The fort was constructed as part of a coastal defense strategy developed by the U.S. The body of water just outside these walls is a natural deep-water harbor and historically it was the key to controlling the Chesapeake Bay and to accessing by water the capital of the colonies, the Commonwealth of Virginia and Washington, D.C. The massive fort that exists today, and the smaller forts that preceded it, have guarded and defended Hampton Roads, one of the world's largest natural harbors. It became known as Point Comfort, as Smith and his weary men found the site brought them "great comfort." To this day, the name Old Point Comfort is frequently heard in reference to Fort Monroe and this historic area of Virginia. The point of land has been a place of strategic importance ever since. After surveying the area in 1608, he pronounced this place a "little isle fit for a castle." In 1609 colonial settlers built a wooden structure large enough to hold fifty men and seven mounted cannons, and called it Fort Algernourne. Over 400 years ago, in 1607, the English explorer Captain John Smith came ashore near here.
Fort Monroe is the largest stone fort ever built in the United States and the only moat-encircled fort remaining in active duty.
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