Work on Fort D began on August 6, 1861, under the direction of Lieutenant John W. Powell of Illinois. Later, Powell recruited a company of men from Cape Girardeau to serve in the Union army. Since Powell was from Illinois, these men were designated as Battery F, 2nd Illinois Light Artillery. After training for several months, the battery was sent up the Tennessee River to Pittsburgh Landing, near a small chapel known as Shiloh. During the Battle of Shiloh, on April 6, 1862, Powell gave a command to fire by raising his hand. A bullet shattered his wrist, and the arm was later amputated to stop infection. In 1869, one-armed John Wesley Powell led the first successful navigation of the Colorado River through what Powell named "the Grand Canyon".[2][3]
The earthwork walls are the original Fort D, as constructed in 1861 and restored in 1936. A palisade wall, probably made of upright logs, constituted the rear wall and was pierced by a gate. The gap in the south wall may have been a "sally" port, allowing soldiers access to the rifle pits below the parapet. The fort was armed with three 32-pounder cannons and two 24-pounder cannons; all mounted on movable siege carriages. A 32-pounder cannon was a smoothbore cannon that could fire a 32-pound solid round shot over one mile. The cannon plus carriage probably weighed more than four tons.
Fort D was garrisoned by Union troops from Illinois, Missouri, and other Midwestern states throughout the Civil War. The fort was never engaged in real combat; The Battle of Cape Girardeau, April 26, 1863, was fought west of the city.[4]
Other fortsedit
Gunpowder house, Fort D, Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Fort D is the only surviving fortification built by Union troops in the area during the Civil War. Fort A was located slightly north of downtown Cape Girardeau on a high hill. A grist-grinding windmill was included in the fort. Fort B was located where Academic Hall now stands at Southeast Missouri State University. Fort C was built at the end of Bloomfield Road east of Pacific St. Smaller earthworks included Battery A at the corner of Henderson and New Madrid Streets, Battery B on Whitener Street just east of Sunset Avenue and rifle pits along Perry Avenue and on the hill where Southeast Missouri Hospital now stands.[5]
Modern preservationedit
The fort was saved from development in the early 20th century. The earthworks were repaired by the Works Progress Administration during the 1930s. The stone blockhouse was also built by the WPA in 1936 and has been used for various purposes since.[6] The fort was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.
Referencesedit
^. Archived from the original on 2016-03-31. Retrieved 2015-07-09.
^"Missouri Civil War Sesquicentennial". Retrieved 2015-07-09.
^"Fort D event demonstrates military life during Civil War". Southeast Missourian Newspaper. May 25, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
^"Protecting the fort: Commission works to put Civil War spot on national register". Southeast Missourian Newspaper. Sep 6, 2011. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
fort, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, april, 2018, learn, w. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Fort D news newspapers books scholar JSTOR April 2018 Learn how and when to remove this message Fort D is a Civil War era fort alongside the Mississippi River in Cape Girardeau Missouri USA 1 Fort DU S National Register of Historic PlacesLocation920 Fort StCape Girardeau MissouriNRHP reference No 100004219Added to NRHPAugust 1 2019 Map of City Forts Cape Girardeau Missouri Contents 1 Construction 2 Other forts 3 Modern preservation 4 References 5 External linksConstruction edit nbsp Detail Map of Fort D Cape Girardeau Missouri Work on Fort D began on August 6 1861 under the direction of Lieutenant John W Powell of Illinois Later Powell recruited a company of men from Cape Girardeau to serve in the Union army Since Powell was from Illinois these men were designated as Battery F 2nd Illinois Light Artillery After training for several months the battery was sent up the Tennessee River to Pittsburgh Landing near a small chapel known as Shiloh During the Battle of Shiloh on April 6 1862 Powell gave a command to fire by raising his hand A bullet shattered his wrist and the arm was later amputated to stop infection In 1869 one armed John Wesley Powell led the first successful navigation of the Colorado River through what Powell named the Grand Canyon 2 3 The earthwork walls are the original Fort D as constructed in 1861 and restored in 1936 A palisade wall probably made of upright logs constituted the rear wall and was pierced by a gate The gap in the south wall may have been a sally port allowing soldiers access to the rifle pits below the parapet The fort was armed with three 32 pounder cannons and two 24 pounder cannons all mounted on movable siege carriages A 32 pounder cannon was a smoothbore cannon that could fire a 32 pound solid round shot over one mile The cannon plus carriage probably weighed more than four tons Fort D was garrisoned by Union troops from Illinois Missouri and other Midwestern states throughout the Civil War The fort was never engaged in real combat The Battle of Cape Girardeau April 26 1863 was fought west of the city 4 Other forts edit nbsp Gunpowder house Fort D Cape Girardeau Missouri Fort D is the only surviving fortification built by Union troops in the area during the Civil War Fort A was located slightly north of downtown Cape Girardeau on a high hill A grist grinding windmill was included in the fort Fort B was located where Academic Hall now stands at Southeast Missouri State University Fort C was built at the end of Bloomfield Road east of Pacific St Smaller earthworks included Battery A at the corner of Henderson and New Madrid Streets Battery B on Whitener Street just east of Sunset Avenue and rifle pits along Perry Avenue and on the hill where Southeast Missouri Hospital now stands 5 Modern preservation editThe fort was saved from development in the early 20th century The earthworks were repaired by the Works Progress Administration during the 1930s The stone blockhouse was also built by the WPA in 1936 and has been used for various purposes since 6 The fort was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019 References edit Missouri State Historical Society Cape Girardeau Archived from the original on 2016 03 31 Retrieved 2015 07 09 Missouri Civil War Sesquicentennial Retrieved 2015 07 09 Fort D event demonstrates military life during Civil War Southeast Missourian Newspaper May 25 2015 Retrieved July 9 2015 Fort D Historical Site Retrieved 2015 07 09 Protecting the fort Commission works to put Civil War spot on national register Southeast Missourian Newspaper Sep 6 2011 Retrieved July 10 2015 Great River Road com Retrieved 2015 07 09 External links edit nbsp Media related to Fort D at Wikimedia Commons Cape Girardeau website 37 17 27 N 89 31 35 W 37 29086 N 89 52626 W 37 29086 89 52626 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Fort D amp oldid 1058651771, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
