Fort DeRussy (Louisiana)

Fort DeRussy
Location within Louisiana
General information
Town or city Marksville, Louisiana
Country United States
Coordinates 31°11′02″N 92°03′16″W / 31.18380°N 92.05436°W / 31.18380; -92.05436
Construction started 1862
Completed 1862
Technical details
Structural system Earthen

Fort DeRussy, located four miles (6 km) north of Marksville, Louisiana, was a Confederate stronghold during the American Civil War defending the lower Red River Valley in Louisiana.

The fort was named for Colonel Lewis G. DeRussy, the oldest West Point graduate to serve in the Confederate Army. DeRussy, a prominent engineer in civilian life, was the engineering officer in charge of the construction of the first fortifications at the fort. The remains of the Colonel were exhumed from an abandoned grave and reinterred on the grounds of the fort on September 26, 1999.[1] The fort was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.

Battles

A drawing of Fort DeRussy sometime after its capture

A portion of Rear Admiral David D. Porter's Mississippi Squadron captured the fort on May 5, 1863 and destroyed on May 9, 1863 by the USS Benton.[2] The fort yielded to the Union Army, led by General A. J. Smith, on March 14, 1864.[3]

Maps & Plans

Drawn under the direction of Captain R. M. Venable, Chief of Topographical Bureau of Western Louisiana and Arkansas:[4]

Preservation

The property was donated to the City of Marksville in order to receive a $75,000 grant from the State of Louisiana to improve the site so that it could be accepted by the State Parks system, with Friends of Fort DeRussy in charge of spending the money for the city. A grant of $150,000 was received from the Red River Waterway Commission to purchase an additional 53 acres (210,000 m2), and 11 more acres were donated by the City of Marksville, at which time the state agreed to accept the donation of the fort and adjoining 70 acres (280,000 m2).[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Joyce Bridges. "Colonel Lewis G. DeRussy".
  2. ↑ Rear Admiral David D. Porter, Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series I, Volume 24, page 648.
  3. ↑ Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. "Fort De Russy Historical Marker".
  4. ↑ "Gilmer Civil War Maps Collection". University of North Carolina. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  5. ↑ Steve Mayeux. "Saving Fort DeRussy".
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