Exhibit: Fort Norfolk Civil War Prison Camp

By Terrance Afer-Anderson

Some years ago, the City of Norfolk had a “Best Kept Secrets” campaign. Its goal was two-fold: to engage local residents and to establish the city as a popular tourist destination, promoting little-known cultural and historical pearls.

Established as a town in 1682, a borough in 1736, and formally incorporated as a city in 1845, there is much to discover and explore in Norfolk, especially some very rare African-American historical gems, that many past Norfolkians indeed wanted to keep a secret.

There was former slave Thomas Bayne, a dentist who became a practitioner on the Underground Railroad and now has a street bearing his name, in the city’s Broad Creek neighborhood. There was Mary Louveste who, during the Civil War, secreted plans, for converting the United States Ship Merrimac into the ironclad Confederate States Ship Virginia, to Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles. And of course there was Sergeant William Carney, whose heroic actions as a Union soldier were depicted in the movie “Glory,” who was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Yet, the Norfolk Historical Society, a long-time supporter of my creative efforts, recently introduced me to a story that left me stunned and beaming with pride.

Some twenty-plus years ago, I was astonished to learn that one of Norfolk’s best kept secrets was a fort based at the foot of Colley Avenue. A Norfolk native, I was surprised to learn I had no previous knowledge at all of historic Fort Norfolk. The fort is owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and is managed by the Norfolk Historical Society, a relationship that has existed for more than twenty-five years.

Fort Norfolk is one of the last remaining forts of the original 19 harbor-front installations authorized by the U.S. Congress and signed into law, in 1794, by George Washington.

During the Civil War, the Confederates took control of the fort and used it to supply the CSS Virginia in its skirmish with the U.S.S. Monitor, in the legendary Battle of Hampton Roads. But later, before the end of the war, something quite extraordinary happened.

The U.S. Army seized the fort and for a short time it became a Civil War prison camp, incarcerating area residents, White and Black Union soldiers, and Confederate prisoners of war.

It is the latter that is of particular note, as they were guarded for a while by Black Union soldiers. Can you imagine how Confederate soldiers must have felt incarcerated and being shepherded about by Black men?

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Recently, I was given a private tour of the Fort Norfolk Civil War Prison Camp Exhibit by two men who enthusiastically shared this little-known aspect of Norfolk and American history. They were Steve Forrest, a Fort Norfolk Historian who is Chairman of the Fort Norfolk Committee and member of the Norfolk Historical Society Board of Directors, and Jeffrey Reimiller, a local historian, who also serves on the Fort Norfolk Committee and is an NHS Board member.

They shared how the Black Union soldiers who served as prison guards at Fort Norfolk were members of B Company of the 1st Regiment of United States Colored Troops. The regiment was organized in the District of Columbia on May 22, 1863 and officially mustered, just one month later, on June 30, 1863. They were commended by Colonel John H. Holman. Just two years later, five months after the end of the Civil War on April 9, 1865, the 1st U.S. Colored Infantry mustered out of service, on September 29, 1865.

Though commanded by White officers, you can imagine that the sight of Black men in U.S. Army uniforms, during the Civil War, must have been quite something to see. It rattled many. In fact, the first casualty of the 1st Regiment of United States Colored Troops was 2nd Lieutenant A.L. Sanborn, shot and killed on a Norfolk street by physician David M. Wright. Both men were White, yet 2nd Lt. Sanborn had been sent to Norfolk to recruit Black soldiers. Having later been found guilty, it was President Abraham Lincoln who gave the order for Dr. Wright’s execution, by hanging.

The only Black officer that served the 1st was its Chaplain Henry McNeal Turner. A prominent figure of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Turner was the first African-American to be commissioned as a chaplain in the U.S. Army. He left several writings chronicling events and goings-on of the 1st Regiment of United States Colored Troops. These are included, along with orders and writings of Colonel Holman, in one of two very insightful, smartly-produced mini-documentaries that accompany the Fort Norfolk Civil War Prison Camp Exhibit. Forrest also displays his acting skills in portraying Colonel Holman.

While you must absolutely make certain you visit the exhibit, the videos can be accessed at the Norfolk Historical Society’s YouTube channel entitled “Fort Norfolk Civil War Prison Camp” (found at https://youtu.be/SWIln7Ydq2w?si=E6MXfy9G86YWWdhx) and “History of the First Regiment of United States Colored Troops” (found at https://youtu.be/y1p44QFPQIM?si=Nvt1BIcpR3759t4J).

It was Forrest who proved to be the genesis of the Fort Norfolk Civil War Prison Camp Exhibit. He noted, “Someone in the Norfolk Historical Society sent me an email about the Commonwealth History Fund, presented by a Dominion Energy grant.”

He got approval from Peggy McPhillips, President, Norfolk Historical Society, and the NHS board, to apply for funding. He added, “I came up with the topics and filled out the grant application.”

But their initial attempt proved unsuccessful. Then, the next year, in 2024, the project was funded. The Virginia Museum of History and Culture issued the grant with funding provided by Dominion Energy.

As Forrest and Reimiller both are seasoned historians, with a passion for discovery of obscure, historical pearls they could share, I was curious if there were any surprises they encountered.

Forrest advised, “I had done a lot of research on the fort for years, so I was aware of most of the information before we received the grant.  I discovered a lot of new information while working on the grant.  The only fact that stunned me was when I found out that there were Black soldiers stationed at the fort as guards.” A dedicated and resourceful researcher, he added, “But I found this out about 5 years ago.”

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If you’re a history buff, particularly with an appetite yourself for discovering some of Norfolk’s “best kept secrets,” you should make sure you visit the Norfolk Historical Society’s Fort Norfolk Civil War Prison Camp Exhibit. And be prepared to be well-fed! I could not even begin to include here all the historic morsels you will find.

It is a new exhibit, which just opened this past May, but is part of the regular Fort Norfolk tour, which occurs every Sunday afternoon from 12 Noon until 4 p.m. The tour is free, but hurry! The final day of the exhibit is August 31, 2025. Please also note that a Real I.D. or equivalent is required for admittance. Donations are gladly accepted.

Terrance Afer-Anderson is a writer, actor, director and producer. He is also President/CEO, TerraVizion Entertainment Network.