]], chaired by [[United States Secretary of War|Secretary of War]] [[William C. Endicott]] and often called the Endicott board, met in 1885 to consider the future of U.S. coast defenses. In 1886 the board's report recommended an across-the-board improvement program, often called the Endicott program. This included replacing all existing weapons with modern breech-loading guns and mortars in [[reinforced concrete]] batteries with earth cover and providing [[Submarine mines in United States harbor defense|controlled minefields]] in ship channels.<ref name=EndTaftCDSG1>{{cite web |url=https://cdsg.org/modern-u-s-harbor-defense-construction-1886-191-the-endicott-and-taft-boards/ |title=U.S. Seacoast Defense 1781-1948: A Brief History |publisher=Coast Defense Study Group |access-date=3 February 2019}}</ref> Fort Monroe was to be one of the largest installations of this program, and in 1896 construction began on new gun batteries there. The fort was the headquarters and main fort of the [[Coast Defense Command|Coast Defenses of Chesapeake Bay]], which was organized circa 1896 as an artillery district and redesignated in 1913.<ref name=FWikiMon1/><ref name=CACOrg421>{{cite web |url=http://cdsg.org/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/FORTS/CACunits/CACorg2011.pdf |title=Coast Artillery Organization, A Brief Overview, p. 421 |publisher=Coast Defense Study Group |access-date=3 February 2019}}</ref>

By 1906 the following batteries were completed:<ref name=FWikiMon1/><ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Berhow |editor-first=Mark A. | title = American Seacoast Defenses, A Reference Guide |edition=Third | page = 212 | location = McLean, Virginia | publisher = CDSG Press | year = 2015 | isbn = 978-0-9748167-3-9 }}</ref>

{|class="wikitable"
!Name
!No. of guns
!Gun type
!Carriage type
!Years active
!Condition in 2015
|-
|[[Robert Anderson (Union officer)|Anderson]]||8||[[12-inch coast defense mortar|{{convert|12|in|0|adj=on}} mortar]] M1890||[[barbette]] M1896||1898–1943||intact
|-
|[[George D. Ruggles|Ruggles]]||8||{{convert|12|in|0|adj=on}} mortar M1890||barbette M1896||1898–1943||intact
|-
|[[René Edward De Russy|De Russy]]||3||[[12-inch gun M1895|{{convert|12|in|0|adj=on}} gun M1895]]||[[disappearing gun|disappearing]] M1897||1904–1944||intact, earth [[glacis]] removed
|-
|[[Robert Parker Parrott|Parrott]]||2||{{convert|12|in|0|adj=on}} gun M1900||disappearing M1901||1906–1943||intact, 90&nbsp;mm gun in place
|-
|Humphreys||1||[[10-inch gun M1888|{{convert|10|in|0|adj=on}} gun M1888]]||disappearing M1894||1897–1910||demolished
|-
|[[Abraham Eustis|Eustis]]||2||{{convert|10|in|0|adj=on}} gun M1888||disappearing M1896||1901–1942||demolished
|-
|Church||2||{{convert|10|in|0|adj=on}} gun M1895||disappearing M1896||1901–1942||intact, earth glacis removed
|-
|[[George Bomford|Bomford]]||2||{{convert|10|in|0|adj=on}} gun M1888||disappearing M1894||1897–1942||demolished
|-
|Northeast bastion (experimental)||1||{{convert|10|in|0|adj=on}} gun M1896||disappearing M1894||1900–1908||intact
|-
|Barber||1||[[8-inch gun M1888|{{convert|8|in|0|adj=on}} gun M1888]]||barbette M1892||1898–1913||demolished
|-
|Parapet||2||{{convert|8|in|0|adj=on}} gun M1888||barbette M1892||1898–1915||mostly buried
|-
|[[Lemuel P. Montgomery|Montgomery]]||2||[[6-inch gun M1900|{{convert|6|in|0|adj=on}} gun M1900]]||pedestal M1900||1904–1948||demolished
|-
|[[Charles B. Gatewood|Gatewood]]||4||[[QF 4.7-inch Gun Mk I–IV#United States service|4.72-inch Armstrong gun]]||pedestal||1898–1914||mostly buried
|-
|Irwin||4||[[3-inch gun M1898|{{convert|3|in|0|adj=on}} gun M1898]]||[[masking parapet]] M1898||1903–1920||intact, two [[3-inch M1902 seacoast gun|3-inch M1902 guns]] in place
|-
|}

Battery Gatewood and the northeast bastion battery were built on the roof of the old fort's southeastern front and bastion; the parapet battery was on the roof of the eastern half of the old fort's southern side. The parapet battery had four emplacements, but only two of these had guns.<ref>[http://www.fortwiki.com/Battery_Parapet Battery Parapet at FortWiki.com]</ref> Batteries Bomford and Barber were north of the old fort. Battery Humphreys was immediately northeast of the old fort and oriented southeast.<ref>[http://www.fortwiki.com/Battery_Humphreys_(3) Battery Humphreys at FortWiki.com]</ref> Batteries Irwin and Parrott were in front of the old fort's southern side. The remaining batteries were on the isthmus extending north from the old fort in this order: Eustis, De Russy, Montgomery, Church, Anderson/Ruggles. Batteries Anderson and Ruggles were a line of four open-back mortar pits, originally with four mortars in each pit. Battery Anderson was the southern pair of pits and Battery Ruggles was the northern pair. Originally all four pits were named Anderson, but they were divided into two batteries in 1906.<ref name=FWikiMon1/><ref>[https://cdsg.org/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/CDSG/CDSG%20WEBSITE%20UPDATES/CDSG%20Downloads/AMERICAN%20SEACOAST%20DEFENSES%20FORTS,%20MILITARY%20RESERVATIONS%20and%20BATTERIES%201794-1945/matlan/HDCB1921.pdf 1921 maps of Fort Monroe at CDSG.org (PDF file)]</ref><ref name="Battery Anderson at FortWiki.com">[http://www.fortwiki.com/Battery_Anderson Battery Anderson at FortWiki.com]</ref>

Battery Gatewood and the parapet battery were among a number of batteries begun after the outbreak of the [[Spanish–American War]] in 1898. Most of the Endicott batteries were years from completion, and most existing defenses still had muzzle-loading weapons. It was feared that the Spanish fleet might bombard U.S. [[East Coast of the United States|east coast]] ports. Modern quick-firing guns were acquired from the United Kingdom and installed in new batteries. Battery Gatewood had four 4.72-inch/50 [[Caliber (artillery)|caliber]] guns while the parapet battery had four platforms for 8-inch M1888 guns with only two guns mounted.<ref name="guncards1">Gun and Carriage cards, [[National Archives and Records Administration]], Record Group 156, Records of the [[Chief of Ordnance]], Entry 712</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RUtZAAAAIAAJ&q=submarine+mine+kennebec&pg=PA3780 |title=Congressional serial set, 1900, ''Report of the Commission on the Conduct of the War with Spain'', Vol. 7, pp. 3778-3780, Washington: Government Printing Office |access-date=1 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160502190809/https://books.google.com/books?id=RUtZAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA3780&lpg=PA3780&dq=submarine+mine+kennebec&source=bl&ots=4xAi23wWH6&sig=dWoH11emgzCGV43fUkYyNlaVEDM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi4r5Hc167JAhUUXWMKHQZJAI8Q6AEIOjAI#v=onepage&q=submarine%20mine%20kennebec&f=false |archive-date=2 May 2016 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all |last1=In The War With Spain |first1=United States. Commission Appointed by the President to Investigate the Conduct of the War Dept |year=1900 }}</ref> The northeast bastion battery was built to test an experimental 10-inch M1896 "depressing gun"; the battery was disarmed in 1908.<ref>[http://www.fortwiki.com/Northeast_Bastion_Battery Northeast bastion battery at FortWiki.com]</ref> Battery Humphreys was disarmed in 1910; batteries Barber, Gatewood, and the parapet battery were disarmed in 1913–1915.<ref name=FWikiMon1/>

[[Fire control tower]]s to [[Coast Artillery fire control system|direct the use of guns and mines]] were also built at the fort.<ref name=NAFortsHamp1/><ref name=FWikiMon1/>

During the Spanish–American War Fort Monroe also hosted the Camp Josiah Simpson Army General Hospital, including the post hospital and a tent camp on the old fort's parade ground.<ref name=NAFortsHamp1/>

===Twentieth century===

The [[Jamestown Exposition]], held in 1907 at [[Hampton Roads]], featured an extensive [[naval review]], including the [[Great White Fleet]]. Beginning in 1917, the former exposition site at [[Sewell's Point]] became a major base of the [[United States Navy]]. Currently, [[Naval Station Norfolk]] is the base supporting naval forces operating in the [[Atlantic Ocean]], [[Mediterranean Sea]], and [[Indian Ocean]]. As of 2018, it is the world's largest naval station by number of military members supported.

====World War I====
[[File:Guns at Fort Monroe, Va.jpg|thumbnail|left|Color image of [[155 mm gun M1918|155 mm GPF-type guns]] at Fort Monroe, circa 1930–1945]]
During [[World War I]], Fort Monroe and [[Fort Wool]] were used to protect Hampton Roads and the important inland military and civilian resources of the Chesapeake Bay area as part of the [[Coast Defense Command|Coast Defenses of Chesapeake Bay]]. The fort installed the first [[anti-submarine net]] in America in February 1917 stretching to Fort Wool. Although many guns were removed from coast defenses in World War&nbsp;I for potential service as [[field gun]]s and [[railway artillery]], this did not happen with most weapons at Fort Monroe due to its strategic importance. However, eight mortars were removed from Battery Anderson-Ruggles for potential overseas service and to improve the rate of fire of the remaining weapons; five of the removed mortars became railway artillery in France; it is unclear if they were used in action.<ref name="Battery Anderson at FortWiki.com"/><ref>[http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~cacunithistories/military/Railway%20Artillery.html US Army Railway Artillery, WWI at Rootsweb.com]</ref> Battery Montgomery's pair of pedestal-mounted [[6-inch gun M1900|{{convert|6|in|0|adj=on}} guns]] were relocated to a temporary battery at [[Cape Henry]] in 1917; they were replaced with weapons of the same type in February 1919.<ref>[http://www.fortwiki.com/Battery_Montgomery_(2) Battery Montgomery (2) at FortWiki.com]</ref> Fort Monroe was also important as a mobilization and training center; the [[United States Army Coast Artillery Corps|Coast Artillery Corps]] operated the weapons removed from forts along with most other US-manned heavy and railway artillery on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]].<ref>[http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~cacunithistories/military/defeating_the_hun.htm History of the Coast Artillery Corps in World War I at Rootsweb.com]</ref> In 1918 [[Camp Eustis]] (now Fort Eustis) was established near Newport News as a coast artillery replacement center to relieve overcrowding at Fort Monroe.<ref>[http://www.fortwiki.com/Fort_Eustis Fort Eustis at FortWiki.com]</ref> During World War&nbsp;I the authorized strength of the Coast Defenses of Chesapeake Bay was 17 companies, including five from the [[Virginia Army National Guard|Virginia National Guard]].<ref>{{cite book | last = Rinaldi | first = Richard A. | title = The U. S. Army in World War I: Orders of Battle | publisher = General Data LLC | year = 2004 | page = 165 | isbn = 0-9720296-4-8 }}</ref>

====Interwar period====
In 1922 Fort Monroe's importance in defending Chesapeake Bay was somewhat reduced with the establishment of a battery of four [[16-inch howitzer M1920|{{convert|16|in|0|adj=on}} howitzers]] at [[Fort Story]] on [[Cape Henry]], at the entrance to the bay. With the improved weapon location and a range advantage over Fort Monroe's 12-inch guns of {{convert|24,500|yd}} versus {{convert|18,400|yd}}, the 16-inch weapons could engage attacking warships long before they could come within range of Fort Monroe.<ref>[http://www.fortwiki.com/Fort_Story Fort Story at FortWiki.com]</ref>{{sfn|Berhow|2015|p=61}} In 1920 Battery Irwin's four {{convert|3|in|0|adj=on}} guns were removed as part of a general removal from service of M1898 3-inch guns; they were not replaced until 1946, when the battery became a saluting battery.<ref>[http://www.fortwiki.com/Battery_Irwin Battery Irwin at FortWiki.com]</ref> In 1924 the Coast Artillery Corps' harbor defense garrisons transitioned from a company-based organization to a regimental organization. The Harbor Defenses of Chesapeake Bay (as renamed in 1925) were garrisoned by the [[12th Coast Artillery (United States)|12th Coast Artillery Regiment]] of the [[Regular Army (United States)|regular army]],<ref>[http://cdsg.org/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/FORTS/CACunits/CACreg1.pdf Gaines, William C., Coast Artillery Organizational History, Regular Army regiments, 1917-1950, ''Coast Defense Journal'', vol. 23, issue 2, p. 10]</ref> with the [[246th Coast Artillery (United States)|246th Coast Artillery Regiment]] as the [[Virginia Army National Guard|Virginia National Guard]] component.<ref name=CDSGNGReg>[http://cdsg.org/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/FORTS/CACunits/CAregNG.pdf National Guard Coast Artillery regiment histories at the Coast Defense Study Group]</ref> In 1932 the 12th Coast Artillery was effectively redesignated as the [[2nd Coast Artillery (United States)|2nd Coast Artillery]], continuing as the garrison of Chesapeake Bay.<ref>[http://cdsg.org/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/FORTS/CACunits/CACreg1.pdf Gaines regular army, p. 5]</ref>

====World War II====
During [[World War II|World War&nbsp;II]], Fort Monroe continued as headquarters for the [[Harbor Defense Command|Harbor Defenses of Chesapeake Bay]]. However, during the war new [[16"/50 caliber Mark 2 gun|{{convert|16|in|0|adj=on}} gun]] batteries were built at Fort Story and at [[Fort John Custis]] on [[Cape Charles, Virginia|Cape Charles]].<ref>[https://cdsg.org/the-harbor-defenses-of-chesapeake-bay/ The Harbor Defenses of Chesapeake Bay at CDSG.org]</ref> These rendered Fort Monroe's heavy guns obsolete, and between 1942 and 1944 all of the fort's {{convert|10|in|0|adj=on}} and {{convert|12|in|0|adj=on}} guns and mortars were scrapped. However, the two rapid-fire {{convert|6|in|0|adj=on}} guns of Battery Montgomery remained until 1948. A {{convert|16|in|0|adj=on}} gun battery of two guns (Battery 124) was proposed for Fort Monroe but not built. A new Anti-Motor Torpedo Boat (AMTB) battery (AMTB 23) was built in 1943, with two fixed, dual-purpose (anti-surface and anti-aircraft) [[90 mm Gun M1/M2/M3|90&nbsp;mm guns]] at the old Battery Parrott, which was partly rebuilt to accommodate them.<ref name=FWikiMon1/> This type of battery was usually authorized two fixed and two mobile 90&nbsp;mm guns and two 37&nbsp;mm or 40&nbsp;mm guns, but it is unclear where the additional weapons were located. In addition, submarine barriers and underwater mine fields continued to be controlled from Fort Monroe. But by the end of the Second World War, the vast array of armaments guarding the Chesapeake was made largely obsolete due to the development of the long-range bomber and the refinement of naval aviation. Essentially all of the United States' coast defense guns were scrapped by the end of 1948.{{sfn|Lewis|1979|p=132}}

====Post World War II====
Since World War&nbsp;II, Fort Monroe has been a major Army training headquarters. However, in 1946 the Coast Artillery School relocated to [[Fort Winfield Scott]] in San Francisco, where it was disestablished in 1949; the remnant of the Coast Artillery Corps was also disestablished a year later.<ref name=NAFortsHamp1/> Also in 1946 Battery Irwin became a saluting battery with two [[3-inch M1902 seacoast gun|3-inch M1902 guns]] relocated from Fort Wool, which are still in place.<ref name=FWikiMon1/> The fort also hosted some [[Cold War]] antiaircraft defenses in the 1950s; a battery of four 90&nbsp;mm guns 1953–55 (site N-03) and a [[Nike missile]] battery headquarters 1955–60 (site N-08).<ref name=NAFortsHamp1/> The [[Continental Army Command]] (CONARC) headquarters was at Fort Monroe throughout its existence from 1955 to 1973. CONARC was responsible for all active Army units in the [[continental United States]], and in 1973 was split into the [[United States Army Forces Command]] (FORSCOM) and the [[United States Army Training and Doctrine Command]] (TRADOC). The latter command was headquartered at the fort from 1973 until the fort's decommissioning in 2011.<ref name=TRFAQ1/> At the turn of the 21st century, Fort Monroe supported a work population of some 3,000, including 1,000 people in uniform.{{cn|date=May 2020}}

===Hotels at Fort Monroe===

In 1822 the Hygeia Hotel was built to accommodate some of the fort's builders. It eventually expanded to 200 rooms. In 1862 it was torn down by orders of the Secretary of War to limit civilian access to the post in wartime. It was replaced with a hotel of the same name after the war, and in 1874 became managed by [[Harrison Phoebus]], for whom the city of [[Phoebus, Virginia|Phoebus]] was named following his death in 1886. The second Hygeia Hotel was torn down in 1902 to make room for the fort's expansion under [[Board of Fortifications|a new fortifications program]]. By this time the [[The Chamberlin|Chamberlin Hotel]] (built 1896) was in business; this building burned down and was replaced with the current building in 1928.<ref>[http://www.virginiaplaces.org/parktour/pointcomforthotel.html Hotels at Point Comfort/Fort Monroe at VirginiaPlaces.org]</ref> It now serves as a retirement community for those 55 years and older.

===Coast Artillery School===
[[File:Coast Artillery School.png|thumb|Coast Artillery School coat of arms]]
In 1907 the Coast Artillery School was established along with the [[U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps]]. New buildings were constructed for classrooms and barracks, with the library and school buildings completed in 1909.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=GuDlAAAAMAAJ&dq=Commandant+of+the+coast+artillery+school+1909&pg=PA32 Annual Report of the Commandant, Coast Artillery School, 1916, Appendix C, pp. 31–32]</ref> As part of the school's responsibility the ''Journal of the United States Artillery'' (renamed ''[[Coast Artillery Journal]]'' in 1922) was published under the supervision of the commandant.<ref name=SillCAJ1/> The school operated until 1946 when most of the coast artillery was disbanded, and the school was moved to [[Fort Winfield Scott]] in San Francisco.
[[File:Fort Monroe, Virginia (1907).jpg|thumb|right|Fort Monroe, 1907]]
[[File:Fort Monroe 1934.jpg|thumb|Artillery School Behind the Hotel Chamberlain]]

====Commandants list====
{| class="wikitable sortable" 
|- 
!class=unsortable|Image !! class=unsortable|Rank !! Name !! Begin Date !! End Date !! class=unsortable|Notes
|-
|[[File:Ramsay D. Potts.jpg|50px]]||[[Lieutenant colonel (United States)|Lieutenant colonel]]||<span style="display:none">Ramsay D. Potts</span>[[Ramsay D. Potts]]||align=center|<span style="display:none">1904-02-22</span>22 February 1904||align=center|<span style="display:none">1906-08-11</span>11 August 1906||{{cref|a}}
|-
|[[File:George F. E. Harrison.jpg|50px]]||[[Lieutenant colonel (United States)|Lieutenant colonel]]||<span style="display:none">George F. E. Harrison</span>[[George F. E. Harrison]]||align=center|<span style="display:none">1906-10-24</span>24 October 1906||align=center|<span style="display:none">1909-1-14</span>14 January 1909||{{cref|a}}
|-
|[[File:Clarence P.Townsley.jpg|50px]]||[[Lieutenant colonel (United States)|Lieutenant colonel]]||<span style="display:none">Clarence P. Townsley</span>[[Clarence Page Townsley]]||align=center|<span style="display:none">1909-02-06</span>6 February 1909||align=center|<span style="display:none">1911-09-07</span>7 September 1911||{{cref|a}}
|-
|[[File:Frederick S. Strong.jpg|50px]]||[[Lieutenant colonel (United States)|Lieutenant colonel]]||<span style="display:none">Frederick S. Strong</span>[[Frederick S. Strong]]||align=center|<span style="display:none">1911-09-08</span>8 September 1911||align=center|<span style="display:none">1913-02-27</span>27 February 1913||{{cref|a}}
|-
|[[File:Ira A. Haynes.jpg|50px]]||[[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]]||<span style="display:none">Ira A. Haynes</span>[[Ira Allen Haynes|Ira A. Haynes]]||align=center|<span style="display:none">1913-02-18</span>18 February 1913||align=center|<span style="display:none">1916-10-16</span>16 October 1916||{{cref|a}}
|-
|[[File:Stephen M. Foote.jpg|50px]]||[[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]]||<span style="display:none">Stephen M. Foote</span>[[Stephen Miller Foote|Stephen M. Foote]]||align=center|<span style="display:none">1916-10-01</span>1 October 1916||align=center|<span style="display:none">1917-08-23</span>23 August 1917||{{cref|a}}
|-
|[[File:John A. Lundeen.jpg|50px]]||[[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]]||<span style="display:none">John A. Lundeen</span>[[John A. Lundeen]]||align=center|<span style="display:none">1917-08-23</span>23 August 1917||align=center|<span style="display:none">1918-03-30</span>30 March 1918||{{cref|a}}
|-
|[[File:Frank K. Fergusson.jpg|50px]]||[[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]]||<span style="display:none">Frank K. Fergusson</span>[[Frank Kerby Fergusson|Frank K. Fergusson]]||align=center|<span style="display:none">1918-03-30</span>30 March 1918||align=center|<span style="display:none">1918-09-11</span>11 September 1918||{{cref|a}}
|-
|[[File:Robert R. Welshimer commandant Coast Artillery School.jpg|50px]]||[[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]]||<span style="display:none">Robert R. Welshimer</span>[[Robert R. Welshimer]]||align=center|<span style="display:none">1918-09-08</span>8 September 1918||align=center|<span style="display:none">1919-01-29</span>29 January 1919||{{cref|a}}
|-
|[[File:Eugene Reybold.jpg|50px]]||[[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]]||<span style="display:none">Eugene Reybold</span>[[Eugene Reybold]]||align=center|<span style="display:none">1919-01-29</span>29 January 1919||align=center|<span style="display:none">1920-01-19</span>19 January 1920||{{cref|a}}
|-
| ||[[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]]||<span style="display:none">Jacob C. Johnson</span>[[Jacob C. Johnson]]||align=center|<span style="display:none">1920-01-19</span>19 January 1920||align=center|<span style="display:none">1920-11-03</span>3 November 1920||{{cref|a}}
|-
|[[File:Richmond P. Davis.jpg|50px]]||[[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]]||<span style="display:none">Richmond P. Davis</span>[[Richmond P. Davis]]||align=center|<span style="display:none">1921-04-28</span>28 April 1921||align=center|<span style="display:none">1922-12-28</span>28 December 1922||{{cref|a}}
|-
|[[File:William R. Smith.jpg|50px]]||[[Brigadier general (United States)|Brigadier General]]||<span style="display:none">William Ruthven Smith</span>[[William Ruthven Smith]]||align=center|<span style="display:none">1923-01-11</span>11 January 1923||align=center|<span style="display:none">1924-12-20</span>20 December 1924||{{cref|a}}
|-
|[[File:Robert E. Callan.jpg|50px]]||[[Brigadier general (United States)|Brigadier General]]||<span style="display:none">Robert Emmet Callan</span>[[Robert Emmet Callan]]||align=center|<span style="display:none">1924-12-20</span>20 December 1924||align=center|<span style="display:none">1929-06-03</span>3 June 1929||{{cref|a}}
|-
|[[File:Henry D.Todd.jpg|50px]]||[[Brigadier general (United States)|Brigadier General]]||<span style="display:none">Henry D. Todd Jr.</span>[[Henry D. Todd Jr.]]||align=center|<span style="display:none">1929-08-28</span>28 August 1929||align=center|<span style="display:none">1930-08-31</span>31 August 1930||{{cref|a}}
|-
|[[File:Stanley Dunbar Embick.jpg|50px]]||[[Brigadier general (United States)|Brigadier General]]||<span style="display:none">Stanley Dunbar Embick</span>[[Stanley Dunbar Embick]]||align=center|<span style="display:none">1930-10-01</span>1 October 1930||align=center|<span style="display:none">1932-04-25</span>25 April 1932||{{cref|a}}
|-
|[[File:Joseph P.Tracy.jpg|50px]]||[[Brigadier general (United States)|Brigadier General]]||<span style="display:none">Joseph P. Tracy</span>[[Joseph P. Tracy]]||align=center|<span style="display:none">1932-08-31</span>31 August 1932||align=center|<span style="display:none">1936-12-01</span>1 December 1936||{{cref|a}}
|-
|[[File:John W. Gulick.jpg|50px]]||[[Brigadier general (United States)|Brigadier General]]||<span style="display:none">John W, Gulick</span>[[John W. Gulick]]||align=center|<span style="display:none">1937-01-03</span>3 January 1937||align=center|<span style="display:none">1938-10-12</span>12 October 1938||{{cref|a}}
|-
| ||[[Brigadier general (United States)|Brigadier General]]||<span style="display:none">Frederick H. Smith</span>[[Frederick H. Smith]]||align=center|<span style="display:none">1938-11-21</span>21 November 1938||align=center|<span style="display:none">1940-10-01</span>1 October 1940||{{cref|a}}
|-
| ||[[Brigadier general (United States)|Brigadier General]]||<span style="display:none">Frank S. Clark</span>[[Frank S. Clark]]||align=center|<span style="display:none">1940-10-10</span>10 October 1940||align=center|<span style="display:none">1942-01-15</span>15 January 1942||{{cref|a}}
|-
| ||[[Brigadier general (United States)|Brigadier General]]||<span style="display:none">Lawrence B. Weeks</span>[[Lawrence B. Weeks]]||align=center|<span style="display:none">1943-02-18</span>15 January 1942||align=center|<span style="display:none">19445-10-01</span>1 October 1945||{{cref|a}}
|-
|[[File:Robert t Frederick.jpg|50px]]||[[Brigadier general (United States)|Brigadier General]]||<span style="display:none">Robert T. Frederick</span>[[Robert T. Frederick]]||align=center|<span style="display:none">1945-11-01</span>1 November 1945||align=center|<span style="display:none">1947-08-19</span>19 August 1947||{{cref|a}}
|-
|}

===Base Realignment and Closure===
The [[2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission]] of the [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] released a list on 13 May 2005 of military installations recommended for closure or realignment, among which was Fort Monroe. The list was approved by President [[George W. Bush]] on 15 September 2005 and submitted to [[United States Congress|Congress]]. Congress failed to act within 45 legislative days to disapprove the list in its entirety, and the BRAC recommendations subsequently became law. Installations on the BRAC list were required by law to close within six years, and Fort Monroe ceased to be an Army post in 2011. Many of its functions were transferred to nearby [[Fort Eustis]], which was named for Fort Monroe's first commander, General [[Abraham Eustis]], a noted [[artillery]] expert.