De Witt Clinton Fort
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| De Witt Clinton Fort | |
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| Born | June 8, 1830 Hardeman County, TN, U.S.A. |
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| Died | May 25, 1868 (aged 37) Hempstead, TX |
| Burial place | Bellville, TX, U.S.A. |
| Occupation | Attorney |
De Witt Clinton Fort (June 8, 1830, Hardeman, County, TN – May 25, 1868, Hempstead, TX, U.S.A.) Member of the Texas House of Representatives, 8th Texas Legislature (1859-1861). Served "Adjourned Session" (March 18, 1861 - April 9, 1861)
[edit] Personal background
Received his A.B. degree from Centre College, Danville, KY in 1850. Was admitted to the practice of law in 1852 (Mississippi); in 1857 (Texas). Elected to serve in the famous 8th TX Legislature (1859-1861) & special "Adjourned Session" (March 18, 1861 - April 9, 1861). Closed his Austin County, TX law office for the duration of the War in June 1861 and paid his own travel expenses to join Col. J.E.B. Stuart's Cavalry in Virginia for the first meaningful battle of the Civil War (July 1861 - Battle of 1st Manassas). Was captured in Tennessee following the Battle of Farmington in May 1862, but escaped by leaping from a Union prison steamboat into the Mississippi River. Later created "Fort's Scouts," a small, hard hitting unit of Confederate Cavalry, acting in concert with Gen. Nathan B. Forrest. By the end of the war he had served with the Confederate units in Texas, Virginia, Mississippi, Tennessee and Missouri. He was wounded during the closing weeks of the war. His unit did not surrender until about one month after General Lee's surrender at Appomattox C.H., VA.
The most amazing aspect pertaining to Captain De Witt Clinton Fort was his physical condition. No military unit would accept him for enlistment. He was "clubfooted" and badly crippled from birth and wholly unsuitable for military service...so he created his own "one-man army." By the time he was ordered to lay down his arms and surrender, his small band had closed down the Memphis & Charleston Railroad to Union military travel and only large Union cavalry patrols would venture outside the Union military headquarters at Memphis, TN.
He carried the sobriquet, Captain "Clubfoot" Fort, C.S.A. proudly.
[edit] References
- 14 Letters to A Friend by Laurier B. McDonald ISBN 978-1-60530-979-8 http://books.google.com/books?as_isbn=9781605309798
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | De Witt Clinton Fort |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Capt. "Clubfoot" Fort, C.S.A. |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Member of the Texas House of Representatives |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 8, 1830 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Hardeman County, TN |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 25, 1868 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Hempsted, TX |
